How Do I Get a Dog Passport? Official Steps by Country

How do I get a dog passport? It depends on where you live. An EU pet passport is the official booklet an authorised veterinarian issues to EU-resident owners of dogs, cats, or ferrets for travel between EU countries. As of September 2026, Great Britain residents usually need an Animal Health Certificate for EU entry, and the United States does not issue EU pet passports—U.S. travelers use destination health certificates plus CDC import forms instead of any EU-style passport booklet.

This guide explains the official travel documents governments recognise for dogs, then clearly separates that paperwork from Animal Passport, a digital biometric livestock-identity product. It is not a government-issued travel passport and does not replace EU, UK, or U.S. border rules.

What is a dog passport?

In everyday search language, “dog passport” almost always means the European pet passport: an EU-standard identification document that records your dog’s microchip (or qualifying tattoo), rabies vaccination details, owner and veterinarian contacts, and—when required—tapeworm treatment. The European Commission’s Your Europe portal states that the passport is mandatory for travel between EU countries, is issued only to pet owners resident in the EU, and remains valid for life if rabies and other recorded health information stay current (Your Europe / European Commission, guidance current as of September 2026).

Outside the EU, people often use “dog passport” loosely for any pet travel packet. That shorthand can be misleading. Great Britain residents travelling to the EU generally need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC), not a new EU passport, according to GOV.UK’s “Taking your pet abroad” guidance. U.S. exporters typically need a destination-country health certificate issued by a United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS)–accredited veterinarian and, for return to the United States, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dog Import Form receipt.

How do I get a dog passport in the EU?

If you and your dog are resident in an EU country (or Northern Ireland for many intra-EU/NI movements described by Your Europe), you obtain the booklet from an authorised veterinarian—a vet permitted by national authorities to issue pet passports. Your Europe states you can get a European pet passport for a dog, cat, or ferret from any authorised vet.

Step-by-step for EU residents

1. Confirm residency eligibility. The European pet passport is issued to pet owners resident in the EU. Non-EU residents generally cannot obtain one from an EU trip alone; they use an EU animal health certificate route instead (European Commission Food Safety pages on non-EU entry).
2. Identify the dog with a microchip first. Your Europe requires microchipping in line with EU traceability rules, or a clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011. The microchip must be in place before the rabies vaccination is given, or the vaccine is not valid for travel.
3. Vaccinate against rabies after identification. The dog must be at least 12 weeks old for the primary vaccination. After the primary course, you must wait at least 21 days before travel so immunity develops, Your Europe states. Keep boosters within the previous vaccine’s validity window; a late booster is treated as a new primary course and restarts the wait.
4. Book an authorised veterinarian to issue the passport. The vet records the microchip’s alphanumeric code, rabies vaccination details, and—when applicable—Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm treatment. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705 sets the passport model used for non-commercial movements (European Commission Food Safety, travelling with a pet within the EU).
5. Add tapeworm treatment when the destination requires it. For dogs entering Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway, or Northern Ireland, treatment must be given between 24 and 120 hours before scheduled entry and recorded in the passport, Your Europe and European Commission Food Safety both state.
6. Travel with the passport and keep vaccines current. Your Europe says the passport is valid for life as long as the recorded health information, especially anti-rabies vaccination, remains in date.

Rules that commonly trip owners up

• Non-commercial limit: Non-commercial movements are generally capped at five dogs, cats, or ferrets unless you meet competition/exhibition exceptions and age rules (European Commission Food Safety).
• Owner timing: If an authorised person travels with the pet instead of the owner, the owner must travel within five days before or after, with a written declaration attached (European Commission Food Safety, 2026 rules).
• Young unvaccinated dogs: Some Member States allow limited movement of young dogs under strict declarations; others refuse entry for dogs not yet fully rabies-immune. Check the destination country’s position on Your Europe before booking.

How do I get a dog passport from Great Britain?

As of September 2026, if you live in England, Scotland, or Wales, you generally cannot use a pet passport to enter the EU, even if an EU passport was issued earlier. GOV.UK’s “Taking your pet abroad” guidance is explicit: using a pet passport instead of an Animal Health Certificate may lead to refusal of entry. Northern Ireland residents can still enter the EU using an EU pet passport under the rules GOV.UK describes for that residency path.

Great Britain to EU checklist

1. Microchip before or at the same time as rabies vaccination (GOV.UK microchip guidance).
2. Rabies vaccination from 12 weeks of age, then wait at least 21 full days after the primary course before travel (GOV.UK rabies vaccination guidance). Day 1 is the day after vaccination.
3. Get an Animal Health Certificate from your vet for EU travel. GOV.UK states that after issue, the AHC is valid for 10 days for entry into the EU, then for 6 months for onward travel within the EU after entry, and for 6 months for re-entry to Great Britain—provided the rabies vaccination does not expire mid-trip. You need a new AHC for each separate trip to the EU.
4. Sign the non-sale declaration your vet provides with the certificate (GOV.UK).
5. Arrive via a travellers’ point of entry and be ready to show microchip, rabies, and any required tapeworm records (GOV.UK).

