Pet passports set to be restored between the EU and the UK

The planned restoration would make EU travel easier for people in Great Britain with dogs, cats or ferrets. They could obtain a multi-use pet passport for EU travel instead of arranging a new Animal Health Certificate each time they cross the border. This is part of a wider EU-UK sanitary and phytosanitary agreement on food and animal trade.

For example, a British owner planning several EU holidays could use the same authorised-veterinarian-issued passport for multiple trips. The passport would replace the current trip-by-trip certificate requirement. Northern Ireland already remains part of the EU pet travel scheme, so the change mainly affects England, Scotland and Wales.

The agreement is expected to become effective around mid-2027. Until then, owners travelling from Great Britain to an EU country must still obtain an Animal Health Certificate for each journey. The change depends on the SPS agreement being approved as planned.

An EU pet passport is an authorised-veterinarian-issued document for a dog, cat or ferret travelling within the EU. Its key benefit is repeated use. It records the animal’s travel information under the EU pet travel scheme, allowing the owner to make multiple trips without arranging a completely new document for every journey.

For example, a traveller taking a dog from Great Britain to France and later to Spain could use the same passport for multiple EU trips, once the planned arrangement is operating. That differs from an Animal Health Certificate, which Great Britain travellers currently need for every journey. Northern Ireland remains within the EU pet travel scheme.

The passport system is not yet restored for Great Britain. The planned SPS agreement would bring back multi-use passports, with implementation expected around mid-2027. Until then, travellers from Great Britain must continue using Animal Health Certificates when entering an EU country.

Travellers from Great Britain lost the right to use EU pet passports after the UK withdrew from the EU. The article explains that Great Britain was then classified as a third country. That classification removed British travellers from the EU’s pet travel arrangements, while Northern Ireland remained part of the scheme.

The practical effect was significant for people travelling with dogs, cats or ferrets. Instead of using one passport for repeated journeys, they had to obtain an Animal Health Certificate for every trip from Great Britain to an EU country. The certificate became the required document for each journey.

The planned SPS agreement could reverse this position. If approved as expected, it would allow pet owners in Great Britain to obtain a multi-use passport for EU travel. The arrangement is expected to take effect around mid-2027, so the current third-country requirements continue until then.

The main difference is the number of journeys covered. An EU pet passport allows multiple trips within the EU for a dog, cat or ferret. By contrast, travellers from Great Britain currently need a new Animal Health Certificate for every trip to an EU country.

For instance, an owner taking a cat from Great Britain to an EU country twice currently needs two separate Animal Health Certificates. Under the planned system, the owner could use a multi-use EU pet passport for those journeys, once the agreement becomes effective. Authorised veterinarians issue the passports.

This change is part of the proposed EU-UK SPS agreement. It is expected to become effective around mid-2027, subject to approval as planned. Until then, the comparison remains multiple trips per passport versus one trip per Animal Health Certificate for Great Britain travellers.

Before the replacement system begins, pet owners in Great Britain must follow the existing travel rules. Anyone taking a dog, cat or ferret to an EU country still needs an Animal Health Certificate for each trip. The future multi-use passport is not available under the planned arrangement yet.

This means an owner planning separate holidays must arrange the required certificate again for every journey. The current rule applies to travellers from England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland remains part of the EU pet travel scheme, so its position is different from the rest of Great Britain.

The new system depends on approval of the SPS agreement. The UK government expects it to become effective around mid-2027. Until that happens, owners should continue using Animal Health Certificates rather than assuming the proposed restoration of EU pet passports has already taken effect.

The wider SPS deal involves reciprocal changes in how the EU and UK manage food, animals and animal products. The UK would apply EU rules on animal and food standards. It would also ensure that imports from non-EU countries meet EU requirements, bringing its relevant controls closer to the bloc’s system.

In return, the agreement would remove checks on food and animal products traded under the arrangement. It would also restore the use of EU pet passports for holidaymakers travelling from Great Britain. The deal therefore combines UK alignment with EU standards and easier movement across the EU-UK border.

The SPS agreement is described as the easiest part of the wider package being negotiated. Other measures include UK access to the EU electricity market and a youth mobility scheme. The package is planned for announcement at a summit in Brussels on 20 November, with the SPS arrangements expected around mid-2027.

Sanitary and phytosanitary, or SPS, rules are border and production controls that protect human, animal and plant health. Sanitary measures concern food safety and animal health. Phytosanitary measures concern plant health and pests. Countries use them to reduce the risk that trade spreads disease, contamination or harmful organisms.

In practice, such rules can require inspections, certificates, testing and compliance with agreed standards. The article’s proposed EU-UK deal would remove checks on food and animal products while requiring the UK to apply EU rules on animal and food standards. It would also require non-EU imports to meet EU requirements.

The article does not provide a detailed technical definition of SPS rules, but it presents the agreement as a way to make food and animal trade easier while keeping standards aligned. If approved, the arrangement would also restore EU pet passports for travellers from Great Britain, with effect expected around mid-2027.