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FAQs
An AHC is a legal document required for dogs, cats, and ferrets to travel from Great Britain to the EU and beyond. It confirms your pet is microchipped and vaccinated against rabies.
As of 22/04/2026 the EU Pet Passport is no longer valid for travel for GB residents leaving the UK.
It can be used as a proof of rabies vaccination for the issuance of an Animal Health Certificate.
The rabies waiting period must be complete before your AHC appointment, not just before you travel.
After a first rabies vaccination, or one given after previous cover has expired, allow at least 21 days after completion of the primary course before certification. Some vaccines require longer, so check with your vet.
The vaccination date is day 0. With a standard 21-day waiting period, vaccination on 1 June means the earliest AHC appointment is 22 June. We cannot issue the AHC on 21 June, even if you travel on 22 June.
An in-date booster does not normally require a new waiting period. We will need evidence that the previous vaccination was still valid.
You can reserve an appointment in advance. The appointment itself must be after the required waiting period, and EU entry must fall within the AHC's 10-day validity window. The issue date is day 1.
Unsure which date to choose? Contact us before paying.
Read the official GOV.UK guidance on getting an Animal Health Certificate.
An AHC is valid for entry into the EU for 10 days from issue. Once you enter the EU, it can be used for onward travel within the EU and re-entry to Great Britain for up to six months, provided the pet's rabies vaccination remains valid. A new AHC is normally required for each new trip from Great Britain to the EU.
Check your appointment date: any primary-rabies waiting period must have ended before we can issue the AHC, not just before your travel date.
Please send us your pet's microchip details, rabies vaccination evidence, previous vaccination records where relevant, and your travel details, including your EU entry date and first country of entry. We may also need clinical records from your usual vet.
The waiting period is normally at least 21 days after completion of the primary vaccination course, but some vaccines require longer. An in-date booster does not normally require a new wait. Contact us before paying if you are unsure.
Have your pet and original supporting documents available at the appointment.
Read the official GOV.UK guidance on getting an Animal Health Certificate.
Tapeworm treatment is required for dogs travelling directly from Great Britain to Finland, Ireland, Malta or Norway. The treatment must be given by a vet no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours before arrival.Different rules apply when travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Eligible travellers using a Northern Ireland Pet Travel Document do not require tapeworm treatment for travel solely to Northern Ireland.Dogs returning to Great Britain from most European countries also require tapeworm treatment 24–120 hours before arrival. However, treatment is not required when returning directly from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta or Norway.
The Rabies vaccination is the only one required for travel in the EU.
Please note that getting L4 and KC vaccinations on the same date as the Rabies vaccination may make it invalid for the purposes of travel documentation. If possible, please leave at least 2 weeks between these vaccinations.
Around 20 minutes. We check your pet, verify their records, and complete the certificate during the visit.
Absolutely! We can issue AHCs for multiple pets in one convenient home visit.
As we are a mobile service, we are able to pass the savings we make on minimal overheads onto you.
We cover a growing network of locations across England, Scotland and Wales. Visit our Locations page or use our postcode checker to see the home visit and collection point options available in your area.
We’re here to help! Contact us for free, no-obligation advice, and we’ll guide you through the process.
If you have previously booked an Animal Health Certificate with The Pet Passport Co., you can refer friends and family by sharing your original TPPC order number. The new customer enters that order number as their referral code on the AHC details form. Once four qualifying new customers have completed their appointments using your referral code, we will issue you a £40 voucher to use towards your next Animal Health Certificate.
Your referral code is your original The Pet Passport Co. order number. You do not need to request or generate a separate referral code. Share your original order number with the person you are referring and ask them to enter it in the referral section of the AHC details form.
A qualifying referral must be a genuinely new The Pet Passport Co. customer who books and pays for an Animal Health Certificate, provides your valid referral code, and completes their appointment. Cancelled, refunded, duplicate or unpaid bookings do not count towards a referral reward.
Once four qualifying referrals linked to your referral code have completed their appointments, we will verify them and issue a £40 voucher for your next Animal Health Certificate. The reward is issued to the customer linked to the original order number used as the referral code.
Yes. The scheme can be used repeatedly. Every four qualifying new-customer referrals earns another £40 voucher towards a future Animal Health Certificate, subject to the referral scheme terms and conditions.
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