So you’re planning your next travel and want to bring your fur baby with you? That’s pawesome! Europe is an ideal destination to go on howliday with your dog – many countries are very dog friendly and other countries are catching up, and it is relatively easy to travel from one place to the next. In 2022, I joined Mommy on a long road trip from the north of England to France and Spain. It was very fun! Here I’m sharing some of the tips to make your European howliday a breeze!
Essential documents
Disclaimer: The following guide is written from the perspective of a UK resident travelling with their dog into a Europe Union country. For other countries, regulations will vary so always consult with official channels.
Animal Health Certificate
Since Brexit, the UK pet passport is no longer valid, it is now replaced by Animal Health Certificate (AHC) – a document (about 12 pages long) which is valid for 1 trip and can be quite costly. Pet passport is still valid if you live in Northern Ireland. Up to 5 pets can go on the same AHC and it must be done within 10 days of your travel. Afterwards, the AHC is valid for 4 months – more than sufficient as the humans can only be in the EU/Schengen area for max 90 days every 180 days unless they have EU residency. AHC is available as a dual language certificate, the 2nd language will be the language of the country of your first port of entry into the EU (where the AHC will be inspected).
You should plan this well in advance: our usual vet in the UK does not do it and they didn’t know/couldn’t recommend one who does, you will need to find an OV (official veterinarian, one who is licensed to perform work on behalf of the government). Luckily we found one after searching on Google and cold calling all the vets in the local area. There are also active Facebook groups – search for “Animal Health Certificate UK”, a lot of OVs also advertise their services there. Prices vary from just over £100 to over £200! Some vets may offer discounts for repeat AHCs, bringing the cost to even less than £100.
In short, there are plenty of options, shop around.
Rabies Vaccination
Coming from the UK to France or Spain, I needed rabies vaccine (not usually required in the UK). As the UK is considered a rabies-free country, there is no need to measure the antibody titre after vaccinination, which is good. The vaccine is valid for 3 years, after which a booster is needed. So for future trips, only repeat AHC is required, the vaccine doesn’t need to be repeated for the duration it’s still valid. The rabies vaccine needs to be administered at least 3 weeks before travel for it to be valid.
Microchip
Your pup must be fitted with an ISO-compliant microchip for identification at the borders. This must be done before or on the same day as the initial rabies vaccination is carried out. It might seem obvious, but there have been owners caught out by this rule in specific situations, I’ll explain more later! Note: Some countries (like the USA) may use a different type of microchip, so please double check.
A tattoo from any country in the world is acceptable providing it has been done at the latest on the 3 July 2011 (a veteran world travelling dog! I like it!)
Find the official information from the UK government here. The Eurotunnel Shuttle also provides a useful guide and checklist for travelling.
If you are planning to bring your dog into Portugal, they have an additional rule. You are required to notify Portuguese authority of your arrival at least 48h beforehand and a fee of €40 is applicable for veterinary examination, the fee is waived for assistance dogs.
Returning to the UK
Coming back to the UK, I needed treatment against tapeworm, this needs to be administered by a vet and the date and time documented on the AHC and signed by the vet. Treatment needs to be given at least 24h and max 120h before return trip. This means, in the last 5 days of our travel, Mommy must make an appointment with a local vet – they usually charge a consulting fee + medication fee. The tapeworm tablet usually cost around €10 and smothered in yummy pate!
If you are travelling in from other countries, then check what documentation is required beforehand.
Common pitfalls
Mistakes on the AHC, for example tippex-ing the document is not accepted. I believe any mistake needs to be crossed out and the vet must sign and stamp next to it (!). Sometimes I think, this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as some vets look nervous when filling in dates, etc. And we always got the date written incorrectly and then the number fudged to make it correct.
Ensure the correct information is filled in the right place. The onus is on the owner to present the correct document at the border.
The date of the microchip reading… I was microchipped soon after birth as it is the legal requirement in the UK, before I went to my forever home, so Mommy/our vet don’t know when exactly it was inserted. I was scanned when I had my first rabies vaccine, and it was done at the same place as the AHC, so that was the date recorded (i.e. microchip reading date the same as rabies vaccine date). However, some pet owners also get an EU pet passport while in Europe, and some EU vets are happy to transfer the rabies vaccination info, if provided with the record. So, this vaccination date would be in the past, and then they write the microchip reading date as that day’s. Good intention, but the pet owner may find difficulties when travelling home, ouch!
