Travelling from Spain with your pet

Key rules

• EU basics: Every EU trip needs an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination given after microchipping, and an EU pet passport.
• Rabies wait: Your pet must wait 21 days after its first rabies vaccination before travelling to another EU country.
• Tapeworm: Dogs going to the UK, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway need vet-given treatment between 24 and 120 hours before arrival.
• UK entry: A Spanish EU pet passport does not work for Great Britain, so you need an Animal Health Certificate.
• Number of pets: You can travel with a maximum of five dogs, cats or ferrets, unless they are going to a competition or exhibition.
• Outside the EU: Each destination sets its own rules, and an official vet must endorse the health certificate before you leave.

Trips to another EU country

For the EU you need three things: a microchip, a rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport. Your pet needs an ISO microchip. The rabies vaccine must be given after the microchip, or at the same time, and when your pet is at least 12 weeks old. A vet authorised to issue the passport enters the microchip and the vaccination in it.

After the first rabies vaccination, your pet must wait 21 days before it can travel to another EU country. In practice a pet is at least 15 weeks old on its first trip.

The booster keeps your cover going if you give it on or before the expiry date of the last vaccination. The passport shows how long each vaccine lasts. A late booster counts as a first vaccination, so the 21-day wait starts again.

You can travel with a maximum of five dogs, cats or ferrets. The exception is a competition, exhibition or sporting event, or training for one. Then you may take more, if the animals are over 6 months old and you carry written proof of registration for the event.

Extra steps in some EU countries

Dogs going to Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway need tapeworm treatment given by a vet between 24 and 120 hours before arrival. The vet records it in the passport. Cats do not need it. Other countries can add their own rules, so ask the destination's veterinary authority before you book.

Trips to the UK

Your Spanish EU pet passport is not accepted for Great Britain. You need an Animal Health Certificate instead.

• An official or authorised vet in Spain issues it, normally within 10 days before you enter the UK.
• It is valid for entry for 10 days after it is issued.
• It also covers onward travel within the EU for 4 months, or until the rabies vaccination expires if that comes first.
• Your pet needs a microchip placed before the rabies vaccination, and the vaccination must be at least 21 days before travel.
• Dogs also need the tapeworm treatment described above.
• Enter by an approved route. Your pet may be checked on arrival.

Northern Ireland follows a different system based on the EU pet passport. UK pet-travel rules are set by the UK government, so read its current guidance before you go.

Trips outside the EU

Each country sets its own conditions. Start with the Spanish agriculture ministry's export guide for pets on its website. It lists requirements by country and the certificate models. Then confirm with the destination's embassy, consulate or veterinary authority, because they set the real entry conditions.

Common requirements are a microchip, a rabies vaccination, sometimes a blood titre test and a health certificate. Some countries need months of preparation, so start early.

Your own vet in Spain completes the health certificate for the destination. An official vet must then endorse it before you leave. Which office does this depends on your province, and many need an appointment. Take the signed certificate, the passport, the vaccination records and any lab results. The decision block below helps you choose the office.

The timeline, documents list, checklist and questions below cover the rest.

Choosing between options

Where do you get your pet's export health certificate endorsed?

• Agriculture office of the government delegation: Fits most trips outside the EU: the Área or Dependencia de Agricultura y Pesca at the Subdelegación or Delegación del Gobierno, which handles animal health.

• Border inspection centre or animal-health export office: Fits if your province sends exports to a border inspection centre or an animal-health export office instead.

• Airport or port inspection point: Fits in some cases where the endorsement is done where you leave Spain, such as an airport or port inspection point.

Your own vet, usually your clinic, completes the certificate first. An official vet then endorses it at the office that handles pet exports in your province. Many offices need an appointment.

Timeline and deadlines

• Microchip your pet with an ISO microchip: before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination

• Wait before travelling to another EU country: 21 days after the first rabies vaccination, so pets are effectively at least 15 weeks old

• Renew the rabies booster: on or before the expiry date of the last vaccination, to avoid a new 21-day wait

Documents you need

• EU pet passport for trips to another EU country, issued by an authorised vet, showing the microchip, the rabies vaccination and any tapeworm treatment. An official health certificate from an authorised vet can be used instead.

• Rabies vaccination record, entered in the passport. The vaccination must be given after microchipping, when the pet is at least 12 weeks old, and at least 21 days before travel.

• Animal Health Certificate for Great Britain, issued by an official or authorised vet in Spain normally within 10 days before entry. It replaces the Spanish EU pet passport, which the UK does not accept.

• Vet's record of tapeworm treatment for dogs going to the UK, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway, entered in the passport or certificate. Cats do not need it.

• Written proof of registration for the event, only if you travel with more than five animals to a competition, exhibition or sporting event.

• Health certificate for the destination country, for trips outside the EU. A vet registered in Spain completes it, and an official vet then endorses it. Bring the signed certificate, the passport, the vaccination records and any lab results to the endorsement office.

Checklist for a trip with your pet

• Pack your pet's health card or EU pet passport (cartilla sanitaria) showing the rabies and other vaccinations are up to date.

• Carry proof that your pet's microchip is registered in the regional pet registry, such as the registration certificate.

• Bring the civil liability insurance papers for your dog, as some regions require them and they are useful everywhere.

• Take the PPP licence, the PPP registry entry and the insurance policy if your dog is classed as potentially dangerous (PPP), and keep it on a lead and muzzled where required.

• Ask the transport company or the region whether it wants extra papers, such as a carrier or a health certificate, before a trip within Spain.

• Check that your pet has an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination given after microchipping and at least 12 weeks of age, and an EU pet passport or an official health certificate from an authorised vet, before going to another EU country.

• Book your departure at least 21 days after the first rabies vaccination for a trip to another EU country.

• Ask the destination country's authorities whether they add rules, such as tapeworm treatment for dogs, before you travel abroad.

• Ask Renfe for the current carrier size, weight limit and pet fare for your train type before you buy tickets.

• Ask your airline for the current weight limit, carrier rules and fee per leg before you book, and check any breed restrictions, especially for snub-nosed breeds.

• Choose an airline that takes pets on your route: Iberia and Vueling allow small pets in the cabin, while Ryanair does not on most routes.

• Ask each hotel or holiday rental whether pets are allowed, and confirm the nightly fee, deposit, weight limit and house rules in writing before you book.

• Pack your pet's own bed and plan not to leave your pet alone in the room.

Airline, train and hotel rules change often, so check current weight limits, fares and fees with each company before you book.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take more than five pets on a trip?

Yes, but only if the animals are going to a competition, exhibition or sporting event, or to training for one.

What happens if my pet's rabies booster is late?

A late booster counts as a first vaccination, so the 21-day wait applies again before you can travel. A booster given on or before the expiry date of the last vaccination needs no new wait. Its validity is the period written in your pet's passport, commonly 1 to 3 years.

Can I use my Spanish pet passport to enter the UK?

No, a Spanish-issued EU pet passport is not accepted for entry to Great Britain, so you need an Animal Health Certificate from an official or authorised vet in Spain. It is normally issued within 10 days before entry and is valid for entry for 10 days after issue.

Does my cat need tapeworm treatment for the UK or Ireland?

No, tapeworm treatment is only required for dogs, not for cats.

How do I find the rules for a country outside the EU?

Start with the export guide for pets on the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture's website, which lists requirements by destination. Then confirm with the destination country's embassy, consulate or veterinary authority, as some countries need months of preparation.