Exporting pets from the UK to any country
We take dogs, cats and small animals out of the UK for any legal reason. One team arranges the Official Veterinarian's certificate, the flight and the handover at the other end.
5 stars from 100+ Google reviewsDEFRA approved
Rules checked against GOV.UK guidance in .
Tell us where your pet is going and when.
Start your pet's exportThe advice is free, and calls and WhatsApp messages are answered 24 hours a day.
Take your pet from the UK to any country
Tailored Pet Travel handles exporting pets from the UK to any country, for owners, breeders and rescues. As a London based pet transporter approved by DEFRA, we collect your pet from home and book the Official Veterinarian who signs its papers. Then we fly it from a UK airport and hand it over at the other end.
- FromYour home
- Papers signed byThe Official Veterinarian
- Flies fromA UK airport
- Handed over atTheir door
Your destination sets the rules for exporting your pet
Your pet's destination decides which certificate it needs, so we start every export by checking that country's rules.
Animal Health Certificate
Travel to the EU needs an Animal Health Certificate.
- Signed
- An Official Veterinarian signs it within 10 days of arrival.
- EU pet passport
- If your pet has an EU pet passport, plan around the Animal Health Certificate instead. Since , the EU takes that certificate from people living in Great Britain in place of a passport, and it covers six months of travel around the EU. It also covers the trip home.
Export health certificate (EHC)
Countries outside the EU need an export health certificate (EHC), written for that country and that pet.
Exporting cats from the UK uses the same certificates as dogs.
Some countries and airlines set extra rules for certain breeds, so tell us the breed at the start. Our team checks it against the rules for each country we fly to.
Which certificate does your pet need?
Tell us the destination, and we will tell you if your pet needs an Animal Health Certificate or an export health certificate.
How long does it take to export a pet?
For the EU, your pet can leave 21 full days after its first rabies jab, which can be given from 12 weeks old. So the youngest a puppy or kitten can travel to the EU is about 15 weeks.
First rabies jabFrom 12 weeks old
Can leave for the EUAt about 15 weeks old
Countries further away often ask for a rabies blood test, and each government sets the wait after it. In Australia, quarantine at Mickleham runs from 10 to 30 days, depending on when a government vet checks your pet's identity. Our country page shows how Australia's quarantine drops to 10 days, and we plan for it from the first visit.
The Official Veterinarian's final check comes shortly before the flight, so we book the two together and the dates line up.
We arrange the Official Veterinarian, the flight and the handover
An Official Veterinarian signs your pet's export health certificate. This is a vet the government has approved to sign export papers, and we book them for you. The vet checks and signs the certificate on EHC Online (opens in a new tab) before it goes to APHA, the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
In England, Scotland and Wales you also need an export application form, called an EXA, and we help you fill it in. Your pet then flies in the cargo hold, from the UK airport that suits your route, on an airline that accepts it. You can hire a crate from us, built to the rules of IATA, the airline body that sets how animals fly.
DEFRA approval lets us move animals in and out of Great Britain, so one team stays responsible from your door to the destination. Here is how an export runs:
Send the destination and date.
Our team checks the rules and works back to the earliest day your pet can leave.
Vet visits in the right order.
Each appointment is booked in turn, ending with the vet's final check.
Collected from your door.
A trained pet handler picks up your pet anywhere in the UK in a climate controlled vehicle.
Handed over at the other end.
Our own team meets your pet on arrival, and live GPS tracking lets you follow the drive at each end.
Rather not do the paperwork yourself?
We book the Official Veterinarian, help you fill in the EXA form and keep every vet visit in the right order.
We take on commercial pet exports for breeders and rescues
We export pets for any legal reason, including sales, rehoming and moves of more than five pets. These count as commercial moves, and they use different paperwork from a family move.
- Soldor rehomed
- Over 5pets in one vehicle to the EU
- Over 5days apart from its owner
A move becomes commercial when a pet is sold or rehomed, or when more than five pets travel in one vehicle to the EU. It also applies when a pet travels more than five days apart from its owner. That last rule often affects owners who fly ahead for a new job, and our guide explains how the five-day rule works. Either way, we use the right certificate from the start.
