Bringing a dog from UK for holiday

Hi 

You don’t say if you are driving to Spain with your dog or wanting to fly your dog out. Flying your dog out and back to the U.K. is very expensive. If you are driving to Spain maybe look at Brittany Ferries. I would mention that the on board kennels seem to get booked up quickly. 

Here’s a link that will tell you what you need to do to take your pet abroad 

https://www.gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad/travelling-to-an-eu-country-or-northern-ireland

Regards 

Anne

Thank you Anne. 

Hi Beth111,

To travel from the UK to Spain, your woof will need to have a microchip. a valid rabies vaccination, and an animal health certificate (AHC), all of which your vet can arrange for you.  Some vets in the UK seem to be charging a lot of money for the AHC (c.£200), so if this is something you plan to do regularly, visit a vet in Spain and get a pet passport issued here for your woof, which will make subsequent trips easier and cheaper.

Kind regards, 

Kim

What do you mean by "a few months"?

Since Brexit you can only stay in the Schengen area (essentially the EU) for a maximum of 90 days in any 180 and the clock starts ticking the moment you set foot on Schengen soil so days spent travelling, say driving through France, count.

If you have an Irish or other EU passport you can ignore the above.

Kim is right about trying to get Spanish issued EU Pet Passport. Travelling to Spain is not much problem. Getting back to UK can be a small issue with the tapeworm tablet requirements

Hi, We and many others have been bringing our dogs for some years now. Obviously it adds to the expense, but we find the whole thing enjoyable (part of the holiday) Many hotels in France, Spain etc will accept dogs for a small fee, up to €25 (but we did once pay more
Some pointers, if you’re going to do it regularly it’s cheaper to get a European passport in Spain, I think you then need to ensure you get the annual boasters in Spain. Think about the weather. Summer in Spain is not a great place for our dog. Far too hot to walk during the day. Also the festivities (Easter?) are a pain as they involve fireworks! Lots of them sometimes. Our dog is terrified! If you’re unfortunate enough to need a Vet in Spain they are considerably cheaper than UK. Dogs are banned from many beaches, but the rules are usually relaxed during the “winter” months when sunbathers disappear. Not all UK vets will issue the certificate and you need to allow some time for it, not sure how much now but a discussion with your vet should sort that. Good luck and enjoy the experience 🇪🇸☀️😀

Thank you for your advice it was very helpful.

X

Hi Patricia,

We go to Spain on Britannia Ferries, a large kennel costs £45 each way.   Our vet charged £174 for the certificate in October, and you are only allowed 3 months in Spain...and...the certificate can only be used once, you must also arrive in Spain within 10 days of the date on your certificate, then get a vet in Spain to sign and give your dog a tape worm tablet, for you to come back, this has cost between 10/30 euros, depending on vet.  You would be best to get an EU pet cert., which I have been told is about 60/100 euros.  The only reason we didn’t get one, was that our dog had just had a Rabies injection, and to get an EU passport, he would have had to have another one, and we would not let him have two so quickly together.  Hope this helps.  Margaret.

Thank you for all the information it's been very helpful