Posted by Steffie · Doggie Faire BnB · In-home dog boarding, Quercy, South West France
If you’re a UK-based dog owner who travels between Great Britain and France — whether for holidays, a second home, or to visit family — there’s a rule change from April 2026 that you really need to know about. And if someone has already mentioned it to you in passing, chances are you don’t yet have the full picture.
I’ve been hearing about this from a few of my clients and expat friends recently, so I wanted to put together a clear, straightforward summary. No jargon. Just what it actually means for you and your dog.
So What’s Changed?
From 22 April 2026, new EU regulations came into force governing the movement of dogs, cats, and ferrets between Great Britain and EU countries — including France.
The headline? EU pet passports are no longer valid for GB residents travelling into the EU. That’s not a typo, and it’s not a Brexit hangover that was going to quietly resolve itself. It’s a formal regulatory change, and it applies even to EU-issued passports — even those issued before April 2026, even those from France or Ireland. If your main residence is in Great Britain, your pet passport is no longer accepted.
What you need instead is an Animal Health Certificate (AHC).
What Is an Animal Health Certificate?
An AHC is an official travel document issued by a government-authorised Official Veterinarian (OV) — not your regular vet, but one with specific government accreditation. It confirms that your dog meets all the health requirements to enter the EU.
Here’s the part that requires planning ahead:
- The AHC must be issued within 10 days of your travel date
- Your dog must have a current rabies vaccination, administered at least 21 days before the AHC is issued
- Your dog must be microchipped (the chip must be in place before the rabies vaccine was given)
- If you’re returning to the UK from France and your trip is more than five days, your dog will also need a tapeworm treatment, administered by a vet in France between 24 hours and five days before your return journey
That 21-day window for the rabies vaccine is the one that catches people out. If your dog’s rabies vaccination has lapsed, or has never been done, you cannot simply book an AHC appointment and travel the following week. You need to plan weeks in advance.
What Does It Cost?
This is where it gets a bit uncomfortable, because it’s considerably more expensive than the old passport system — and it’s a cost you’ll face on every single trip, not just the first one.
Expect to pay somewhere between £100 and £300 for the AHC itself, depending on your vet practice. Some specialist AHC providers charge from around £100 for a standard appointment; urgent bookings or general practices with less experience in travel documentation tend to be at the higher end. Add a rabies booster if one is due (£40–£70), and a tapeworm treatment on the return leg, and a round trip can easily reach £200 or more per journey.
It’s a significant change, particularly for people who cross regularly.
What About Those of Us Living in France?
If you’re a French resident — or an EU resident — with a French-issued pet passport, this change does not affect you in the same way. EU pet passports remain valid for those whose principal residence is within the EU. If you live here full-time and travel back to the UK occasionally with your dog, the rules for re-entering France on your return are what you’d need to check on the UK side.
For the many British expats and dual-country families in our part of South West France, the picture can be a little more complicated, so it’s well worth a conversation with your vet on both sides of the Channel.
A Word From Someone Who Cares About This Stuff
At Doggie Faire BnB, the health and documentation of every dog in my care matters enormously to me. Before any stay, I ask owners to confirm that vaccinations — including kennel cough — are fully up to date, and I take that seriously.
It’s one of the reasons I wanted to write about this change. I know from experience that a lot of loving, conscientious dog owners simply haven’t heard about it yet. The 21-day vaccine window in particular is the kind of detail that can derail travel plans very quickly if you discover it too late.
If you’re planning to bring your dog to France from the UK this summer — or to travel back to the UK with a dog currently staying in France — please do check the current AHC requirements with your vet as soon as possible. The earlier you start, the smoother it will be.
And if your dog ever needs a home-from-home base here in the Quercy while you’re sorting logistics, you know where I am.
Doggie Faire BnB offers cage-free, kennel-free in-home dog boarding in Montaigu-de-Quercy, Tarn-et-Garonne. Small-scale, personal, and genuinely family-style. Contact us today!