Documents You Need to Take a Dog from the UK to Spain (Post-Brexit Checklist)
Since Brexit, taking a dog from the UK to Spain stopped being a stamp-in-the-pet-passport affair. The UK left the EU pet passport scheme, so UK-origin dogs now travel on an Animal Health Certificate. Here's exactly what you need, in what order, and when.
Travelling UK to Spain: the Animal Health Certificate (AHC)
An AHC is a document issued by an Official Veterinarian (OV) in the UK, valid for 10 days from issue for entry into the EU and for 4 months of onward travel within the EU. Book the vet appointment 7-10 days before travel — not earlier, or it expires.
Each AHC covers one pet, costs roughly £150-250, and you'll need a fresh one for every subsequent trip unless your dog has an EU-issued pet passport.
The three things that must already be in place
Before an AHC can be issued, your dog needs:
- A microchip (ISO 11784/11785) — fitted before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination.
- A valid rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel, and kept in date.
- Your dog must be at least 12 weeks old at vaccination, so plan puppy travel carefully.
Travelling Spain to UK: pet passport plus the tapeworm rule
The return direction needs an EU pet passport (or an AHC), plus one extra step the UK insists on: a vet-administered praziquantel tapeworm treatment recorded between 24 and 120 hours (1-5 days) before you arrive in the UK. Miss the window and your dog can be refused entry or quarantined — plan the treatment around your arrival time, not your departure time.
Documents to bring on travel day
Keep everything together in one folder:
- The AHC or EU pet passport, original (not a photocopy).
- Vaccination record booklet.
- Microchip number confirmation.
- Tapeworm treatment record if returning to the UK.
- Your transport booking confirmation.
Common mistakes that get pets turned away
The classics: a rabies jab given less than 21 days before travel, an AHC issued more than 10 days out, a microchip fitted after the vaccination, and a tapeworm treatment self-administered at home instead of by a vet. All four are avoidable — we walk every customer through the checklist when they book, so nothing is left to the last week.