Dog-Friendly Routes

The Week Before Leaving the UK In October 2025, I packed up my life in Hackney Wick, London and drove out of the city with no return date in the diary. This wasn’t a weekend in France or a short European break. It was the start of a long-term road trip across Europe and beyond with my best travel companion, Roly. I’m a digital nomad, which sounds free and spontaneous, and it is but this chapter came with some structure, because this wasn’t just me crossing borders. It was me and Roly, my five-year-old cockapoo, navigating a post-Brexit system that requires precision. In the weeks leading up to departure, I’d been quietly working through the details: calculating rabies timelines, double-checking microchip records, booking the Animal Health Certificate appointment, and working backwards from the date we’d drive through the Channel Tunnel and officially leave the UK. Travelling from the UK to Europe with a dog isn’t complicated but it is specific. This is exactly how I did it: the sequencing, the paperwork, the vaccines, the timing, the real costs from someone who has actually done it. If you’re planning the same move, this will make the process feel clear, structured, and manageable from the start. UK to EU Dog Travel Rules After Brexit A few years ago, travelling from the UK to Europe with a dog would have been far more straightforward. You’d have a UK-issued EU pet passport tucked away in a drawer, reusable and ready whenever you fancied to travel to Europe with your dog. No extra appointments. No ticking clock. After Brexit, that changed. The UK is now classed as a “Part 2 listed country,” which means UK-issued EU pet passports are no longer valid for entry into the EU. Instead, each trip requires an Animal Health Certificate issued specifically for that journey. It’s just an additional layer and one where timing matters. Microchip before rabies Twenty-one days after vaccination Certificate issued within ten days of travel Once you understand the structure, it’s easy to work within it. Microchip and Rabies Requirements for UK to EU Dog Travel Before you can even think about the Animal Health Certificate, the foundations have to be in place. First: microchip. Then: rabies vaccination. The order matters. If the rabies vaccine was given before the microchip, it’s invalid for travel. Once Roly’s rabies vaccination was done, the clock started. You have to wait 21 full days before travelling to Europe. That waiting period isn’t negotiable. It’s built into the rules. So in the weeks leading up to departure, I was counting carefully forward from that vaccine date, working backwards from when I wanted to leave London. Once that window had passed, only then could I return to the vet for the next step. Getting an Animal Health Certificate for Travel to Europe Once the timelines were locked in, the next step was booking Roly’s Animal Health Certificate appointment. I went to The Hackney Vet in Clapton, his regular vet in London and the appointment cost £265. By the time we walked into the clinic, I already knew the dates by heart. The microchip was scanned first. The rabies vaccination record checked. Twenty-one days counted carefully forward to make sure everything aligned with the UK to EU dog travel rules. The vet worked through the certificate page by page, completing each section carefully before signing it in blue ink, a small but important detail, as official signatures must be clearly distinguishable from printed copies. I also had to sign the document confirming the travel details were correct. There are no digital versions. No emailed backups. What you’re handed in that room is the original document you travel with. That certificate wasn’t just another form. It was our clearance to leave the UK and drive into Europe. Travelling from the UK to France with a Dog via Eurotunnel I drove down to Folkestone the night before my crossing and stayed at the Burlington Hotel, BW Premier by Best Western an easy, dog-friendly option close to the terminal. The next morning, we headed to the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle early, and I’d recommend you do the same. Give yourself at least 1.5 hours, especially if you’re travelling with a dog. Everything runs efficiently, but it isn’t a ten-minute process. Here’s how it works: Main check-in Pet Reception (microchip scanned and documents checked) UK passport control EU passport control Quick stop for toilets or snacks before boarding At Pet Reception, Roly’s microchip was scanned and the Animal Health Certificate reviewed carefully. Rabies dates confirmed. Details checked. Only once everything aligned with the UK to EU pet travel rules were we cleared to proceed. Then you drive your car onto the shuttle and remain inside for the 35-minute crossing to Calais. No handing your dog over. No separation. Just you, your vehicle, and the train carrying you under the Channel. And just like that, we were in France, legally entered and officially on the road. How Long Can You Travel in Europe with a Dog After Entry? Once you’ve entered the EU legally with an Animal Health Certificate, the pressure drops. The certificate is valid for four months for travel within the EU. That means once you’re in Europe, you don’t need new paperwork every time you cross an internal border. For a long road trip, that flexibility changes everything. The key restriction is the entry window: you must enter the EU within ten days of the certificate being issued. After that, you can move freely within most EU countries for up to four months, provided the rabies vaccination remains valid. It’s structured, but it’s workable and once you understand the validity rules, travelling Europe with a dog becomes straightforward. Getting an EU Pet Passport in Europe There’s one more step that changes long-term travel completely. An Animal Health Certificate gets you into the EU. But if you’re staying for months and moving between countries, the real unlock is getting an EU-issued pet passport once you’re inside Europe. I got Roly’s French (EU) pet passport at Vetovie Fougères Vétérinaire in Rennes, France. The vet was fantastic; friendly, professional, and English-speaking, which made the whole process easy. They registered Roly, carried out a routine health check, and issued his EU passport on the spot. Total cost: around €60. That EU pet passport replaces the need for repeated Animal Health Certificates for travel within the EU and for future trips back into the EU from the UK, as long as the rabies vaccination remains valid. For long-term road travel, that’s a game-changer. It shifts everything from tightly managed paperwork windows to something far more fluid. Less admin. More road. Returning to the UK with a Dog: The Tapeworm Requirement Entering Europe is structured. Returning to the UK has one final rule you can’t ignore. Before re-entering the UK, your dog must receive tapeworm treatment between 24 and 120 hours before arrival. It has to be administered by a vet and recorded properly in the passport or travel documentation. The timing isn’t flexible. Not earlier than 120 hours. Not later than 24. For Roly, I use Droncit, and I always book the appointment as soon as my return date is confirmed. Once that’s done, the process back through Eurotunnel is straightforward. Microchip scanned again. Documents checked. Cleared to re-enter. By that point, you’re no longer second-guessing the system. You’re just moving through it. Travelling Europe with a Dog from the UK: What I’ve Learned Travelling from the UK to Europe with a dog isn’t complicated but it rewards precision. Microchip first. Rabies second. Twenty-one days counted properly. Animal Health Certificate issued within ten days of entry. Tapeworm treatment timed carefully for the return. Once you’ve done it once, the structure makes sense. The paperwork becomes routine. The borders stop feeling like obstacles and start feeling like part of the route. For me, travelling Europe with Roly isn’t about ticking countries off a list. It’s about building a life on the move that still respects the rules. Less stress. More freedom. And once you understand the system, the road opens up.