Pets: Travel
(asked on 3rd December 2024) - View Source
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the requirements for owners of pets to apply for a pet travel document when transporting them from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, and which body is responsible for setting such requirements.
Answered by
Baroness Hayman of Ullock
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Pet owners who live in Great Britain will be able to apply online for a free pet travel document online from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
To do so, pets will need to have been microchipped. Microchipping is already a legal requirement in the United Kingdom for dogs, for cats in England since June 2024. Pet owners will also need to confirm they will not use the scheme to travel to the EU.
Northern Ireland pet owners will not be required to hold a pet travel document and will face no checks.
The Secretary of State for Defra, with the Scottish and Welsh Ministers, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs are the competent authorities for the scheme.