During the coronavirus pandemic, many people decided to adopt a pet. Now that COVID is (almost) behind us, and it is possible to travel again to faraway destinations, many people will consider for the first time the idea of travelling overseas with their pets.

In this article, you can read what you need to keep in mind if you want to take your pet on holiday with you. Depending on your destination, you might also have to apply for a travel visa for yourself.

Nowadays, more and more countries are using electronic visas, which means that you can easily apply online for your visa.

Is it really necessary?

Think carefully beforehand whether it is really necessary to take your pet with you on the plane. Ideally, pets should not fly unless you are moving permanently or going on a long journey of several weeks. For many pets, especially rabbits or other small animals, travelling is a stressful experience, so you'll need to decide if it is better to take them with you or leave them in the care of a responsible person. 

Minimum age to travel 

According to the IATA guidelines, pets must be at least 8 weeks old and fully weaned off their mother’s milk? before being allowed to travel by air. Many airlines, however, apply an age of at least 15 weeks. Sometimes, the age can also vary depending on your destination. This is because very young puppies and kittens can have breathing difficulties during the flight, since their lungs are not fully developed. Besides the fact that they might not be used to their transportation cage, this can cause additional stress.

Pets must go in the freight compartment

Regulations vary from airline to airline, but in general, pets may only travel in the cabin (as 'hand luggage') if they are small enough to fit under the seat in front of you. If the animal is bigger than that, it will have to travel in the freight compartment. To take your dog, cat or other pet in the freight compartment of the plane, you must make a reservation in advance, as there are only a limited number of places. Depending on the airline, you can either drop off your pet at the check-in counter or you will have to take it to a separate cargo area.

Vaccinations and certificates

Normally, your pet’s rabies vaccination certificate must be not older than one year. Some countries require a separate vaccination certificate and health certificate in addition to the animal’s passport. You can ask the embassy of the country in question for the right model regarding this certificate. You can also contact the embassy or consulate with questions, or simply check the UK Government’s website. Sometimes the certificates must be legalised by an official government vet. 

Microchip requirements

To be allowed to travel, pets also need a microchip that complies with ISO standards 11784/11785. This is a non-coded microchip of 15 digits that works on 134.2 kHz. If the microchip does not meet these standards, the owner must provide a compatible microchip scanner. The microchip number must appear on all health and vaccination certificates.

Do not forget about your own paperwork

In order to travel overseas, you must also prepare your own documents on time.  For many distant destinations, travelers often need to request a visa. In addition, to be able to apply for a visa, you generally also need a valid passport.

Nowadays UK citizens can easily apply for this kind of visa online. The so-called e-visa is digitally linked to the passport, so that it is not necessary to visit the embassy to have the visa stuck in the passport. The costs and the validity period of the visa differ per destination. The ESTA and eTA visas can easily be obtained in just a few minutes, whereas for countries such as Egypt, Vietnam or Cambodia, the average waiting time is longer.