Travelling to London with a Pet

Published 20 September 2026 · By the Guide to London editorial team · Editor: Terje Moy

Bringing a dog or cat into Britain is a four-step veterinary process that starts at least three weeks before you fly, and on a scheduled flight your pet travels as cargo into Heathrow or Gatwick, not in the cabin with you. Get the paperwork wrong and the animal can be held in quarantine for up to four months at your expense.

The rules below come from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, published on GOV.UK. They change, and they changed again in 2026, so treat this page as an explanation of how the system works and check gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain for the current detail before you book anything.

Everything here applies to Great Britain, meaning England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own rules. If you also need to know what else you may and may not carry into the country, our guide to UK customs allowances covers food, alcohol and the rest, and our page on entry requirements and the ETA covers your own paperwork.

Microchip first, then the rabies jab

The order matters more than anything else on this page. GOV.UK is explicit: the microchip must go in before, or at the same moment as, the rabies vaccination. If the chip comes afterwards, the vaccination does not count and the animal has to be vaccinated again.

The chip must be readable. If it does not meet the ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 standards, you may have to carry your own scanner, and your travel company will want to know in advance. A chip that cannot be read on arrival means refusal or quarantine, and if your own vet cannot read it before you leave, the whole preparation starts again: new chip, new vaccination, new document.

For the vaccination itself, the animal must be at least 12 weeks old, and you must wait at least 21 full days after the first dose (or the last dose of a first course) before you travel. Some vaccines take longer, so ask the vet how long theirs needs. Boosters must be kept up to date; miss one and the whole course restarts.

Which document you need depends on where you start

There are three possible documents, and only one of them will be right for you.

The Great Britain pet health certificate has a hard deadline attached: your pet must enter Great Britain within 10 days of the certificate being issued. It must be signed, stamped and dated by an official veterinarian authorised by their own government, which is not the same as any vet. Ask your practice whether they have one, and ask early, because in some countries you have to go through a state office to get the signature.

The tapeworm window that catches people out

Dogs need a tapeworm treatment containing praziquantel, or an equivalent, before every entry into Great Britain. Cats and ferrets do not. The treatment has to be given no less than 24 hours and no more than 5 days (120 hours) before you arrive, and the vet must record the product, the manufacturer, and the date and time, with a stamp and signature.

GOV.UK's own example is the clearest way to hold it in your head: a dog treated at 1pm on Monday cannot arrive before 1pm on Tuesday, and must arrive before 1pm on Saturday. Miss the window at either end and the dog may be refused entry or put into quarantine.

Four countries are exempt if you are coming directly from them: Finland, Ireland, Malta and Norway, along with Northern Ireland. Everyone else needs the treatment, every time.

The obvious risk is a delayed flight or a missed ferry. If you arrive more than 120 hours after the treatment, the dog needs treating again before it can enter, which means finding a vet abroad at short notice. Build slack into the timing rather than treating your dog exactly 24 hours before a tight connection.

Getting here: the route matters more than the airline

This is where most plans fall apart. You cannot simply book a flight to London and bring the dog. GOV.UK publishes a list of approved routes and carriers, updated on 11 September 2026, and only journeys on that list count.

By air. Pets must travel as cargo in the hold unless you are on a chartered private plane or travelling with a recognised assistance dog. On the approved list of scheduled airlines, the only London arrival points are Heathrow, where animals go through either the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre or the Animal Aircare Centre, and Gatwick, through the Animal Aircare Centre. Luton, Stansted and Biggin Hill appear on the list only for charter operators. If your airline flies into a different London airport, it cannot bring your pet.

By train. The only approved rail route into Great Britain is Eurotunnel Le Shuttle from Calais (Coquelles) to Folkestone, which you take in your own vehicle. Eurostar appears on the list only for services leaving London, so you cannot travel from Paris to St Pancras as a foot passenger with a dog. What the St Pancras service will and will not carry is covered on our page about travelling by Eurostar to Paris.

By sea. Approved ferry routes include Calais and Dunkerque to Dover, Dieppe to Newhaven, and several Brittany Ferries crossings to Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth, plus Hook of Holland to Harwich and Rotterdam to Hull. Most of these carry pets only if you have a vehicle; P&O Ferries' Rotterdam to Hull route is listed as also approved for pets travelling with foot passengers. Cunard's Queen Mary 2 carries pets from New York to Southampton in kennels.

None of the Channel ports is in London, so build in the journey afterwards. Dover to central London is about two hours by road, and Folkestone a little more.

Assistance dogs travel on different terms

A recognised assistance dog can use more routes than a pet, and can travel in the aircraft cabin. GOV.UK defines the category broadly: guide dogs, hearing dogs, autism, medical alert, psychiatric, physical disability, PTSD, allergy alert and dementia assistance dogs. Dogs that only provide emotional support are not usually recognised.

The health rules are identical, so the microchip, rabies and tapeworm steps still apply. What changes is access. Your airline must carry your assistance dog if the flight departs from inside the EU or if you are flying with a UK or EU airline, and you should tell them at least 48 hours ahead, often longer. Ferry and cruise companies leaving EU ports have the same duty. Rail companies operating in the UK must accept assistance dogs, though they may add conditions.

In London, black cabs carry assistance dogs with no extra charge, as the fare rules make clear; our guide to black cabs, minicabs and Uber explains how the meter works.

Arriving: the checks and the clearance

On arrival, the microchip and documents are checked. Where you travel by sea or through the tunnel, the check may happen before you board rather than after you land.

