Can your pet travel from the UK to Spain?

Dogs, cats and ferrets can travel between the UK and Spain under the pet travel rules. Up to five animals per private vehicle, per journey. Every animal needs a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination. Travelling from England, Scotland or Wales, you also need an animal health certificate. A resident of Northern Ireland can still use an EU pet passport.

Other species, and any group of more than five animals, fall outside these rules and need a different route into the country.

Which animals are covered

The pet travel rules cover three species: dogs, cats and ferrets. Nothing else. Birds, rabbits, reptiles and rodents travel under separate import rules, and those are considerably more involved.

There is no upper age limit in the regulations. Whether an elderly dog should make a two day road journey is a conversation for you and your vet, and we will happily talk through what the trip actually involves before you decide.

The five animal limit

You can move up to five pets on one journey. Above that, the movement is no longer treated as a pet move. It becomes a commercial import, with a different certificate, a different inspection and a registered exporter behind it.

Since 22 April 2026 the limit counts per private vehicle, not per person. Before that date it was five per owner. Foot passengers still travel under a limit of five each.

How the limit works out on a shared van is a question for us, not for you. Tell us how many animals you have and we will confirm the route before you book.

There is one exception. If you are attending or training for a competition, show or sporting event, you can exceed five. Two conditions come with it: written evidence that the animals are registered for the event, and every animal more than six months old. A litter of puppies does not qualify.

Puppies and kittens

A rabies vaccination cannot be given before 12 weeks of age, and travel is only allowed 21 full days after that. So the earliest a puppy or kitten can legally travel is about 15 weeks old.

Worth knowing: the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act 2025 has passed. It provides for a minimum import age of six months, a ban on animals more than 42 days pregnant and a ban on dogs with cropped ears, docked tails or other mutilations. Those measures come into force through further regulations, and as of 10 September 2026 they are not yet listed as current requirements on GOV.UK. We are watching this one closely and will update this page when the date is confirmed. If you are planning to bring a young dog into the UK next year, talk to us before you commit to anything.

Who the animal belongs to

The pet travel rules apply to animals travelling with their owner, or with someone the owner has authorised in writing. They do not cover sale or a change of ownership.

When we carry your pet without you in the vehicle, you sign a written declaration naming us as the carrier authorised to move the animal on your behalf. That declaration is part of the certificate, not an extra we invented. We send you the wording when you book.

The rules also say that a pet travelling with an authorised person must travel within five days of its owner. If your own travel dates do not line up with your pet’s, tell us at the enquiry stage and we will confirm the correct route.

If the animal is being sold or rehomed, tell us at the enquiry stage. It changes which route the paperwork has to take, and it is much cheaper to find that out in an email than at a border post.

Breed restrictions

Two separate sets of rules can apply, and they are easy to miss because neither of them lives in the pet travel guidance.

Spain classes some dogs as potentially dangerous. That brings in rules on muzzling, lead length and owner licensing once you are living there, and several autonomous communities go further than the national rule. It is based partly on breed and partly on physical characteristics, so a crossbreed can fall inside it.

The UK bans certain types of dog under the Dangerous Dogs Act, and that list has changed in recent years. A banned type cannot be brought into Great Britain unless it already holds a valid Certificate of Exemption and still meets every condition on that certificate. Whether a dog counts as a banned type is judged on what it looks like, not on the name of its breed.

Tell us the breed when you enquire. We check both lists against the current rules before you book, which takes us a couple of minutes and saves an expensive surprise at a port.

FAQ

Can I take more than five pets to Spain?

Not in one private vehicle. Since 22 April 2026 the limit is five pets per vehicle rather than five per person. Above that the journey becomes a commercial import with different paperwork. The exception is a competition, show or sporting event. That needs written proof that the animals are registered, and every animal has to be more than six months old.

How old does a puppy have to be to travel to Spain?

About 15 weeks. The rabies vaccination cannot be given before 12 weeks, and travel is allowed 21 full days after that.

Can rabbits or birds travel with you?

No. We carry dogs, cats and ferrets. Other species travel under separate import rules that need a different kind of authorisation.

Does my dog need a passport photo or anything like that?

No. Identification is the microchip. Everything on the certificate hangs off that number, which is why it gets scanned at the border.

My dog is a bull breed. Can he go to Spain?

Often yes, with conditions on muzzling and leads once you are there, and a licence in some regions. The return leg needs checking too, because a banned type can only come into Great Britain on a valid Certificate of Exemption. Send us the breed and we will confirm against the current rules before you book.

Back to the full checklist  ·  Next: Microchip

Tell us about your journey and we will confirm the dates before you book.

Sources: Taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad, GOV.UK and Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain, GOV.UK.
Last checked: 10 September 2026.