British pet owners cannot use pet passports to travel to the EU unless they live in Europe full-time, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Currently, an animal health certificate (AHC) issued by an official veterinarian in Great Britain is required for each travel from Great Britain to the EU, according to the European Commission. To bypass this requirement, some pet owners are obtaining pet passports from vets within the EU to bypass the AHC requirement.
From April 22, 2026, rules will change for how dogs and cats can travel within the EU, multiple reports indicate. If a pet is not ID-marked before April 22 this year, the animal must be marked with an approved chip for the veterinarian to issue a passport. If the animal already has a chip that is not approved, owners need to bring an extract from the dog or cat registry to the veterinarian.
To get a passport issued after April 21, 2026, you must be permanently resident in Sweden, according to multiple reports. It becomes mandatory that the person traveling with their dog or cat has their name and address written in the pet passport and that they have signed it.
Previously, when traveling to and within the EU, you could divide pets between people in the same vehicle, allowing up to five animals per person in the same car. Now it is a maximum of five animals per car and per transport occasion. The rule of maximum five animals per car does not apply to bus, train, and air travel. If you have more than five dogs, you can still travel but require a health certificate.
The Swedish version of the pet passport will get a new appearance, and the authority hopes the work is ready by January 1, 2028. Until then, veterinarians will continue to issue the older model. If your pet already has a passport, you do not need to get a new one. A pet passport is valid for the life of the animal, provided its rabies vaccination is in date.
A slightly simpler process involving a pet travel document is in place for travel from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Pet passports can still be issued to owners resident in Northern Ireland.