Bringing your pet to the UK from Ukraine

If you are from Ukraine and are seeking refuge in the UK, you can bring your pet dog, cat or ferret without it going into quarantine or isolation if it has:

• been vaccinated against rabies and had a blood test 30 days later to confirm the vaccine worked, and waited 3 months after the blood test to travel to the UK
• been microchipped
• a pet passport or health certificate issued before you left Ukraine
• had tapeworm treatment

You will need a licence to bring your pet to the UK if your pet:

• does not meet all these requirements
• meets these requirements, but you do not have proof that it does
• has been issued with an EU pet passport since leaving Ukraine

You can get a licence for your own pet that is travelling with you. You cannot get a licence to import pets commercially, including rescue animals, or to bring pets to the UK using a third party or courier.

Your pet may have to quarantine or isolate for up to 4 months. You will not have to pay to quarantine or isolate your pet in kennels, or for your pet’s transport to and from quarantine or isolation kennels.

There are different rules for pet birds, rodents, rabbits and other small mammals.

Before you travel to the UK

You must have a visa to enter the UK.

Follow these steps to get a licence to bring your pet with you to the UK from Ukraine.

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

2. APHA will email you a form for a licence for your pet. Fill in the form and email it back to APHA.

3. APHA will review your licence form and the vaccines and healthcare your pet has had.

4. Depending on the vaccines and healthcare your pet has had, APHA may send you a home isolation form. This will ask you about the home where you will be staying. You and your host in the UK must fill this in and email it back to APHA.

5. APHA will email you to tell you if your pet needs to go into quarantine, isolation kennels or home isolation when it arrives in the UK.

6. APHA will email you a licence.

7. Agree a date, time and entry point into the UK with APHA. You must book your travel to arrive on the date and time agreed with APHA.

Where to arrive in the UK

You must arrive at an approved port or airport and follow your carrier’s rules for travelling with pets. Your pet must travel with you.

If possible, you should arrive at one of the UK’s main entry points for animals:

• Eurotunnel (Calais to Folkestone)
• Port of Dover (Eastern Docks)
• London Heathrow airport

You can also arrive at one of these other approved entry points.

Ports

These are the approved ports:

• Harwich International Port
• Hull
• Portsmouth

Airports

These are the approved airports:

• Belfast
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• Glasgow Prestwick
• Leeds Bradford
• London Gatwick
• Manchester

When you arrive in the UK

If your pet is going into quarantine or isolation kennels, APHA will collect your pet. If you travel by:

• ferry, your pet will be collected from you before leaving the ferry
• Eurotunnel, your pet will be collected from you in Coquelles (Calais), France
• air, your pet will be taken to a holding facility at the airport in the UK

If APHA has given you a licence for your pet to isolate at home, they will contact you to discuss travel.

At the quarantine facility

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

You will not have to pay for any essential healthcare that your pet needs while in 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, but may take longer when large numbers of animals are entering the UK
• vaccinated for other diseases such as kennel cough and parvovirus
• given tapeworm treatment if it is a dog and the treatment is necessary
• microchipped if necessary

If the blood test shows that your pet has not had a rabies vaccination

If 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.

Your pet will move to isolation.

If the blood test shows that your pet has had a rabies vaccination

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

Isolation

APHA will tell you where your pet will need to go for isolation and how long your pet will need to be in isolation. This may be for up to 3 months.

Your pet may isolate:

• at isolation kennels if APHA still need to monitor it for signs of rabies - you will not have to pay to isolate your pet in kennels, or for your pet’s transport to and from isolation kennels
• at the home where you are staying if APHA assess that your pet and home are suitable

If APHA approve that your pet can isolate at home they will send you a home isolation form. You and your host in the UK will need to complete and return this form.

APHA will assign a vet to take care of your pet while it is isolating at home in the UK. If your pet is unwell you should contact this vet. You will not have to pay for any essential healthcare for your pet while it is isolating.

Bringing a pet bird, rodent, rabbit or other small mammal to the UK from Ukraine

You need a licence from APHA to bring your pet bird, rodent, rabbit or other small mammal to the UK from Ukraine.

To get a licence, you should contact APHA for a form before you travel to the UK.

When you have a licence you can travel to the UK with your pet. For 30 days after your pet arrives in the UK it must:

• be kept at home indoors in an enclosure
• not have any contact with any other pets or wildlife
• not use a garden or an outdoor run

If your pet is unwell during its first 30 days in the UK, do not take it to a vet. You must call APHA, they will tell you what to do.