United Kingdom Pet Import Requirements

Dogs, cats and ferrets must be vaccinated against rabies before traveling to the UK. The animal must be at least 12 weeks old at the time of vaccination. The vaccine must be an inactivated vaccine or recombinant vaccine that’s approved in the country of use.
 
There is a 21 day wait after the primary vaccination (or the last of the primary course of vaccinations) before the pet can travel to Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) for listed countries. For unlisted countries, pets must wait at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination before they can have the blood test. The date of vaccination is day 0.

The pet must get their regular booster vaccinations, there cannot be a break between Rabies Vaccinations. If you miss the booster, the rabies vaccine will need to be re-administered and if arriving from a country that; s not part of the EU and not listed the rabies blood test will also need to be repeated.

The pet’s vaccination record in their pet passport or health certificate must show:
- The pet’s date of birth
- Microchip number, date it was put in or read, and its location on the pet’s body
- Vaccination date
- Vaccine manufacturer and product name
- Vaccine batch number
- Date the vaccination is valid until (as per manufacturer’s instructions in the country it was administered)
- The vet’s signature and contact details.

For pets vaccinated with Canvac R:

If the dog, cat or ferret has had the Canvac R vaccination, they must have had the right number of doses of the primary course. They’ll need:

- 1 dose if they were vaccinated over the age of 5 months

- 2 doses if they were vaccinated under the age of 5 months - the doses must have been 2 to 4 weeks apart

All pets with the Canvac R vaccination must be at least 17 weeks old before they travel.

 

For dogs vaccinated with Canvac DHPPiL + R:

If the dog has had the Canvac DHPPiL + R vaccine, both of the following must apply:

- The dog has had 3 doses of the primary course of the vaccine and each vaccine dose was 3 weeks apart

- The dog must also be at least 21 weeks old before they travel.
Pet passports or Rabies vaccination certificates, if issued from 29 December 2014 and the record is a sticker, this must be covered by a laminated strip (this is included in the pet passport)

Pets from unlisted third countries must wait at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination before they can have the blood test. The blood test checks for antibodies.

 The following rules must be observed:

- At least 30 days have passed since the rabies vaccination was given before the blood sample was taken

- The result of the test is equal to or greater than 0.5IU/ml

- At least 3 calendar months have passed between the date of the blood sample draw and the date of entry into Great Britain (if prepared outside the EU or UK)

- the blood test was carried out at an approved laboratory

 Approved laboratories in the EU

Approved laboratories in Great Britain

Approved laboratories in other countries

 The blood test will continue to be valid as long as the pet’s rabies vaccinations are kept up to date.

Pets may be put into quarantine for up to 4 months if the above rules are not followed. The owner is responsible for any fees or charges.

In the UK, it’s against the law to own certain types of dog.
These are the:
•    Pit Bull Terrier
•    Japanese Tosa
•    Dogo Argentino
•    Fila Brasileiro
XL Bully dogs are banned in England and Wales.
It’s against the law to:
•    sell a banned dog
•    abandon a banned dog
•    give away a banned dog
•    breed from a banned dog
Controlling your dog in public: Banned dogs - GOV.UK

It is a criminal offence to keep an XL Bully dog without a Certificate of Exemption.
It is also an offence to:  
•    have an XL Bully in public without a lead and muzzle
•    breed or breed from an XL Bully
•    sell, give away or rehome an XL Bully
•    abandon an XL Bully or let it stray
Applications for a Certificate of Exemption to keep an XL Bully dog have closed. New exemptions can only be granted by a court order.
XL Bully dogs in Scotland - gov.scot

In the UK, it’s against the law to own certain types of dog. These are the:
- Pit Bull Terrier
- Japanese Tosa
- Dogo Argentino
- Fila Brasileiro
- XL Bully

F1 hybrid cat or dogs cannot enter GB under the scope of Regulation (EU) 576/2013. F1 hybrids and other non-domestic species should be imported in line with the requirements of the IIN for the import of certain rabies susceptible animals under the Balai Directive (BLLV/5a).   

The import of some hybrid cats and dogs, up to and including F4 generation, may require export and import certificates under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and/or under Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.

Pet owners CANNOT clear their pets themselves, without the help of a UK agent upon arrival.

Pets traveling by air must arrive as manifest cargo and be customs cleared with the help of a UK agent upon arrival. Hours of operation and import charges vary by animal receiving center/clearing agent.

 You are required by law to advise the nature of your import and whether or not you are entitled to any VAT relief at the time of arrival. Pet owners transferring residency to the UK must apply for “Transfer of Residency” (ToR) relief with HMRC before arriving into the UK, if they wish to avoid paying VAT on arrival. This process must be done by the owner on the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-transfer-of-residence-tor-relief-tor01

NB. If a pet arrives into the UK without a ToR reference, then VAT will need to be paid.

Owners can request retrospective ToR relief from HMRC and, if a ToR reference is issued, the VAT can be reclaimed. There is a time-limit of 12 months from date of arrival for this. In this instance the owner reclaims any VAT paid on deposit. Students are also exempt from paying VAT if they can provide sufficient evidence of enrollment.

Any person importing pets for the purpose of sale or resale, breeding and production who are VAT registered will require an active EORI number prior to arrival so that they may reclaim VAT. Applications can be made via the following link: www.gov.uk/eori

List of approved UK Border Control Post (BCP) can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-border-control-posts-animal-and-animal-product-imports/live-animals-animal-products-and-food-and-feed-of-non-animal-origin-border-control-posts-bcp-in-the-uk#border-control-posts-bcps-at-airports