If you are coming from outside the EU, there is an extra step that surprises people: the animal has to be cleared through customs before you can collect it. Most owners pay an agent, the airline or the travel company to handle this. If you cannot arrange that, GOV.UK tells you to contact customs at your arrival point before you travel, or to ask HMRC's National Clearance Hub.

You also have to complete a declaration confirming you are not selling or transferring ownership of the animal. If you are, or if the pet arrives more than five days apart from you, or if you are bringing more than five animals without a competition entry, a stricter commercial regime applies instead.

Dogs on London transport: the rules in full

Once you are here, London is easier than the border. Transport for London's Conditions of Carriage allow any dog, and any other "inoffensive animal", on buses, the Tube, trams, the DLR, the Overground and the Elizabeth line. There is no charge, and no ticket for the animal.

Three conditions apply. The animal must be on a lead or in a suitable container and under control; it must not sit on a seat; and staff are not allowed to take charge of it for you. TfL can refuse an animal that seems dangerous or badly controlled.

At stations, use the wide gate or carry the animal through the barrier. The rule most visitors do not know concerns escalators: you must use the stairs or a lift if one exists, and where you have to use a moving escalator you must carry the dog, unless it is an assistance dog trained to walk on them. If the dog is too big to carry, staff will stop the escalator, which they will generally only do outside the rush hours. That alone is a good reason to travel between 10:00 and 16:00 with a large dog, or to use buses instead. Our guide to the Underground explains the network, and London buses are often the simpler choice with an animal. The free TfL Go app marks which stations have lifts, which saves you finding out at the top of a 30-metre escalator; it is one of the few genuinely useful downloads on our list of apps worth having in London.

Where a dog is actually welcome

Pubs are the happiest surprise. A large proportion of London pubs allow dogs in the bar, many keep a water bowl by the door, and nobody will think it odd. Food-led restaurants are a different matter and usually say no. Our page on London's historic pubs is a reasonable place to start, but ring ahead if it matters.

Parks are the other easy answer. Hampstead Heath is the most dog-centred large open space in London, and Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens give you a long walk in the middle of town. Richmond Park has stricter rules than the others because of its deer: dogs must be on leads everywhere from 1 May to 31 July, must be on a lead near deer, lakes and ponds at other times, and are not allowed in Pembroke Lodge Gardens at all.

Museums, galleries and almost every paid attraction refuse dogs other than assistance dogs. So do most food halls and markets. Shops vary: some department stores allow dogs, many food shops do not.

For accommodation, hotels that accept dogs usually charge a nightly supplement and limit which rooms they use. Serviced apartments are often the easier option for a longer stay, and our guide to apartments and short lets explains how they work. Ask about the supplement in writing before you book, because "pet friendly" on a booking site is not a contract, and be wary of any listing that wants payment by bank transfer outside the platform. Our pages on booking traps and accommodation scams and on the scams aimed at visitors set out the warning signs.

What it costs, and what goes wrong

We do not publish prices for pet transport because they vary enormously by route, animal size and agent, and because the cost of the cargo booking is usually the smallest part of the decision. Expect to pay for the vet visits, the official certificate, the airline's animal handling, the ground agent at the reception centre and the customs clearance, on top of your own ticket.

The failures that cause real trouble are boringly consistent: a microchip inserted after the rabies jab, a tapeworm treatment given too early or too late, a certificate signed by a vet who is not an official veterinarian, a booking on an airline that is not on the approved list, and a pet health certificate that has run past its ten-day validity because the flight moved.

For anything the rules do not answer, the Animal and Plant Health Agency runs a Pet Travel helpline on 03000 200 301, Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 17:00, closed on bank holidays. Use it rather than guessing.

Frequently asked questions

Can I bring my dog to London on Eurostar?

No. GOV.UK's list of approved rail routes shows Eurotunnel Le Shuttle from Calais to Folkestone as the only rail route into Great Britain for pets, and you travel on it in a vehicle. Eurostar appears only for services leaving London St Pancras. Recognised assistance dogs are treated separately, so check with Eurostar directly.

Which London airports can my pet fly into?

On GOV.UK's approved list of scheduled airlines, pets arrive at Heathrow, through the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre or the Animal Aircare Centre, and at Gatwick through the Animal Aircare Centre. Luton, Stansted and Biggin Hill appear only for charter flights. Pets travel in the hold as cargo unless they are recognised assistance dogs.

How long before travelling does my pet need the rabies vaccination?

At least 21 full days after the first vaccination, or after the last dose of the first course, and the animal must have been at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated. Some vaccines need longer, so ask your vet. From countries that are neither in the EU nor "listed", add a blood test 30 days after vaccination and then a three-month wait.

Are dogs allowed on the London Underground?

Yes, free of charge, on the Tube, buses, trams, DLR, Overground and Elizabeth line. The dog must be on a lead or in a container, under control and not on a seat. On escalators you must carry the dog unless it is an assistance dog trained to use them; if it is too large to carry, staff will stop the escalator when the station is quiet enough.

What happens if my pet's paperwork is wrong when we arrive?

GOV.UK says the animal may be put into quarantine for up to four months, or refused entry if you travelled by sea, and that you are responsible for all fees and charges. There is no discretion for honest mistakes, which is why the order of microchip, vaccination and treatment matters so much.

Sources

• GOV.UK - Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain (checked September 2026)
• GOV.UK / APHA - Pet travel: airlines and airports you can use (checked September 2026)
• GOV.UK / APHA - Pet travel: sea and rail routes and companies you can use (checked September 2026)
• Transport for London - Conditions of Carriage, section 9 (checked September 2026)
• The Royal Parks - Richmond Park: dogs (checked September 2026)
• Transport for London - Taxi fares and extras (checked September 2026)