Moving your dog or cat to Europe by road: what to expect
Why more owners are choosing the road over the cargo hold
If you’re moving to Spain, taking the dog to a holiday home in France, or bringing a rescue back from Portugal, you have two choices: put your pet in the hold of a plane, or drive them. More and more owners are choosing the road, and for good reason.
Flying means a crate on a tarmac, a pressurised hold, and hours with no one checking in. Many airlines won’t take flat-faced breeds at all, and in summer there are heat embargoes. A road trip is slower, but your pet is in a vehicle with a driver who stops every few hours, tops up the water and sends you a photo. For most dogs and cats, it’s a far calmer way to travel.
We’ve written this guide as a road pet transporter (we’re Euro Pet Express, based in Lancaster) to explain what a trip actually involves, what to look for in whoever you use, and the paperwork that catches people out.
How a road trip works
On a shared run, your pet travels in its own crate in a climate-controlled van alongside a handful of other dogs and cats, each in their own space. Medium and large dogs should always have a crate to themselves. Small pets who know each other, like two littermates, can share one.
Most owners send their pet’s own bed and a worn T-shirt, because a familiar smell settles an animal faster than anything a transporter can provide. A good transporter will carry vet bedding and blankets for anyone who needs them.
On the road, the van should stop every few hours for water, a walk and a toilet break. Pets should never be left unattended in the vehicle overnight. Expect updates and photos along the way, so you always know where they are.
At each end, you either bring your pet to a stop on the route, or the transporter collects and delivers to your door. Door-to-door costs more than meeting on the route, and it should be priced before you book, not after.
What to check before you book anyone
Pet transport is a regulated activity, and there are a few things worth asking any company, including us:
- Transporter authorisation. In Great Britain, anyone carrying animals commercially on journeys over 8 hours needs a DEFRA Type 2 transporter authorisation, and an EU equivalent for the European side. Ask for the numbers.
- Vehicle approval. Vans used for long journeys need a vehicle approval certificate covering ventilation, temperature control and crate fixing.
- Driver training. Drivers should hold a certificate of competence for animal transport, and ideally pet first aid.
- Insurance. Public liability and cover for animals in their care.
- See the van. Ask to see photos or videos of the inside before you pay. Every pet should have its own space, big enough to stand up and turn around in.
The paperwork you’ll need
The transport is the easy part. What catches people out is the paperwork, and the dates behind it. For a dog, cat or ferret travelling from Great Britain to the EU you need:
- A microchip, fitted before the rabies vaccination.
- A rabies vaccination, given at 12 weeks of age or older, and at least 21 days before you travel. If it has lapsed, the new jab starts the 21 days again.
- An Animal Health Certificate (AHC), issued by an Official Veterinarian within 10 days of entering the EU. It’s single use, so you need a new one for each trip out, and it’s valid for 4 months of onward travel within the EU and for coming home.
- Tapeworm treatment for dogs coming back to the UK, given by a vet between 24 hours and 5 days before you arrive, and recorded in the paperwork.
Since April 2026 the EU no longer accepts EU pet passports held by people whose main home is in Great Britain, so an AHC is now the route for almost everyone.
The AHC is the step that needs the most planning. Not every practice has an Official Vet, appointments fill up, and the 10-day window means you can’t do it early. Home-visit AHC services take a lot of the stress out of this, especially with several pets or a nervous animal. Get the AHC booked as soon as you have your travel date, and the rest falls into place.
When to do what
Work backwards from your travel date. Four to six weeks is comfortable; less is possible if the rabies jab is already in date.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 6 weeks before | Choose your transporter and book the space. Most shared runs close bookings two weeks before departure. |
| 4 weeks before (or earlier) | Check the microchip and rabies vaccination are in date. If not, get the jab now: the 21-day clock starts here. |
| 4 weeks before | Request an AHC appointment for inside the 10-day window to enter the EU (date of issue – day 1). |
| 1 to 10 days before | AHC issued by the Official Vet. Send your transporter a copy. |
| Coming home: 1 to 5 days before arrival | Dogs only: tapeworm treatment at a vet, written into the paperwork. On a road trip this is normally arranged en route. |
| Travel day | Pet, bed, food and paperwork to the meeting point. The transporter does the rest. |
Common mistakes we see
- Booking the AHC too early (it’s only valid if issued within 10 days of entry).
- A rabies booster given late, so the 21-day wait hasn’t passed by travel day.
- Microchip fitted after the rabies jab, which makes the vaccination invalid for travel.
- Forgetting the tapeworm treatment on the way home, which means the dog can’t enter the UK.
- Assuming an old EU pet passport still works from Great Britain. It doesn’t.
About the author. Dave McCulloch is a director of Euro Pet Express, a DEFRA-authorised Type 2 pet transporter based in Lancaster that drives dogs and cats between the UK and Europe every month in its own purpose-built van. Dave has bred dogs for over 20 years and organised hundreds of European pet transports before setting up the company with Tarik Jayousi of A&T Trained Dogs. Their scheduled routes and dates are at europetexpress.co.uk/routes.
