Pet Travel gets many people who ask the same question: can my pet fly to the UK in the cabin with me?
The answer is, unfortunately, no. Due to regulations imposed by all commercial airlines approved to fly live animals to the United Kingdom, there is no way you can fly into the the UK with a pet animal in the cabin of the aircraft unless it is a service or emotional support dog.? Your airline must have a program in place to support ESA or service dogs. This is a requirement of all commercial airlines. It is not a requirement of APHA or DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Affairs).
In the case of emotional support or service dogs, pre-approval must be obtained from the Animal Reception Center in the airport you are flying into. Inspection of your dog must be arranged in advance. The same applies for animals arriving by private jet.
Why can’t a pet fly in the cabin to the United Kingdom?
There are several reasons. The first is that it is easier to track a pet that is flying as air cargo. All live animals flying as air cargo are included in a “manifest” and fly under an Air Waybill. The airline must provide arrival information to the Animal Reception Center (ARC) prior to arrival.? In doing this,? DEFRA knows how many animals are arriving at a given time and can allocate their resources accordingly.?
Another reason for the air cargo requirement is the process once your pet lands in the UK. Either an agent or employees of the ARC will take your pet from the airline to the ARC building which is where you will claim it. Because the ARC is located on airport grounds and not at the airline terminal, secure transportation to the ARC is essential. This process began years ago when 6 months of quarantine was required for all cats, dogs and ferrets entering the United Kingdom.
What are the alternatives to air cargo?
Courtesy of Unsplash
One alternative to avoid this requirement would be sailing on a pet friendly ferry. You can fly with your pet in the cabin to Paris if it conforms to? airline requirements for in-cabin travel. Then, you can drive or take a train to Calais and then take a pet friendly ferry or Le Shuttle across the Chunnel. There are several ferry services that serve the northern coast of France including DFDS Seaways, P&O Ferries, Brittany Ferries, and Celtic Link Ferries (to Ireland). Remember, though, that many of these ferries do not accept pets in winter months and most of them require that your pet travel in a car. (DFDS out of Dieppe will accept foot traffic; however, your pet must travel in a kennel on deck.)?
Le Shuttle also requires that all pets and their owners travel in a vehicle. There are services like Folkestown Taxi and Pet Movers that will pick you and your pet up in Calais and take them on Le Shuttle for a fee.
You can also consider flying to Amsterdam, taking a train to Rotterdam and taking DFDS, Stena Lines or P&O to Hull. At this writing, DFDS will accept foot traffic and they have pet friendly cabins to reserve. Although the ride is longer, we hear it is very pleasant.\
You can find more information on pet friendly ferries here.
If you have further questions, please send us an email to info@pettravel.com or post them here. We always answer your questions promptly.
Hi there, the paperwork for the microchip is the vet just to write on paper the model date It was done and date to be revaccinated or is there a print out they have at the vets ?
Hello Shelly – your pet will be traveling to UK as manifest cargo, and so you do not have to be on the same flight. You will fly into Gatwick or Heathrow. (You need to accompany your pet into Manchester.) The airline will provide an agent to pick up your pet and take it to the Animal Clearance Center where you will pick it up. They will include it in the price. You can get your own if you like.
Susan
I am flying from Las Vegas to the UK …Do I have to accompany my Dog on the same flight ? The reason why I ask this is because I am trying to cut my costs as shipping a pet via Air is so expensive. I have found a cheap flight myself but I cant have Alfie in cargo on that flight . Is there an airline that will take Alfie safely while I take another flight and meet him once landed ? I can fly into Manchester or London .. and if London does it have to be Heathrow for Alfie ? or can he also fly to Gatwick . I am looking for the most reasonable and comfortable way to do this for my pet. Thank you
Hello Stephanie – there is usually an inspection fee when clearing customs. There is certainly a fee for entering the UK, but not as large as the airlines will charge you to enter via air as an agent is required to remove the pet from the airline. It has been a while since I checked this route. I will amend this post when I have more specifics.
Hi, I will be flying from the US to Paris and then to the UK with my pets, what I am wondering is, are there any custom/arrival fees for the pets when landing in Paris?
Also, will I have to pay arrival/custom fees when myself and my pets are (hopefully) cleared to enter the UK at Calais, France?
Great website by the way, I have gotten a lot of information from here on how to get my pets from the US to the UK 🙂
Hello Wivian – I think the concern may stem from EU requirements which Norway adopts that a puppy must be 3 months old prior to being vaccinated and that vaccination must be done after microchip insertion and at least 21 days prior to entering Norway. Requirements are the same in Sweden. So, as a result, puppies must be at least 4 months old prior to moving about the EU if they are going to fly. In-cabin travel should not pose a problem into either country as long as this is in accordance to airline policy.
Susan
Hello Bella – both Delta and United have programs to deal with summer heat, but I do not believe that MEX is a participating city. (it was not last year.) Other than flying, we know of no other option outside of the Queen Mary 2 which embarkes from NY to London. It is booked a year in advance. I know it may not be convenient, but it will be a lot easier to transport your pet in the fall when the temperatures are cooler.
As for requirements to bring your pet to the UK, it will need a current rabies vaccination administered after a 15 digit ISO compliant microchip is inserted. It will also need an Annex II form completed by a licensed veterinarian within 10 days of travel and a tapeworm test within one and five days of travel. You can find more information here: http://www.pettravel.com/immigration/UnitedKingdom.cfm
Susan
Hi is it possible to take a puppy in the cabin from Glasgow to Norway or do I have to go to a airport in Sweden? Regards Wivian
Hi there, I hope you can help me. I am currently relocating from mexico to london. the closest airport is puerto vallarta and it seems that i cannot travel with my dog during the summer months. Is it possible to fly out from mexico city to london or maybe france? what other options are there if i cannot fly? Due to visa restrictions i cannot fly from America.
I believe i need a veterinary health certificate, recent rabias jab and iso microchip and tape worm up to date. Is this information correct?
Thank you for your help in advance.
Bella
Since you are traveling within the UK most airlines will accept a small pet in the cabin of the aircraft. We do not recommend airlines but if you call the reservations office of an airline that flies between the two cities they will be able to assist you. You must call the reservations office, the arrangements cannot be made online. You will need to prepare for the trip by having your cat micro chipped with the ISO 15 digit microchip and vaccinated for rabies. Then ten days or less before you travel your veterinarian will complete the annex II veterinary certificate for Scotland. You can find the detailed instructions and necessary forms here and they can be emailed to you:
http://www.pettravelstore.com/pet-passport-scotland/
Jerry
I need to fly from Birmingham to Perth, Scotland with a cat in the cabin, can this be done and with what airline
Chris – thanks for sharing this letter. Until January of 2012, the UK was a rabies free country requiring a Blood Titer Test at least 6 months ahead of travel. Now, pets entering the UK from countries that have low incidences of rabies only need a microchip, then a vaccination at least 21 days to enter. This change essentially reclassified the UK as a country with a low incidence of rabies like the rest of the EU. So, in the past, it was a complicated process for the airlines to get pets traveling in the cabin to the Animal Reception Center without “losing control” of their entry. For cargo, it is easy, as certified agents pick up the pets as they are unloaded from the hold and carry them to the center prior to releasing them to their owners. Additionally, because they traveled as manifest cargo, keeping track of them was easier for the airlines.
All said, now that things have changed and it is easier to enter the UK with a pet, it would seem reasonable to allow pets to enter the UK in the cabin. The issue may be the physical location of the Reception Center (south side of airport) and separating owners from pets while owners clear customs and pets clear through the center. In most airports, this is done together, but Heathrow is not set up for that.
I am sure DEFRA would be fine with an airline wanting to provide this service for its customers, but you can be sure it will cost the airlines money to initiate that program.
Susan
Hi,
I want to share an email with you I got from DEFRA. Basically an Airline could choose to carry animals in the cabin to the UK. And if they already do this for other countries we need to encourage them to start going it for flights to the UK. Here is the email:
Dear Mr Thomson
Thank you for your e-mail received on the 26th September 2012.
When an airline approaches Defra to become approved as a carrier to transport dogs and cats under Article 8 of the non commercial movement of pet animals (England) regulations 2004, the airline must conclude an agreement with Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) called a Required Method of Operation (RMOP). This sets out the responsibilities of the airline which include the checking of the pet in accordance with the requirements of the Order. In practice, the airline sub-contracts this requirement to an Animal Reception Centre at an airport.
Whilst it is not required by law for animals entering the UK by air to travel as manifest cargo, currently, this occurs in practice as airlines prefer that animals and passengers travel separately and it also facilitates the checking of animals at the Animal Reception Centre (ARC).
Should an airline wish to seek an amendment to their RMOP, to allow them to carry pets in the cabin, they must contact AHVLA and advise of the level of service they will provide to ensure the required PETS checks on arrival in Great Britain are maintained.
Regards
Mrs Carol Rider
Administrative Officer
Communications
Specialist Service Centre for Imports
Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency
Ground Floor
Redwing House
Hedgerows Business Park
Colchester Road
Chelmsford
CM2 5PB
T: 08702 411710
F: 01245 398299
Casey – where is home??? It makes a difference!!
Susan
Hi there. I am currently in Toronto & have rescued a poodle (toy) whilst being here. It’s 5 months old. I am returning home on 25 April & would like to take him home with me. He has already had a rabies shot, but no microchip. Can I get him chipped & another rabies shot given? Is this going to be possible? I guess I have to work fast??? Help!!!
Hi Mono – Ryan Air does not transport pets on any flight. Aerlingus most likely has small planes on these routes. Not sure where you are coming from in the EU and whether you have checked Lufthansa or KLM. Air France does have short flights but they are not an approved carrier into Dublin. KLM has a decent route through Amsterdam.
Susan
Very conflicting information between websites, Aerlingus says it does not carry pets on short haul flights i.e. Europe to Uk or Ireland due to low pressure in cargo….and yet they are on an approved list of flyers on Dept. of Agriculture website….Ryanair state the same thing, they do not carry flights on short haul flights…..
At the present time all pets must arrive as manifested cargo in the cargo hold of the aircraft you are flying on. I suspect that Aer Lingus did not give you correct information as the cargo holds of all large aircraft is almost always pressurized. The lack of pressurization generally only occurs on the smaller commuter or regional jets. Both Lufthansa and Aer Lingus are approved by DEFRA to transport pets into Dublin.
Jerry
We would like to travel from either Rome or Amsterdam to Ireland with our medium sized dog…however aer lingus website says that they will not transport pets from Europe to Ireland..something about not pressurizng the cargo hold……so we need to find out how to get our medium sized dog from Europe to Ireland..
Danielle – that is correct. It would be best to enter the UK within 5 days after the test if possible.
Susan