Animal Health Certificates

If you plan on taking your pet on holiday, you will need to make sure they have an Animal Health Certificate (AHC). Below you will find all of the information you need to get an Animal Health Certificate and all of the information we (your vets) will need to make this service possible.

This service is only available to HNVG clients, where we are your pet’s primary caregiver. Animal Health Certificates will ONLY be available from our Deddington branch.

When booking your appointment at our Deddington branch, you will need to:

1) know the expected date you plan to travel; we may not be able to book your appointment until you have confirmed the date.

2) pay at the time of booking for your AHC, as paperwork is completed prior to your appointment. Please contact our Deddington Reception Team for the cost of this service.

3) confirm the name, address, telephone number & email address on your records are correct, as this goes onto the AHC.

4) give our Reception Team the following information, for your animal’s records:

a) the country you are travelling to.

b) which port you are entering the EU by, e.g. Calais – even if France is not the final destination.

c) confirm which animals will be travelling and if their rabies vaccination is up-to-date. If you have not had a rabies vaccination, or it is out-of-date, this will have to be done first and the animal will have to wait 21 days before travelling. This needs to be booked as a routine appointment and should be done as soon as possible.

d) confirm if your animals will be travelling with you (the owner), and if not, with whom.

4) When your appointment is booked at our Deddington branch, it will be 7-10 days prior to the date of travel (but 21 days after the rabies vaccine). Directions to the branch can be found below. The vet may need to call you prior to the appointment, so please make sure your contact details are correct.

5) On the day of your appointment, you must bring the following:

a) the pet that is going to travel.

b) proof of rabies vaccination – will either be Pet Passport or on your routine vaccination certificate.

Please contact our Deddington Reception Team for the cost of this service.

If you are travelling to Northern Ireland with your pet, there is a new, free-of-charge Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme, which comes into force from 4 June 2025.

Owners need to apply via the link for a Northern Ireland pet travel document (PTD), which is valid for the lifetime of the pet and can be used for repeat trips to Northern Ireland. Pets must be microchipped; the pet owner must be a resident of Great Britain and be over 16 years old to apply. There is no requirement for a vet signature, nor rabies vaccination or tapeworm treatment for dogs.

Please be aware that currently, the EU rules for an AHC still apply for pets travelling to Ireland (directly or via Northern Ireland), so those pets will still need an AHC.

Back to all services