Country of arrival. The AHC is a dual language certificate and there are various forms available in different languages. So far, we have only travelled with Eurotunnel so our first port of entry is France. But Mommy has read unique situations when people fly with their pets and transit in one country, should the AHC be done in the language of the transitting country? We have no direct experience with this, so I recommend checking with the airline and the OV.
Tapeworm treatment. Must be done between 24h-120h (5 days) before the journey back to the UK. Can be tricky to arrange if on a road trip. Bear in mind clinics may close on weekends and national holidays. Mommy does enjoy the challenge!
The EU pet passport for UK nationals
For those who frequently travel with their pets to the EU, it makes sense to get EU pet passport for their fur babies! It does not have expiry date – you’ll need a new one when you’ve run out of pages. It is still accepted to be used to travel out of the UK and coming back into the UK. Remember, only EU vets can write on EU pet passports, so if you decide to switch to EU pet passport, then you need to make sure you’re in the EU to top up that all important rabies vaccine! Some countries like the southern parts of Spain will only give 1 year validity for the rabies vaccine.
The FB groups are rife with personal anecdotes and experience with AHC/pet passport/travel into and around the EU. Everyone’s individual circumstances are different so take it with a pinch of salt. But it can provide a wealth of information, I agree.
From what we have noticed, French vets are more strict in imposing the residency requirement for the owners. The pets need to be registered on their national database, and that process takes 3 weeks as they would send a “passcode” by snail mail to the owner’s registered address in France, which they then use to login to the national database. Spanish vets may be more lenient but their rabies vaccination only lasts 1 year. Most vets will want to administer another rabies vaccination, as they can’t verify someone else’s signature – this makes sense, but then remember the pitfall with the microchip date!
Travel INTO and WITHIN Europe
How do we get to Europe? And once there, how do we travel around, short and long distance? Our guide below is organised by mode of transport, and includes travel into continental Europe followed by travel within Europe.
Car (Private/Hire/Rideshare) +/- Taxi
Probably the simplest way to travel with a dog, from the comfort of your own car!
If you’re bringing your own car, make sure that your car insurance covers the countries you are visiting and for the duration of your visit. Also consider extending your breakdown cover to include this trip.
Crit’Air clean air stickers
French clean air stickers – called Crit’Air vignettes – are windscreen stickers used to identify a vehicle’s air pollutant emissions. There are 6 categories (E for electric, and category 1-5). Currently, this is enforced in many major cities in France: Paris, Grenoble, Strasbourg, Rouen, likely others. If you plan your journey with Google Map, it will inform you if you will be passing through areas which require Crit’Air stickers.
You can get these stickers from official French government website, cost less than £5 including postage.
Toll Tags
This is possibly more relevant to UK/other right-hand-drive cars than others. Because, despite being frequently called, “Good girl, smart girl,” I still can’t help Mommy pay at the toll gates, not even with contactless cards! Maybe one day they will accept our unique nuzzle prints?
Unfortunately if Mommy is the only hooman in the car and she is driving a RHD car in Europe, she will have to do some acrobatic move to reach the toll booth to pay, so she wasn’t having any of it.
Mommy had a deal from Eurotunnel to sign up with Emovis – now she has a separate tag for the French and Spanish/Portuguese tolls.
Dog safety equipment
I don’t know why this isn’t written right at the top, because I think this is the most important!
Mommy usually feeds me at least 1 hour before we travel in the car, so if she gives me food super early in the morning when it’s still dark outside, I know what I’ll be doing! TRIPS!!! Bladder wise, it looks like I have better control than the hoomans or even the car’s need for extra juice, but do plan to stop every 2-3 hours please. Oh, and make sure the child/dog lock is on.
Initialy Mommy got me a hardshell crate but that only lasted for 2 months before I outgrew it. So let me show you my humble crib 🙂
I have a cozy quilted hammock (it’s also waterproof because I like to swim, anywhere) that has special non-slip material on the underside. The hammock is good because it prevents me falling into the footwell, and on long trips Mommy can use the footwell for storage. It also protects the leather seat from my hair! My current hammock is the 2nd one, the first one was a cheap one we bought online, and true to what they say, “You buy cheap, you buy twice” the first one didn’t even last a year!
For restraint, Mommy uses a metal leash that slots into the car seat belt and she attaches the other end to my harness. Apparently when I was young, I would chew any other material of similar car-seat-belt leash, the fastest “Houdini” escape was before Mommy got the car out of the driveway! It is better and safer for other pets if this leash is clipped onto a body harness rather than the neck, as it’s a choking risk, especially if the dog is not used to car rides and may become anxious. Now that I’m more grown up, Mommy has used normal fabric leash in the car and I didn’t chew it!
