The Kennel Club is urging dog owners to check the latest post-Brexit pet travel rules ahead of travelling with their dog, to ensure they are adhering to the current guidelines. The recommendation follows the implementation of new rules for travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland with dogs, which in turn have coincided with the recent announcement that pet passports are set to return for Great Britain based dog owners.
Following the end of the Brexit transition period in January 2021, new rules regarding pet travel between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the EU were introduced, which had a significant impact on those who travel between those nations with their dogs. Since then, various updates and announcements have been made in relation to these rules.
As of 4 June 2025, those who live in Great Britain will need to obtain a Northern Ireland pet travel document (PTD) to travel to Northern Ireland with their dog, this includes assistance dogs. The new Northern Ireland PTD is free and lasts as long as you retain ownership of your dog, with the only requirement that your dog is microchipped.
For those who live in Northern Ireland, the only requirement is to ensure your dog is microchipped, and there is no need to obtain a Northern Ireland PTD to travel in either direction.
Different rules apply for commercial travel, please visit gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad/travelling-to-northern-ireland for further details.
For those travelling between Great Britain and the EU, while it was recently announced that pet passports will return for dog, cat and ferret owners, no date has currently been set for when this will come into effect, so owners should be aware that Animal Health Certificates will continue to be in force for the time being.
Dr Ed Hayes, Head of Public Affairs at The Kennel Club commented: “We have continued to push for changes to ease the process of travelling with dogs, between both Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as to and from the EU, so we are really pleased to see the Government making progress in reducing the post-Brexit red tape to travel with their dogs.
“The new Northern Ireland pet travel document for taking a dog from Great Britain into Northern Ireland is a significant improvement on the initially agreed post-Brexit requirement to obtain an expensive Animal Health Certificate for each journey to Northern Ireland.
“However, dog owners should be aware that there are still complexities within the rules to be aware of, and a date has yet to be set for when pet passports will return, so they should carefully check the rules in force before travel.”
Further information can be found by visiting our website and gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad.