Rabies quarantine - Transhipment and transiting
Transhipment
If an animal comes into and leaves the UK within 48 hours from the same port or airport this is called a transhipment. If you need to tranship your pet in the UK, you must arrange this before your pet leaves the country of origin. You must ensure that, while your pet is in the UK, arrangements are in place to hold and transfer it from one plane/vessel to another for export. The travel agent/airline/ferry company should be able to arrange this or, if your pet needs to remain in the UK for between 4 and 48 hours, provide you with the contact details of temporary holding facilities at the port of transit. No licence is required if such arrangements can be made.
Please note that not all ports and airports will be able to offer temporary holding facilities.
Where temporary holding facilities are not available, or if your pet is going to be in the UK for longer than 48 hours, it must be licensed into an authorised quarantine premises and may not be kept at the airport/port. You must contact an authorised quarantine premises, who will arrange for an import licence to be issued by Animal Health (formerly State Veterinary Service). This must be done before your pet travels to the UK. Animal Health will not issue the licence until they have received confirmation from your chosen quarantine premises that a place has been reserved for your pet. Most of the quarantine premises also act as carrying agents. Only an authorised carrying agent may transport your pet from the airport/port to the quarantine premises and back again.
Transiting
If your pet is entering and leaving the UK from different airports and/or
ports it may only be transferred from point of entry to point of departure
by an authorised carrying agent. You must contact an authorised quarantine
premises, who will arrange for a transit
licence to be issued by Animal Health. This licence must be issued before
the animal may enter the UK. If the time between entry and departure of
your pet is more than 48 hours, or holding facilities are unavailable
at either the entry or departure port/airport, then your pet must also
be licensed into quarantine (see above).
Page last modified: 26 April, 2007