Getting an Irish pet passport for EU travel

Here is a quick little overview from your pet-loving friends at Buddy, on how to obtain a passport for your pet. In Ireland, EU pet passports are issued by private vets to the pet owner.  

If you would like to bring your dog or cat to the EU, including the UK, then you need to apply for a Pet Passport 🐶 🐱.

Here are the first four steps needed to start your pet passport journey:

1. Your pet must be microchipped.
2. Your pet must then be given a Rabies vaccination (atleast 21 days in advance of travel, with the day of vaccination counted a day 0… watch out for that little detail 😅). 
3. Your furry baby must be 12 weeks old in order to receive the Rabies vaccine.
4. A completed passport application form, avaialble from your local vet

Now after you have the first four steps complete here are some additional details to help you on your way:

1. It takes about is 4-5 working days your Pet Passport.
2. If you need to have your pet microchipped and vaccinated this can be done on the same day, just speak to your vet about it in advance.
3. Photo booth time? Pet’s photograph the passport is optional, If you are going down this route you should bring a photograph with you to your vet. The photograph should be no bigger than 6 cm wide and 4 cm long, should feature the pet only and show its colour and markings clearly.
4. Finally when all complete, check all entries are legible and correct, as any errors could lead to your pet being detained on entry to another country, or on return to Ireland.

Once you have your Pet Passport, it allows your pet to travel freely through EU countries only, no quarantine needed, provided your pet has met EU and the country-specific criteria.

Note when travelling with a dog 🐶

Before returning to Ireland, you will need to register with a Vet in your holidaying country, this is so the Vet can treat your dog for tapeworms, and this has to happen no more than 5 days and no less than 24 hours prior to re-entry to Ireland, and then enter this into the passport under the section, VII  “Echinococcus Treatment”. 

The Vet then needs to sign and stamp this entry.  This does not apply if you are traveling between the UK, Ireland, Finland, Malta, or Norway.