Pet passports and the rules for getting your Spanish rescue dog to the UK
A pet passport shows the health treatments a dog has had, for example, vaccinations and worming treatments. It also lists the dog’s date of birth and microchip number.
Your Spanish rescue dog will have an EU pet passport with them when they travel from the shelter in Spain to the UK.
Importing Spanish rescue dogs to Great Britain
When your adopted Spanish rescue dog travels from the shelter, with a transporter to Great Britain, this is classed as a commercial import.
The rules for travelling in and out of Great Britain with your pet dog are different, you can read more on our blog about travelling from Great Britain to the EU here.
We deal with arranging the paperwork for your dog travelling as a commercial import, including booking travel for you.
The Animals and Plant Health Agency (APHA) need to be notified of any dogs coming into Great Britain as a commercial import. Spanish Happy Tails Rescue UK submit details to their online system which generates a unique notification number (UNN).
We then provide the UNN to Sonia at the shelter who has it added to your dog’s health certificate the week of travel.
You will receive the original copy of the health certificate and your Spanish rescue dog’s passport when you collect them. We upload a PDF version of the health certificate to APHA.
What are the health requirements for importing a rescue dog from Spain to the UK?
Dogs must be identified by a microchip before rabies vaccination
After 12 weeks of age, have been vaccinated against rabies
After rabies vaccination (or the last of the primary course of vaccinations) they must wait for a minimum of 21 days before travelling
Be treated for Echinococcus multilocularis (tapeworm) with an approved product not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours prior to arrival in GB.
Health Certificates
Health certificates are completed by a vet in Spain, this confirms that your dog is fit to be transported and meets the health requirements to enter Great Britain. You can find model health certificates on the UK government website here.
All Spanish rescue dogs from Animals Help travel with a passport, rabies vaccination, worm treatment and health certificates as required. The dogs also have an annual Canigen vaccine, which is not a requirement for transport to the UK.
Import live animals and germinal products from the EU to Great Britain
This may all sound confusing when you first read through it but don’t worry! Spanish Happy Tails, the shelter and our transporters are all familiar with the requirements and we ensure all boxes are ticked for a smooth transport from Spain to the UK, you don’t need to do any of the above as it is all taken care of for you.
Adopting a dog from Spain is more straightforward than you might think, we deal with everything for you and with full Rescue Back Up, we are there for you from adoption and every day after that.
