EU and UK Plan to Restore Pet Passports for Easier Travel

Pet owners in Denmark and Sweden will soon find travel to the United Kingdom easier. The European Union and the UK plan to restore pet passports by mid-2027.

This change will allow dogs, cats, and ferrets to travel without new certificates for every trip. Currently, pet owners from Great Britain must get an Animal Health Certificate before each EU visit.

The new agreement will replace single-trip documents with multi-use pet passports. Negotiators expect to announce the package at the EU-UK summit on November 20 in Brussels.

Former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised closer bilateral cooperation during his term. Current British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is now leading these ongoing negotiations.

The broader deal includes a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement on food trade. It also covers UK access to the EU electricity market and a youth mobility scheme.

Under the animal health deal, the UK will adopt EU rules on food and animal standards. In return, checks on food products between both sides will end.

The pet passport rules will remain unchanged until the new agreement takes effect in mid-2027. Travellers between Great Britain and the EU must still use Animal Health Certificates until then.

According to reporting by The Local, Northern Ireland already remains part of the EU pet travel scheme.