This will keep me safe and secured
The official line from the UK Highway Code says:
“Rule 57: When in a vehicle make sure dogs or other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly. A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in cars.”
The Highway Code: Rules About Animals
Hire Car
Many multinational hire companies (AVIS, Enterprise, Europcar) allow pets, there may be an extra cleaning fee, but it’s still a good option. If you are planning to rent a car, don’t forget to bring safety equipment for your pets!
Rideshare
Rideshare apps such as BlaBlaCar is quite popular in France and Spain, as long distance journeys are often expensive or sold out (trains) or take too long (inter-city buses). It is starting to be more popular in the UK with the huge increase in train fares AND frequent strikes.
We have only ever offered rides, and Mommy would always mention that I will be present in the car (!). So far we have only had very pleasant trips with BlaBlaCar users, I mean… who wouldn’t like me? Or if you’re a pessimist, “Hey there’s a large dog protecting the driver, don’t you dare try anything funny!”
Taxi
It is also possible to take a taxi, specify in your booking that you will take a dog with you. When we needed to take a taxi, Mommy always had the car seat belt leash with her as well as a muzzle, but so far we haven’t been asked to use the muzzle. However, my 4-legged friend a Border Collie was refused a ride by several drivers in Spain because they didn’t have a leash/muzzle.
Train
Sorry to disappoint Londoners… although dogs are allowed in UK trains (even in London Underground!), the extremely convenient Eurostar, a rapid shuttle train between London and Paris/Brussels, does not allow dogs on their services! Except assistance dogs, for those travelling with assistance dogs please inform them in advance as they are placed in special carriage and there is a limit per service. But don’t worry! you can still travel under the same “Chunnel” and even better, from the comfort of your own hooman’s car! That’s right, I’m referring to my favourite mode to travel into the EU: the Eurotunnel!
We have done a number of journeys with Eurotunnel, and we have had no problem at all. Even before I was travelling with Mommy, she had found the service very well coordinated. Hundreds of people travelling in cars, queueing in their cars, and nobody messed up? Everything was very smooth.
In the UK base (Folkestone), the Pet Reception area is right next to the main terminal entrance. For those with EV cars, the charging points are directly in front, how convenient! Once they scanned my microchip and checked all my paperwork, Mommy got a different coat hanger that would allow her to board the train. While waiting to board, we would go to the large play area, directly opposite the Pet Reception. It has various agility equipment and even a smaller area for females in heat! There is another, much smaller play area in the boarding/holding area, because sometimes at busy times, cars can wait for a bit longer.
On the French side, the Pet Reception area is in a different location to the Terminal, so Mommy has to drive us there first, but it’s all signposted. After getting the coat hanger/boarding pass, she will drive us to the Terminal. They don’t have a specific play area here, but there is quite a large green space with picnic tables, and the weather had always been pleasant enough for us to chill there.
Now that you have crossed the “Chunnel” with your pup and arrived in France, you may want to leave your car behind and travel by train? Those toll fees can add up, plus the fuel station workers may be on strike… So what are your options?
Long-distance travel by train in France:
- Dogs >6kg: On TGV, Intercités, and TER trains there is a fare of €20. Dogs must be leashed and muzzled.
- Dogs <6kg: Must travel in a container smaller than 45 cm x 30 cm x 25 cm and pay a fixed €7 charge.
In Paris, small dogs are allowed on all forms of public transport (bus, metro, RER (train), trams and funicular) for free, but are meant to be carried in a bag or container, no larger than 45cm. Larger dogs are only allowed on the metro and RER (train), not buses or trams, and must be leashed and muzzled, but no longer require a ticket. For the full rules, click here.
In Spain, Renfe has different services:
- Cercanias (commuter) trains – pets are allowed, no weight limit, travel for free, do not need to travel in cage/carrier, but dogs must wear a muzzle.
- AVE and long distance: only small animals <10kg allowed*. They have to be inside a carrier with max diameter 60 x 35 x 35 cm. You need to get a pet ticket, and the cost varies depending on your type of ticket (from free up to €20, and despite paying for this they are not allowed to occupy a seat).
- AVANT and medium distance: same as AVE, the pet ticket cost is 25% of human ticket and cannot occupy a seat.
*Since late 2022, AVE now allows dogs between 10-40kg on selected train journeys (Madrid-Barcelona and Madrid-Malaga), with specific conditions to be met and a fee. This is a big progress in the right direction! A lot of it is thanks to my buddy Pipper and his Dad who has been travelling up and down Spain in their campaign to make the country more dog friendly, muchas gracias Pipper!
