Pet relocation guidance UK to Spain
Specialist partners, paperwork-aligned
Pets travel with you or with a licensed specialist pet transporter that we coordinate. We line their journey up with your household move and build the post-Brexit pet paperwork into the plan.
About this service
— in detail
Animals never travel in our removals vehicles. Pets go with you, or with a licensed specialist pet transporter that we coordinate, timed so the family and the pet arrive in Spain together.
Post-Brexit pet travel paperwork is more involved than the old EU pet passport regime. Dogs, cats and ferrets travelling from the UK to Spain need a microchip, a rabies vaccination given far enough ahead of travel to clear the waiting period the EU rules set, and an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) issued by a UK Official Veterinarian shortly before travel. GOV.UK publishes the current requirements and you should check them for your own dates.
Spain has its own additional requirements at arrival — pet registration with the local Comunidad Autónoma's veterinary department, microchip-on-Spanish-database registration. Some autonomous communities (Catalonia particularly) have additional dog-breed-specific rules. The pet transporter advises on the specifics.
Practical timing: the AHC is the most time-sensitive document, because it is only valid for entry within a short statutory window after it is issued. Book the vet appointment well ahead and time it against your travel date, not your loading date.
Where pets fit into the move plan
We do not carry animals. Pets travel with you, or with a licensed specialist pet transporter that we coordinate, and never in a removals vehicle. Our part is to make sure the pet's journey and paperwork are in the same plan as the household move, so nothing is discovered late.
The Animal Health Certificate is the tightest constraint in the whole move. It is issued by an Official Veterinarian and is only valid for entry within a short window after issue, so the vet appointment is timed against your travel date rather than your loading date. The two are often different, and that is where plans come unstuck.
How we plan a pet's journey, step by step
- At survey, tell us the species, how many animals, their size and temperament, and whether they have travelled before.
- Choose the route. Most people either drive with the pet, using the tunnel or one of the Spain ferries with pet-friendly cabins or kennels, or use a licensed pet transporter by road.
- With your vet, check the order of the treatments. The microchip has to be fitted before, or at the same time as, the rabies vaccination, and the vaccination then needs time to take effect before travel.
- Book the Official Veterinarian for the Animal Health Certificate inside the window before your travel date. GOV.UK sets out the current rules for pet travel to Europe, and you should check them against your own dates.
- On loading day, keep the pet away from the house, with a friend or in kennels. Open doors and strangers carrying furniture are when animals go missing.
- After arrival, register with a Spanish vet, who will add the microchip to the regional pet register and advise on local requirements.
What affects the cost of a pet's journey
The transporter prices the journey on species and size, the travel crate, the route, and whether the animal travels alone or with others. The vet fees for the certificate and any treatments are separate. We set the transporter's quote out alongside the move so you can see both.
Spain-specific considerations
Spain's animal-welfare law, Ley 7/2023, brings in obligations that UK owners may not expect, including civil-liability insurance for dog owners. Some breeds are classed as potentially dangerous (perros potencialmente peligrosos), and keeping one needs a licence from the ayuntamiento. Registration rules vary between autonomous communities, so check with the vet where you are settling.
Spain also brings health risks the UK does not. Leishmaniasis, carried by sandflies, is present across much of the country, and pine processionary caterpillars are dangerous to dogs in pine woods during their season. Ask your Spanish vet about prevention when you register. Our complete guide to moving to Spain places the pet paperwork in the wider move timeline.
On the quote
- Licensed specialist pet transporter, coordinated by us
- Post-Brexit AHC (Animal Health Certificate) timing guidance
- Spanish post-arrival vet registration coordination
- Coordinated with your household move timing
- Dogs, cats, ferrets — standard regime
- Other species — specialist paperwork
Right for
- Households moving with dogs, cats, ferrets, or other pets.
- Specialist pet owners (working dogs, breed-society animals) needing experienced handling.
Common questions
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No. Pets travel with you or with a licensed specialist pet transporter that we coordinate, never in the removals lorry.
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Book the vet well ahead of the move. The certificate itself has to be issued shortly before travel, inside the window the EU entry rules set, so the appointment is timed against your travel date. GOV.UK sets out the current rules.
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Some autonomous communities (Catalonia particularly) have specific dog-breed regulations. The pet transporter advises on the regional rules.