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Bringing a cat from Canada to the United Kingdom

Yes — Canada is a 'listed' country for Great Britain, so there is no rabies blood test and no quarantine when the paperwork is right. Your cat needs an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination with a 21-day wait after the first dose, and a Great Britain pet health certificate signed by an official vet. Cats skip the tapeworm treatment that dogs need. Pets fly as cargo on approved routes.
21 days
Minimum wait
After a primary rabies vaccination
None
Titer test
Canada is a listed country
10 days
Cert window
Enter GB within 10 days of the certificate being issued
None
Tapeworm treatment
Never required for cats

Step-by-step checklist

Requirements — Cat · Canada → the United Kingdom
StepWhat to doWhen
MicrochipISO 11784/11785 (15-digit) microchip, implanted before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination. If the chip is not ISO standard, travel with your own reader — a chip that cannot be read on arrival can mean quarantine. Before vaccination
Rabies vaccinationAt 12 weeks of age or older, with an inactivated or recombinant vaccine. After a first (primary) vaccination, wait at least 21 full days before travel; boosters must be in date with no break in cover, or the course restarts. ≥21 days before travel
No titer testCanada is a 'listed' country in Great Britain's rules, so no rabies blood test and no 3-month wait apply. —
Great Britain pet health certificateThe only accepted travel document from Canada. It must be signed, stamped and dated by an official veterinarian with authority from their government — in Canada the certificate is completed by your licensed veterinarian and endorsed by a CFIA official veterinarian, which must happen before your cat leaves Canada. Your cat must enter Great Britain within 10 days of the certificate being issued. You also sign a declaration that your pet is not for sale or transfer of ownership. Final 10 days
Approved route & carrierYou must travel on an approved route with an approved company. On a plane your pet travels as cargo, unless you charter a private plane. Booking stage

Your preparation timeline

  1. 1≥3 weeks out — Microchip check, rabies vaccination (or confirm boosters are in date)
  2. 2Final 10 days — Great Britain pet health certificate completed and CFIA-endorsed; enter GB within 10 days of issue
  3. 3Arrival — Chip and document checks on an approved route — no quarantine if everything is in order
The mistake that causes trouble on this route: Copying a dog checklist onto a cat — and adding steps that do not exist. There is no tapeworm treatment and no blood test on this route; the failures that actually cause quarantine are a certificate issued more than 10 days before entry, a lapsed booster, or a microchip that cannot be read.

Costs you can plan for

Great Britain charges no government fee for the pet health certificate. In Canada you pay your veterinarian, plus the CFIA endorsement fee (set under the CFIA Fees Notice and confirmed when you book the endorsement appointment). Quarantine — up to 4 months at your expense if the documents fail on arrival — is the expensive scenario, not the paperwork.

✈️ Government rules are only half the trip. Airlines set their own pet carriage rules (crate size, breed limits, seasonal embargoes). Re-confirm carriage with your airline after you meet the rules above.

Questions people ask about this route

Does my cat need a tapeworm treatment?

No. The tapeworm (Echinococcus) treatment is a dogs-only rule in Great Britain's scheme.

Does my cat need a pet passport?

No. Canada does not issue a pet passport accepted by Great Britain; the Great Britain pet health certificate is the document for this route.

Can my cat fly in the cabin to the UK?

No — on approved routes pets travel as cargo on planes, unless you use a chartered private plane.

Are any cat breeds banned?

Great Britain's banned list covers dogs only; there is no equivalent cat breed ban in the pet travel rules.

Related guides

✓ Last verified: 2026-11-12

Official sources for this page

We check each rule against the exporting country's official page and the destination country's official page. If the two disagree, we show the disagreement instead of guessing.

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