Irish Ferries Pet Policy

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Irish Ferries is a ferry and transport company that operates passenger and freight services on routes between Ireland, Britain and Continental Europe. Irish Ferries pet policy varies per route.

Irish Ferries Routes

Holyhead, England to/from Dublin, Ireland
Dublin, Ireland to Holyhead, England
Rosslare, Ireland to Pembroke, England
Pembroke, England to Rosslare, Ireland
Cherbourg, France to Rosslare, Ireland
Rosslare, Ireland to Cherbourg, France
Roscoff, France to Rosslare, Ireland
Rosslare, Ireland to Roscoff, France

Pets must be pre-booked and are permitted to travel in a vehicle or an onboard kennel. All animals must board the vessel in the vehicle. Foot passengers must provide a pet crate which is suitably sized for their pet and used to move your pet onto the vessel. On board kennels are also available at no charge. Small, medium and large crates up the following dimensions are available for booking:

Dover to/from Calais: up to 100cm high, 80cm wide, 85cm deep
Dublin to Holyhead: Swift – up to 84cm high x 120cm wide x 88cm deep
Dublin to Holyhead: Ulysses – 96cm high, 96cm wide and 85cm deep
Dublin to Holyhead: James Joyce – 125cm high, 70cm wide and 100cm deep
Dublin to Holyhead: Y.B. Yeats – 100cm high, 75cm wide and 95cm deep

On all routes between England and Ireland, Irish Ferries accepts the carriage of pet animals, at no charge.

Pets on routes between France and Ireland, pets must travel in kennels and the charge will be 30€, 45€ or 60€ depending on the size kennel required.

Car Passengers on routes between England and Ireland:

Your pet must be taken on board the ferry in your car and must remain either in your car or in the kennels provided by Irish Ferries for the duration of the voyage. The kennels can be booked in advance and are free of charge. Each ferry serving different routes have different numbers of small, medium and large crates available. Family pets traveling in cars are not allowed on the passenger decks at any time.

Car Passengers on routes between France and Ireland:

Your pet must be taken on board the ship in your car and must travel in one of the kennels provided by Irish Ferries for the duration of the voyage. All reservations for kennels must be made a minimum of two days before departure date and acceptance is based on availability at the time of reservation. Each ferry serving different routes have different numbers of small, medium and large crates available.

Pets traveling on either Cherbourg or Roscoff ports must be checked in at the terminal building prior to boarding. When traveling from Cherbourg port please go to the terminal building before you go to the car check-in point so that your pet’s microchip details can be checked.

Foot Passengers (all routes):

You must be able to bring your pet on the ferry in a secure crate in which your pet must be able to stand up and turn around. Your pet will travel on the deck of the ferry in its cage or crate. The pet crate must meet certain standards of quality and construction in order to be taken aboard ship.

Service Dogs (all routes):

Irish Ferries will permit specially trained dogs assisting disabled passengers with sight, hearing or feeling issues on board. All guide and assistance dogs must conform to requirements for their destination country.

Assistance dogs are permitted to travel in cabins with their disabled passenger. They must have proof of training by an organization that is a member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF).

The dogs are allowed to remain with their owner on the passenger decks for the duration of the voyage if they are an officially registered working dog. For sailings where foot passengers are permitted, passengers with an assistance / guide dog are permitted to walk their dog through the terminal building and onto the ship. When on the passenger decks they must wear the special guide dog harness or jacket at all times.

Prior contact disabilityofficer@irishferries.com at least two working days in advance of travel when traveling on Irish Ferries with a service animal. When boarding the ferry in a car, your service dog can be brought up to the passenger deck after boarding. Foot passengers are permitted to walk your service dog through the terminal building and onto the ship.

Requirements:

Pets must be microchipped and adhere to the requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme. Proof of rabies vaccination in the form of a rabies certificate or EU Pet Passport must be available. On all EU to EU routes, a current EU Pet Passport is required. On UK to EU routes, an Animal Health Certificate is required. On all EU to UK routes (NI excluded), an EU Pet Passport, current Animal Health Certificate or GB Health Certificate is required. Proof of tapeworm treatment administered by a licensed veterinarian is also required on all inbound UK routes.

Maximum number of pets that can travel with their owner or owner’s representative is five. If you are traveling with more than five animals, then they must travel via Irish Ferries Freight Services.

All dogs included in banned breed lists in the destination country will not be permitted boarding. Dogs that are required to be muzzled according to origination or destination regulations must be muzzled when boarding the ferry and remain so for the duration of the trip.

Check in at least two hours prior to departure.

Travel tips

1. Make your reservations early.
2. Arrive at the dock in plenty of time to check in your pet.
3. Walk and exercise your pet before boarding.
4. Bring portable water and food bowls as you will be responsible for the care of your pet.
5. Bring a muzzle and a sturdy leash as these things will be needed to walk your pet.
6. Never give your pet a medical (prescription) sedative prior to traveling on a ferry or cruise ship. If you have a hyper or nervous pet, then give it an all-natural calmer.
7. Always purchase your pet carrier well in advance of your trip and encourage your pet to use it so that your pet can get used to it.
8. Be sure to tell the cruise or ferry line you will be traveling with a pet as they impose restrictions on the number of pets on a specific sailing.
9. Do not try to sneak your pet to any areas of the ferry where they are not allowed. Be a responsible pet owner and follow the pet policies of the ferry.
10. Even though sea travel may be stressful both you and your pet, both of you will be happier if your pet gets to travel with you on your trip.

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To the best of our ability, we ensure that recommendations given on PetTravel.com reflect the current regulations. We cannot predict how a given ferry may enforce these regulations. Noncompliance may result in the ferry refusing to board your pet. We suggest that you minimize the disruptions that may occur by following Irish Ferries pet policy.