EU Pet Passport: Everything You Need to Know for Traveling with Your Dog

Your dog needs three things before an EU trip: a microchip, a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days earlier, and a pet passport signed by an authorised vet. Plan around the 21 days. It's the part that catches people out.

What is an EU pet passport?

It's an official veterinary document that identifies your dog and records its health treatments. It covers non-commercial travel between EU countries and Northern Ireland, and a vet must issue it. The format is standardised across the EU, with a unique number and entries in several languages.

A passport holds:

• your name and contact details
• the microchip number
• a description of the dog
• vaccination records, rabies above all
• the vet's stamp and signature
• later treatments, such as tapeworm doses

It's issued only to owners who live in the EU. It stays valid for your dog's life, as long as the rabies vaccination is kept up to date.

What your dog needs first

Microchip

Danish law requires every dog to be ID-marked and registered in Dansk Hunderegister by 8 weeks of age. For travel, the chip must meet the EU technical standard, which in practice means an ISO 15-digit chip. It also has to be in place before the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination doesn't count.

The chip goes in between the shoulder blades with a needle, much like a routine injection, and needs no anaesthetic. Check the number against the paperwork and keep your contact details in the register current, especially after a move.

A clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011 is also accepted. If your dog has an older non-standard chip, ask your vet whether a second chip is needed. You can also bring your own reader on the trip.

Rabies vaccination

• The dog must be at least 12 weeks old on the day of the first vaccination.
• You can't travel until 21 days after that first vaccination.
• Boosters must be given before the previous one expires. If one is late, the next dose counts as a first vaccination and the 21 days start again.
• Validity depends on the vaccine, so ask your vet for the date in your dog's records.

Puppies

A puppy can't be vaccinated before 12 weeks and can't travel for 21 days after, so 15 weeks is the earliest. Denmark and many other EU countries don't accept younger puppies. A handful, including Finland and Estonia, allow some exceptions, but the conditions are strict. Check with the destination before you plan around one.

What happens at the appointment

The vet examines your dog, scans the chip and checks the vaccination history. If the chip or the vaccination is missing, they do it then. Everything goes into the passport with stamps and signatures, and you sign it. Allow 30 to 45 minutes and bring earlier vaccination records.

MyPeterinarian's pet passport package costs 949 DKK. It covers the passport, the rabies vaccination, microchipping if your dog doesn't have one, the examination and the registration.

If you want it done, the veterinary service page has details, and you can reach the clinic on the contact page.

Before you travel

• Check that the rabies vaccination is valid on every day of the trip, including the return.
• Look up the destination's rules. Some add conditions.
• Carry the original passport and a photocopy kept separately.
• Expect a microchip scan at the border.

Tapeworm treatment

Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway and Northern Ireland require a tapeworm treatment for dogs. A vet gives it 24 to 120 hours (1 to 5 days) before arrival and records it in the passport. Dogs travelling directly between these destinations are exempt.

Limits

You can bring up to five pets per traveller. If someone else travels with your dog, they need your written declaration and must travel within five days of you.

Outside the EU

United Kingdom. Great Britain is outside the EU pet travel scheme. Which document it accepts for entry depends on where you travel from, and dogs may need a tapeworm treatment 24 hours to 5 days before arrival, so check gov.uk before you go. Going the other way, passports issued in Great Britain haven't been valid for entering the EU since 2021, and from 22 April 2026 GB residents need an Animal Health Certificate for each trip. Northern Ireland follows EU rules.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland. Your EU passport is accepted. Norway also requires the tapeworm treatment above.

Other countries. Many don't recognise the EU passport. They may want an official health certificate or a rabies antibody blood test, and a blood test means waiting up to 3 months before you can leave. Start early. If you're moving abroad with your pet, see our pet relocation page.

Some countries also ban or restrict certain breeds, so check that too.

If the passport is lost

Contact the vet who issued it. They'll need to verify the microchip and the vaccination history before a replacement is issued, and your earlier travel records may not carry over.

Common questions

How long is the passport valid? The document lasts the dog's life. Travel validity depends on the rabies vaccination staying current.

Can I leave right after the appointment? Not after a first vaccination. A booster given on time carries no waiting period.

How far ahead should I book? At least 4 to 6 weeks before departure. Allow more time if the destination wants a blood test.

Do older dogs need anything extra? Not for the passport. If your dog has health problems, ask your vet whether travel is a good idea.

EU pet travel rules were updated in 2026, so confirm the current requirements for your route with Fødevarestyrelsen or the destination country's authority before you go.