Bringing your pet to the UK from Ukraine

You can bring your pet dog, cat or ferret from Ukraine to the UK if it:

• has been vaccinated against rabies and has had a blood test 30 days later to confirm it has worked
• has been microchipped
• has a pet passport or health certificate
• has had tapeworm treatment

If your pet does not meet these requirements, what you must do to bring your pet to the UK depends on when it left Ukraine.

If your pet is still in Ukraine or left Ukraine less than 30 days ago

1. Before you travel to the UK, call the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on +44 3000 200 301 (option 2) or email pettravel@apha.gov.uk to find out what to do.

2. Your pet will be held in quarantine on arrival. APHA will email you a form for a quarantine licence for your pet. Fill in the form and email it back to APHA.

3. APHA will review your application and book your animal into quarantine in advance of your arrival. They will then send you a copy of the licence by email. It will be valid for one month.

4. Arrange your travel to the UK and email APHA with your travel details. You must travel by a rabies approved route and follow your carrier’s rules for travelling with pets. Book your travel so you will arrive in the UK between 8am and 8pm. Outside of these hours the quarantine facility may not be able to collect your pet and you may need to wait until the following morning.

5. When you arrive in the UK, someone will collect your pet and take it to the quarantine facility.

If you travel by:

• car ferry, your pet will be collected from your car before you leave the ferry in the UK
• Eurotunnel, your pet will be collected from the terminal at Coquelles, France
• air, your pet will be taken to a holding facility at the airport in the UK

Read guidance on what will happen at the quarantine facility.

If your pet left Ukraine between 30 and 90 days ago

1. Before you travel to the UK, call APHA on +44 3000 200 301 (option 2) or email pettravel@apha.gov.uk to find out what to do.

2. Your pet may be held in quarantine on arrival, depending on what health preparations it has had. APHA will email you a form for a licence for your pet to enter the UK. Fill in the form and email it back to APHA.

3. APHA will review your application and confirm if your animal needs to go into quarantine. They will then send you a copy of the licence by email. It will be valid for one month.

4. Arrange your travel to the UK and email APHA with your travel details. You must travel by a rabies approved route and follow your carrier’s rules for travelling with pets. Book your travel so you will arrive in the UK between 8am and 8pm. Outside of these hours the quarantine facility may not be able to collect your pet and you may need to wait until the following morning.

5. APHA will arrange a quarantine space if needed. If your pet does need to be quarantined when you arrive in the UK, someone will collect your pet and take it to the quarantine facility.

If APHA tell you that your pet must go into quarantine

If your pet needs to go into quarantine, book your travel (by a rabies approved route) so you will arrive in the UK between 8am and 8pm. Outside of these hours the quarantine facility may not be able to collect your pet and you may need to wait until the following morning.

Email APHA with your travel details.

When you arrive in the UK someone will collect your pet and take it to a quarantine facility.

If you travel by:

• car ferry, your pet will be collected from your car before you leave the ferry in the UK
• Eurotunnel, your pet will be collected from the terminal at Coquelles, France
• air, your pet will be taken to a holding facility at the airport in the UK

Read guidance on what will happen at the quarantine facility.

If APHA tell you that your pet does not need to quarantine

If your pet does not need to go into quarantine, it will still need to be isolated for 3 months. APHA will tell you where your pet will need to go for isolation.

APHA will tell you if your pet needs any healthcare while in isolation. This might include a blood test to check your pet’s antibodies to rabies and a vaccination if needed.

If your pet left Ukraine more than 90 days ago

1. Before you arrive in the UK, call APHA on +44 3000 200 301 (option 2) or email pettravel@apha.gov.uk to find out what to do.

2. Your pet may be eligible for home isolation. APHA will email you a form for a licence to enter the UK. The form will give you details of requirements for isolating your pet at home and ask how you will meet these requirements. Fill in the form and email it back to APHA.

3. If you meet the requirements for isolating your pet at home, APHA will give you a licence to enter the UK. APHA will send you a copy of the licence by email. It will be valid for one month.

4. A vet will tell you if your pet needs any healthcare while in isolation at home. This might include a blood test to check your pet’s antibodies to rabies and a rabies vaccination if needed.

At the quarantine facility

If your pet goes into quarantine on arrival in the UK, a vet will assess your pet and give them appropriate healthcare.

You will not have to pay for healthcare associated with your pet’s quarantine.

Your pet will be:

• given a blood test to check if it has had a rabies vaccination or will need one - results of the blood test should take 3 days
• vaccinated for other diseases such as kennel cough and parvovirus
• given tapeworm treatment if necessary
• microchipped if necessary

If the blood test shows that your pet has not had a rabies vaccination, the vet will vaccinate your pet and keep it under observation.

After 30 days your pet will have another blood test to check if the vaccine has worked.

If the blood test shows that your pet has had a rabies vaccination, the vet will arrange for your pet to go into isolation.

APHA will contact you to tell you where your pet will need to go for isolation and how long your pet will need to be in isolation. The government will cover the costs associated with isolation.