Moving pets overseas

Moving pets to Ireland

Ireland, a participant in the EU pet passport scheme, has strict laws for the import of pets. This is to protect its environment from risk of diseases such as rabies, from which Ireland has been free for over 100 years. Fortunately, most pets from the UK may enter Ireland without quarantine if they have valid pet passports.

To import your pet to Ireland, your pet must be over three months old and meet all the requirements under the EU pet passport system.  To ensure that your pet is not incubating rabies, your pet may enter Ireland only when at least six months have expired since a successful blood test. Do the blood test 30 days after the rabies vaccination to prove that your pet has a good defence against rabies.

Your pet must also be tested for tapeworm and ticks between 24 and 48 hours before check-in.  Your veterinarian must complete the relevant sections of the passport, noting down the time of treatment as well as the date.

See our Moving pets to Europe section for more information on pet passports. If you are uncertain about any aspect, call Ireland’s helpline on 1890 504 604 or email the Department of Agriculture. You can read more about Ireland’s pet importation laws by going to the Irish Department of Agriculture website.