Taking your pet to England: the EU passport still counts, the tapeworm clock is not to be missed

Yes, your dog, cat or ferret can come with you to England, and the good news is spelled out on GOV.UK: a valid EU pet passport, issued by an authorised vet, is enough to enter Great Britain. A separate British certificate is not needed from the Netherlands, and neither is a blood test. The trap is the order. Whoever doesn't fit the chip, the jab, the waiting period and the tapeworm treatment into the right window comes to a halt at the border, and GOV.UK is blunt about it: the animal can be put into quarantine for up to four months, or refused entry if you arrive by sea, at your expense.

Which animals, and which paperwork?

The rules apply to dogs, cats and ferrets. Other animals have separate rules, and a banned dog breed does not get in without a valid Certificate of Exemption. Your animal travels on the European passport, provided it is complete and correctly filled in: owner (with your signature in section I for passports issued on or after 29 December 2014), description of the animal, microchip number, rabies vaccination and, for dogs, the tapeworm treatment. If details are in the wrong place, the animal can be stopped. Bring the original, not a copy, and older passports too if a blood test is recorded in them. Once all the treatment spaces are full, a new passport is needed.

When can your animal travel after the chip and the jab?

The microchip has to go in before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination; if the jab came first, it has to be done again. On the approved routes staff read the chip, and an animal whose chip cannot be read is refused entry or put into quarantine. If your vet already cannot read the chip, everything starts again: a new chip, a new vaccination, a new passport and the waiting period once more.

The vet only vaccinates once your animal is at least 12 weeks old. After the first rabies vaccination (or the last of the first course) you wait at least 21 full days; day 1 is the day after the jab, and some vaccines need longer. If you later miss a booster, the vaccination course and therefore the waiting period start over.

When does the dog need its tapeworm treatment?

Before every entry, dogs must be treated by a vet against the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, with a product that contains praziquantel or an equally effective substance. The window is narrow: no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (five days) before arrival in Great Britain. The vet records the product name and manufacturer, the date and the time, their stamp and signature in the "Echinococcus treatment" section.

GOV.UK gives the example itself: treated on Monday at 1pm, you may arrive after 1pm on Tuesday and no later than 1pm on Saturday. If the journey runs beyond those 120 hours, a new treatment may be needed. The treatment applies to dogs only.

Clock	Deadline	Where it is recorded
Age at the rabies jab	at least 12 weeks	passport, with date of birth
Microchip	before or together with the rabies jab	passport, with date
Waiting period after rabies vaccination	at least 21 full days	passport
Tapeworm treatment (dog)	24 to 120 hours before arrival	passport, with date and time
Animal travels separately from you	no more than 5 days before or after you	otherwise the stricter rules apply
Quarantine if things go wrong	up to 4 months	at your expense

Which route can you take?

With a pet you can only enter Great Britain on an approved route with an approved carrier. From the Netherlands three ferry routes are on the list: Hook of Holland–Harwich (Stena Line), IJmuiden–Newcastle (DFDS Seaways) and Rotterdam (Europoort)–Hull (P&O Ferries, the only one of the three also approved for animals of foot passengers). Whoever drives via France can take Calais–Dover or Dunkirk–Dover, or LeShuttle from Calais to Folkestone. The list is updated when carriers report changes; check before booking whether the approval still stands and how many animals the carrier will take.

Book the vet around your arrival, not around your diary. The tapeworm treatment has to fall within the window of 24 to 120 hours before arrival, and the waiting period after the rabies jab is at least 21 full days. An appointment one day too early or too late is the difference between driving on and quarantine.

What happens on arrival?

The chip and the documents are checked, sometimes before boarding, and you sign a declaration that you will not sell or transfer the animal. If the animal travels more than five days before or after you, if you bring more than five animals, or if you intend to rehome it, the stricter Balai rules apply on top. Someone else may travel with your animal if you have authorised it in writing.

Does your animal fall under the customs relief?

Since Brexit your move is formally an import, and that also applies to your animal. Pets you bring for non-commercial purposes fall under the same Transfer of Residence relief as your household goods. In the ToR1 form you enter the passport or certificate number for each animal. If you don't have it yet for all your animals, you can already submit the application for your belongings and add the animal later. Animals for sale, breeding or competitions fall outside the relief.

What the crossing and the vet cost together is included in the cost estimate for England; ferry fares vary per booking and are therefore not listed here.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.4: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to England or go straight to step 4.4 in the open plan.