Pet owners in Great Britain now have clear guidance on travelling with their pets to Northern Ireland. The UK government has outlined requirements for bringing dogs, cats, and ferrets from England, Scotland, and Wales to Northern Ireland, addressing questions about pet passports and necessary documents.
Earlier this month, the UK government published its policy paper on the Windsor Framework.
The policy paper clarifies that starting 4 June 2025, the new Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme will be available to residents of Great Britain.
This new programme allows you to travel to Northern Ireland with an easy, lifelong pet travel document, free of charge. Just make sure your pet or assistance dog is microchipped before you go.
Members of parliament in the UK approved the Framework earlier this month.
Currently, there are no routine physical or documentary checks on the non-commercial movement of UK resident pet dogs, cats and ferrets travelling with their owners or authorised persons between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Under the new framework, if you live in Northern Ireland, you do not need any documentation to travel to and from Great Britain with your pet or assistance dog. You do not need to apply for a pet travel document under the Northern Ireland pet travel scheme. You just need to ensure your pet or assistance dog is microchipped before you travel.
However, if you are travelling beyond Northern Ireland into Ireland or another EU country with your pet or assistance dog, you will need to continue to follow the existing EU health and documentary requirements.
Travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland
From 4 June 2025, if you live in Great Britain and are travelling to Northern Ireland with your pet or assistance dog, you must have the aforementioned pet travel document.
You will be able to apply to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for your pet travel document once the registration opens in April 2025. It’s also free!
After APHA issues your pet travel document, you can travel with your pet or assistance dog from Great Britain to Northern Ireland as long as you:
- make sure that your pet’s details (microchip number and owner) are up to date on the pet travel document before you travel
- bring a digital or printed copy of your pet travel document. This includes a declaration that you will not travel onward to Ireland or another EU country with your pet or assistance dog
Each pet or assistance dog will need their own pet travel document. This is valid for the lifetime of the pet or assistance dog. If you change your details, such as your address, you must apply for a new pet travel document.
Throughout the planning phase of your trip, you should apply for a pet travel document as far in advance of your journey as possible. Once the agency has received your application, pet travel documents will usually be issued within five working days. APHA notes that it processes applications during its usual business hours (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm).
You cannot travel to Northern Ireland under this new framework if you are moving animals for a commercial reason (such as moving puppies to sell or homing or travelling with more than five pets per owner). A movement is considered to be commercial if you are travelling with more than five pets.
Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ guidance provides more information about commercial movements: Guidance on bringing commercial transports of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets to NI from GB.
However, you can use the framework and travel with more than five pets if you are attending or training for a competition, exhibition or sporting event in Northern Ireland and returning to Great Britain afterwards. You will need to show written proof of registration for the event or with an association organising such events when you travel. Each of your pets will need to have their own pet travel document and be over six months old.
Road trip with a dog (image: Helena Lopes/Pexels)
Northern Ireland residents
Now, if you live in Northern Ireland and are returning after a stay in Great Britain with your pet or assistance dog, you do not need to apply for a pet travel document. In fact, you do not need any other documentation to travel home. You will just need to make sure your pet or assistance dog is microchipped before you travel.
Travelling from Northern Ireland to Great Britain
No documentation is needed when travelling back to Great Britain from Northern Ireland. If you live in Northern Ireland, you don’t need a pet travel document under the Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme. You will just need to make sure your pet or assistance dog is microchipped.
Applying for a pet travel document
Applications for the Northern Ireland pet travel scheme will open in April 2025.
To apply online, you will need to:
- be aged 16 or over
- be a resident of Great Britain (England, Wales, Scotland)
- be the owner (or obtain written permission from the owner to travel with their pet). In most cases, the owner will be the registered keeper
- have or apply for a Government Gateway account unless you are using the assisted digital services
- make sure your pet is microchipped and that their chip information is up to date (for example, your address is correct on the relevant database)
- provide your pet’s microchip number and know the date when the microchip was fitted, or last scanned – you can ask your vet for this information if you do not know it
- sign a declaration as part of the pet travel document confirming that you will not travel with your pet into Ireland or another EU country using this scheme
Additional assistance on your application will be provided in April 2025, the UK government’s announcement stated.
Travelling from Great Britain to Ireland, another EU country or part 1 listed country under 577/2013
If you live in Great Britain or Northern Ireland and are travelling to the Republic of Ireland (part of the EU and known as Ireland), another EU country, or a Part 1 Listed country, you must still meet the requirements. These rules also apply if you’re passing through Ireland on your way to Northern Ireland or Great Britain.
For these journeys, you must follow EU health requirements such as rabies vaccinations for all pets and tapeworm treatment for dogs. You will also need to have an EU Animal Health Certificate (AHC) or a valid EU pet passport.
The pet travel document is not valid for this type of travel to a Part 1 Listed Country.
It should be noted that there are no border checks between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, however, be sure that you still comply with the requirements.
More than five pets and commercial movements
If you are bringing more than five pets to Northern Ireland for a competition, exhibition, or sporting event and then returning to Great Britain, this is considered a non-commercial trip and is allowed under the Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme.
You will need to show written proof of registration for the event or with an association organising such events when you travel. Each of your pets will also need to have their own pet travel document and be over six months old.
For moving animals to Northern Ireland for commercial purposes, such as a change of ownership, please refer to DAERA’s guidance. Charity rehoming is also considered a change of ownership, even without financial gain. Any trip involving more than five pets per owner is also considered commercial.
The new travel scheme has faced opposition.
Member of Parliament Jim Allister said, “I urge the committee to reject these regulations. I take issue with the Minister saying that this is an improvement. The original propositions of the protocol were never implemented. The grace periods remain the current position, which is that no pet passports, no documentation and no requirement to be part of a pet scheme is needed to bring your pet from Great Britain to the other part of the United Kingdom.”
Allister continued, “What these regulations do is impose a pet passport scheme. People must belong to a pet scheme and submit their dog, cat or ferret to documentary and identity checks on getting on the boat and on leaving the boat—all that is within the one country. All that is because, for the first time since Brexit, the EU has legislated for the United Kingdom. I want that to sink in.”
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Emma Hardy responded to Allister’s comments.
Hardy said, “The aim of the original Northern Ireland protocol and the framework was to avoid the need for any hard border, as I am sure (Mr Allister) knows, in the island of Ireland, between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The scheme safeguards that position.”
Hardy continued, “The scheme does not require pet health treatments that are costly because it recognises the rabies-free status of the UK. In addition, the pet travel document is free, simple and quick to apply for online and lasts for the lifetime of the pet. On the question of the checking regime, I must make it clear that Northern Ireland pet owners will not face any checks.”
“There will be no checks for pets travelling from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, and there will be no checks when ferries arrive in Northern Ireland. The scheme must ensure that GB pet owners have a valid pet travel document to mitigate abuse of the scheme,” Hardy added.
For more information and support on travelling with animals into Northern Ireland, you can reach out to DAERA.
DAERA Trade Imports Team
Email: Daeratradeimports@daera-ni.gov.uk
Telephone: 0289 0524 588