Certificate 8454
For commercial moves to the EU or Northern Ireland, the government uses certificate 8454 (opens in a new tab). It covers 33 destinations, including Norway and Switzerland. Arranged alongside the vet checks, it lets a sale or rescue adoption follow the same plan as any other move.
EU Type 2 transporter authorisation
Breeders exporting dogs from the UK can send them by road as well as by air. Long drives are covered by our EU Type 2 transporter authorisation. That is the licence needed to move animals for business on trips over eight hours. It keeps a long drive across Europe legal from start to finish.
Owners who moved their pets to Nairobi, Dubai and Chicago
Long moves out of the UK make up a large share of our Google reviews. Here is what three owners said, word for word.
“Moving our cocker spaniel from Brighton, UK to Nairobi could have been the most stressful part of our relocation but Sonny and Tailored Pet Travel made sure that this was not the case.”
“From the paperwork to liaising with the authorities in the UAE, everything was handled with such care.”
“All travel details, forms, vet visits etc taken care of by Sonny and the team. Sonny also travelled with our dog, sent photos of his progress and delivered him right to our door.”
You can read more than 100 owners' reviews, each quoted word for word from Google.
What does exporting a pet from the UK cost?
Each pet export is quoted for your pet and its route, with every part of the price listed separately. Five things decide the total.
Crate size matters because airlines charge for the space a crate takes up in the hold. A larger dog in a larger crate costs more to fly. The destination counts too, since blood tests, permits and quarantine fees vary by country. The last three are the airline and airport, the number of pets, and whether the move is personal or commercial.
Some destination costs are set by the government there. Australia, for example, publishes its quarantine charges, and we add them to your quote line by line.
- Crate size
- Destination
- Airline and airport
- Number of pets
- Personal or commercial
- Plus any charges the destination government sets
Tell us the destination and the date you need your pet there.
We will tell you the earliest legal departure date before you book anything, and the advice is free.
What owners ask before a pet flies out of the UK
Can my pet fly in the cabin from the UK?
Most pets fly in the cargo hold, in a pressurised space set aside for animals. British Airways, for example, carries no pets in the cabin on any route. On some routes a small pet can fly in the cabin with one of our handlers, and we will tell you if yours can.
Can my pet be sedated for the flight?
Pets fly awake, and that is the safer way for them to travel. A sedated pet finds it harder to brace itself and keep its body temperature steady in the hold, so vets advise against it. Hire the crate early and your pet can get used to it at home first.
Do you export pets to every country?
Yes, we export pets from the UK to any country that accepts them. Each country sets its own rules on paperwork, tests and quarantine, and we check them before we quote. Small animals travel with us too, as well as dogs and cats.
Are the rules different if we leave from Northern Ireland?
Yes, because Northern Ireland follows EU rules for pet exports. Exports to countries outside the EU go through DAERA, the Northern Ireland agriculture department, with an approved vet practice. The application opens 10 days before export and should go in at least 2 days before, and we plan around that window.
Which UK airports can my pet fly from?
Pets fly out from airports right across the UK, on an airline that takes pets on your route. Collection is from your home anywhere in the UK, so your pet can leave from wherever its route starts.
Can my pet come back to the UK later?
Yes. For the EU, the Animal Health Certificate your pet leaves on also covers its return to Great Britain for six months, as long as its rabies jab stays in date. From further away, the rules depend on where your pet is coming from, and our team handles bringing your pet back into the UK too.
The first vet visit can save your pet three weeks
Your pet's earliest leaving date is usually set at its first vet visit, long before any flight is booked. The microchip has to go in before the rabies jab or at the same visit. Done the other way round, the jab is given again, so the right order saves you three weeks.
That is why the most useful call is the one you make before that first appointment. We will agree the order with your vet, so every date after it falls into place.
Call 07446 698859- Microchip
- Rabies jab
Or both at the same visit.
- Rabies jab
- Microchip
- Jab given again
Send your destination for a pet export quote
Exporting pets from the UK goes smoothly when one team holds every date, from the first vet visit to the handover abroad. Tailored Pet Travel answers calls and WhatsApp messages 24 hours a day, wherever your pet is heading.
Your destination and a rough date are all we need to start.
Request your export quoteThe advice is free and there is no obligation.
Lines open 24 hours, 7 days a week
Moves to any country worldwide