Guide/assistance dogs travel for free.
In Portugal, it is possible to travel with a dog (including larger dogs) on trains in Portugal, except on international trains that go to Spain. In general, small pets travel in a crate, and larger dogs must be leashed and muzzled.
Bus
In Spain, dogs need to be <10kg and travel in a crate and be put in the luggage compartment.
Plane
In general, if you want to take your pet in the cabin with you they have to weigh <10kg and fit under the seat in front of you inside their crate. There will be exceptions for guide/assistance dogs.
Emotional support dogs have variable acceptance status in differing countries, I understand it is protected under the law in the US and they have the same/similar status as guide/assistance dogs, but in the UK and other European countries it is not the case. But I have read that Virgin and a few other airlines may allow emotional support dogs in cabin. Also check that the rules for flying out is the same as the rules for flying back in.
However, NO dogs are allowed to travel into the UK in the plane cabin, they have to go in cargo, except for assistance dogs.
Ferry and Other Boat Services
If you can’t drive or bring your dog with you on the plane, what are your options? Well, the ferry! On the DFDS Newhaven to Dieppe route, foot passengers are allowed to travel with a pet. However, you will find far more options to travel with your pet by ferry if you are travelling in a car.
The rules for travelling with a pet vary depending on the ferry company and the route and/or the particular ship you are onboard. Some will ask that your pets remain inside your car the whole time, some will put your pets in a kennel (you will have the opportunity to visit your pets, but any exercise/pee walk must be done in the kennel/exercise area and some of these crossings can be very long, up to 24 hours!), and very few of them have pet friendly cabins (these are expensive and availability is VERY limited).
When travelling in Spain, we’d love to hear stories from other travellers about taking a boat trip! One that Mommy is really excited to try is the boat service from Vilanova de Arousa to Padrón, also called the Traslatio (or Translatio). It reproduces the journey supposedly followed by the remains of Saint James the Apostle, from Jerusalem to Galicia region. According to the legend, his remains arrived in Padrón, transported by a boat made of stone (“pedrón” – and this was how the name of the village Padrón was born). The company Bahia Sub is dog friendly!
Accommodation and Going Out
This is where Europe as a dog friendly destination really comes through! There should be no shortage of accommodation for you and your fur babies. Bigger cities would be able to offer plenty of dog friendly hotels and search engines such as Booking.com or AirBnB have “pet friendly” filter. Most campsites are dog friendly (as in, we have not found a campsite that is NOT dog friendly, but I’m sure there will be some!).
Even the ancient pilgrimage pathway of Camino de Santiago is becoming increasingly dog friendly over the last few years! We have put together a list of dog friendly accommodation along the Camino here, it is a LIVE list – if you have stayed somewhere on your Camino with your dog that is not on the list, please let us know!
A practical for weary travellers option is the ACCOR line of hotels in France, in fact sometimes you have a selection to suit different budgets lined up next to each other (Novotel vs Ibis vs Ibis Budget). They are dog friendly (with a surcharge) and most have EV charging facility. As I said, perfect for travellers on a long long road trip!
For a splurge, you may have heard of the Paradores group of high end hotels in Spain. They vary from old gothic “palatial” buildings, old historical forts, to more modern contraptions by the sea side +/- golf courses. And some of them (up to 31 last time we checked) are dog friendly! You can find their official description here and here is a guide as to which one suits your style! Have you stayed in a Parador with your dog? We’d love to hear your story!
The PPP
In Spain, they have a list of dangerous dogs (Perros Potencialmente Peligrosos/PPP). There are more restrictions in travelling and staying in accommodation with these breeds of dogs: Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffodshire Terrier, Rottweiler, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Tosa Inu, Akita Inu.
Eating Out
In general, dogs are allowed in outdoor eating spaces in France and Spain, and good news! There are plenty of those. In fact, most traditional Spanish eateries have such a small bar area indoors, and much larger outdoor terrace! In France, it’s even better. I was surprised that a lot of places would let me in! At one particular restaurant in Saint Jean de Luz, the outdoor terrace was full/reserved, Mommy looked disappointed, and then the waitress asked if we would like to sit inside! In fact, France shops and restaurants are so dog friendly that it becomes an exception NOT to allow dogs, and such places would place a sticker on their shop window to let us know.
Have you eaten in a dog friendly Michelin starred restaurant, indoors? We have! I’ll ask Mommy to write about it, she tried all the food, but I got some too!
