Pet travel · 8 min · updated 2026-06-20
Crossing a border with a pet, without a bad afternoon
What paperwork is usually asked for, how far in advance to start, and what to carry in hand rather than in the boot.
Start earlier than feels necessary
Most requirements are time-bound rather than complicated: a rabies vaccination has to be a certain age, a health certificate has to be issued within a certain window, and a microchip has to be readable and registered to a current address. The failure mode is almost never the wrong document — it is the right document, issued three days outside the window. Work backwards from your departure date and book the veterinary appointment first, before the ferry or the flight.
Carry it, do not pack it
Whatever the requirements turn out to be, the paperwork belongs somewhere you can reach without opening the boot at a barrier. A single wallet with labelled sleeves, carried on the person, converts a stressful search into a ten-second exchange. Keep a photograph of every page on your phone as well, and one printed copy separate from the originals.
Plan the animal's day, not just yours
Border crossings involve waiting in a stationary vehicle, which is the least comfortable place an animal can be. Know where the last shaded stop before the crossing is, water them there, and do not rely on air conditioning that stops when the engine does. If the queue is long, the correct move is to stop before joining it, not after.
What we cannot tell you
Requirements differ by country, by species, and by year, and they change. Nothing on this page is a substitute for the current official guidance from the destination's authority and your own veterinarian. Treat this as a planning framework and confirm every specific.