Taking Your Dog to the UK?
Taking your pet into the UK is bound to be one of the most tedious parts of your relocation to the United Kingdom. No doubt the process has become much more easier than it was earlier, but even after the US became a qualifying country for the Pet Travel Scheme, there are still a lot of shenanigans attached to taking your pet transport to the UK with you. Since the US now is an accepted country for the Pet Travel and Pass Port Scheme, you will be saved the hassle of putting your pet into quarantine for six months;but there are still a whole lot of eligibility requirements that your pet will have to meet before pets travel to the UK. Keep in mind however, that if even a single requirement is not met, then your pet might still find itself in quarantine.
The laws in Britain are not very kind to dogs or any other pets for that matter. So your dog is not allowed to travel with you even if it is extremely teenie weenie, since it is mandatory for all dogs to enter UK only as cargo, and thus your beloved pet will have to travel in the cargo hold of an airplane. Even if you are filthy rich and want to take your pet via your private jet or boat, the government will not allow you to. Then again, there are a number of dogs that are considered dangerous and are not allowed entry into the UK. Some of these breeds are the Japanese Tosa, the Filo Braziliero, the Pit Bull Terrier and the Dog Argentino.
Given below is a list of the requirements that your pets must meet in order to qualify for entry into the UK
In case you and your pet belong to the US or Canada, or any other qualifying country, then the pet should not have been put of the country for at least six months prior to entry in the UK.
Your dog should have been micro chipped at least six months before entry into the UK. Please ensure that the microchip meets ISO standards, or carry a micro chip reader with you at all times. Also, take care that you bring all the original microchip papers from your vet.
Any dog above the age of three months should be vaccinated against rabies at least six months prior to traveling. You should carry your pets rabies vaccine record, which should have details about: dog's date of birth/age (if known), date of vaccination, micro chip number, vaccine product name, vaccine batch number and also the date when the booster shot has to be administered.
Blood test results showing that the rabies neutralizing antibody titer in your dogҒs blood stream is equal to or greater than 0.5 IU/ml. This should be done at a lab that is recognized by the U.K. Pet Travel Scheme.
Apart from these, you will also need an official PETS certification and a Tick and Tapeworm Treatment and Certification.
Requirements for pet travel do keep changing and it would be best if you check with DEFRA (https://www.defra.gov.uk) regarding what you and your pet will need to be granted entry into the UK at least six months before you plan to travel.