Frequently Asked Questions

This stands for an Animal Health Certificate and is required for pets traveling from the UK to Europe and Northern Ireland. It is about 11 pages in length and is a detailed legal document. It is valid for one trip only, and can only be administered by an Official Veterinarian (OV) who has done some extra training in this area. 

Five dogs or cats can share one certificate and it is valid for travel for up to 4 months (or as long as the rabies vaccination has not expired) including return to the UK. The only exemption to this is pets holding a an up-to-date Pet Passport issued in Northern Ireland or a European Country. The rabies vaccination must be given and signed for by a vet within the EU. 

Puppies and kittens must be at least 12 weeks old before they can have their first rabies vaccination and therefore, the minimum age for travel is 15 weeks (12 weeks of age plus the 3 week wait after vaccination to allow for a good immune response). 

It is intended for people traveling with their pet for non-commercial reasons ie. holiday. It is not intended for pets to be taken to the EU for sale or to be given away to a new owner in the EU. 

Tapeworm treatment is for DOGS only. It is to prevent the movement of a species of tapeworm called Echinococcus multilocularis. 

IF you are travelling to most EU countries, this treatment must be administered by a vet and the paperwork stamped  within 1-5 days (24-120 hours BEFORE re-entering the UK).So, for example, if you were re-entering the UK on Saturday at midday, you could get the tapeworm treatment done BETWEEN 12.01pm on the Tuesday (5 days before travel) AND 11.59am on Friday (the day before travel).   

IF you are travelling to Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta, Norway or Finland, the treatment must be administered within 1-5 days (or 24-120 hours) BEFORE departure to those countries. 

You need to use a product containing praziquantel, which is in many of the well known worming brands, including Drontal, Droncit and Milbemax. If you supply your own product, we can administer this FOR FREE. We can also supply you at the following cost for the outward or inbound journey). Many vets in the EU are happy for you to supply your own tapeworm treatment before re-entry to the UK as long one as it is in the original packaging and within date.

Dog up to 15kg - £20 in total

Dog 15-30kg - £25 in total

Dog >30kg - £30 in total

You only need one of these if your pet is traveling by plane. This should be issued within 5 days of travel usually. These are available at an additional cost, please contact us for information. 

- the owners full name and address

- the pet's sex, breed, color and DOB

- full information about the date of vaccination, vaccine manufacturer, product and batch number

- signed declaration by the administering vet that the pet's microchip was implanted or scanned BEFORE the rabies vaccine was given

- rabies vaccinations are usually valid for 3 years. Make sure you keep this up to do wait-ate as then you won't have to wait the 21 days again for immunity to develop. 

YOUR OWN VET MUST PROVIDE THIS FOR YOU IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE ALREADY

The assumption is that the person named on the rabies vaccine certificate (the registered owner) will be traveling with the pet. This person must be present to sign the owner declaration. 

IF this is not the case and someone else is traveling with your pet (such as another family member, family friend or pet travel company) please contact us to clarify the arrangements as the paperwork will need to be completed differently. In those cases, we will need you to sign a declaration to verify that you will be reunited with your pet within 5 days of entering the UK and the non-commercial nature of your trip. If this is not the case, then an AHC is not the correct legal travel document for your trip. Instead you would need an Export Travel certificate or EHC. 

We operate from near Marlow in Buckingham shire. We cover southern Bucks, east Berks, east Oxford shire and areas towards London outside of M25. If in doubt, please contact us to see if we are able to come to your area, extra changes may apply.

Circumstances and arrangements can and do sometimes have to change. 

Changes to the date of travel with notice of 14 days or more - NO CHARGE

Changes to information on the AHC within 14 days of travel - £35 per change

Cancellation of the appointment (without rescheduling) will incur charges as follows:

• more than 14 days of your home visit - 100% REFUND
• 7-14 days before your home visit - 50% REFUND
• less than 7 days before your home visit - NO REFUND

This reflects the fact that there is a lot of work in collating/checking information and completing the very detailed paperwork well in advance of the home visit.