For bringing a dog into Great Britain, the document you need depends on the country of departure: an EU-issued pet passport, a Great Britain pet health certificate, a GB-issued AHC within the stated validity window, or a pre-2021 GB-issued passport may apply in specific cases listed on GOV.UK’s “Which pet travel document you need” page. Dogs from unlisted countries also need a rabies blood test pathway described on that GOV.UK guide.

How do I get dog travel documents in the United States?

The United States does not issue European pet passports. USDA APHIS tells pet owners to contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as travel is planned. That vet determines destination-country entry requirements, issues the required international health certificate, and submits it for APHIS endorsement when the destination requires USDA countersignature (USDA APHIS accredited-veterinarian pet travel guidance, last modified April 2026 on the APHIS veterinarian portal).

Airlines may also ask for additional health forms (for example APHIS Form 7001) for boarding even when a destination-specific certificate is endorsed; APHIS notes USDA endorses only the destination-required certificate, not airline-only forms.

APHIS endorsement fees (export certificates)

APHIS charges separate user fees to endorse export health certificates. On the Veterinary Services Import/Export User Fees page (last modified 2 September 2026), endorsements that do not require verification of tests or vaccinations include a $101 fee for “other endorsements or certifications.” Where verification of tests or vaccinations is required, fees for “other animals or birds” start at $160 for the first animal with 1–2 tests/vaccinations, rising to $206 (3–6) and $275 (7 or more), with additional-animal increments listed in the same 9 CFR § 130.3(f) tables. Rabies vaccinations are not counted in the test/vaccination number for that fee table (USDA APHIS user fees, September 2026). Veterinarian professional fees are extra.

Returning to the United States: CDC rules

The CDC—not APHIS—is the primary authority for dog imports into the United States. As of the CDC Dog Importation FAQ updated 27 August 2026:

• Every dog entering or returning to the U.S. needs a CDC Dog Import Form receipt.
• Dogs that spent the previous six months only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries still need the form, must appear healthy, be at least 6 months old, and have a universally readable microchip.
• Dogs that visited a high-risk country in the past six months need additional rabies documentation. U.S.-vaccinated dogs generally need a USDA-endorsed Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination form completed before leaving the United States. CDC states that USDA-endorsed export health certificates issued after 31 July 2025 are not accepted as a substitute for that certification form.

Plan the outbound APHIS paperwork and the inbound CDC paperwork together. Missing the U.S.-issued rabies certification before departure can force you onto the stricter foreign-vaccinated, high-risk pathway on return (CDC FAQ, August 2026).

EU pet passport vs Animal Health Certificate vs U.S. paperwork

Animal Passport is not an EU dog passport

Search results for “how do I get a dog passport” mix government travel schemes with private identity tools. Animal Passport is a digital animal and livestock passport that uses muzzle biometrics—nose-print patterns unique like a fingerprint—captured on a phone. The record can bind owner, breed, estimated age, body condition, and vaccination history. Age can be estimated from a dental photograph with a confidence score, and body condition can be scored 1–5 from a side-profile photo.

That product is useful when paper tags fail. Animal Passport was used in livestock flood rescue in Pakistan in August 2025 so farmers could reclaim animals after paper tags washed away. It does not diagnose disease, give legal advice, or substitute for an EU pet passport, GOV.UK Animal Health Certificate, USDA-endorsed health certificate, or CDC Dog Import Form. For more field notes and explainers, see the Animal Passport blog.

Bottom line for travelers: get government-recognised pet travel documents from authorised or accredited veterinarians. Use biometric livestock ID for ownership and recovery—not for airline or border clearance unless an official source says otherwise.

Practical timeline before you book flights

1. 12+ weeks before travel (or earlier): Confirm destination and transit rules; identify a passport-authorised or USDA-accredited / Official Veterinarian.
2. Before rabies vaccination: Implant or verify the microchip; record the number.
3. Primary rabies shot: Wait at least 21 days before EU-style travel after a primary course (Your Europe; GOV.UK).
4. Extra blood-test pathways: Non-EU to EU movements from many third countries require a rabies antibody titration test with timing measured in weeks to months (European Commission Food Safety non-EU entry page). Unlisted-country routes into Great Britain also require a blood test (GOV.UK).
5. Final days: Issue AHC or export certificate inside its validity window; schedule tapeworm treatment 24–120 hours before entry where required; complete the CDC Dog Import Form before U.S. arrival.

If official pages disagree on a niche itinerary—for example older passport models still accepted under transitional EU rules versus a destination carrier’s checklist—follow the stricter written requirement and ask the issuing veterinarian to cite the regulation on the certificate.

Key takeaways for “how do I get a dog passport”

Answer the residency question first. EU residents work with an authorised vet for a European pet passport after microchip-then-rabies sequencing. Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) residents going to the EU should plan an Animal Health Certificate under GOV.UK rules. U.S. owners should plan USDA APHIS export paperwork outbound and CDC import forms inbound. Keep Animal Passport’s biometric livestock identity product conceptually separate from those border documents.