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Bringing a dog 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 dog needs an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination with a 21-day wait after the first dose, a Great Britain pet health certificate signed by an official vet, and a vet-administered tapeworm treatment 24–120 hours before you arrive. 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

24–120 hours

Tapeworm treatment

Dogs only, vet-administered, before entry

Step-by-step checklist

Requirements — Dog · Canada → the United Kingdom
Step	What to do	When
Microchip	ISO 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 vaccination	At 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 test	Canada is a 'listed' country in Great Britain's rules, so no rabies blood test and no 3-month wait apply.	—
Great Britain pet health certificate	The 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 dog leaves Canada. Your dog 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 & carrier	You must travel on an approved route with an approved company. On a plane your pet travels as cargo, unless it is a recognised assistance dog or you charter a private plane.	Booking stage
Tapeworm treatment (dogs only)	A vet-administered treatment containing praziquantel (or an equivalent proven against Echinococcus multilocularis), given no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before you enter Great Britain, and recorded on the health certificate with product, date and time. The direct-from-Canada route has no exemption.	24–120 hours before entry

Your preparation timeline

1≥3 weeks out — Microchip check, rabies vaccination (or confirm boosters are in date)
2Final 10 days — Great Britain pet health certificate completed and CFIA-endorsed; enter GB within 10 days of issue
3Final 24–120 hours — Vet-administered tapeworm treatment, recorded on the certificate
4Arrival — Chip and document checks on an approved route — no quarantine if everything is in order

The mistake that causes trouble on this route: Missing the tapeworm window. The 24–120 hours are counted to your arrival in Great Britain, not your departure from Canada — a long layover can push a '5-day' treatment out of range, and a dog that misses the window can be quarantined at your expense.

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). The expensive scenario on this route is not the paperwork — it is quarantine, up to 4 months at your expense if the documents fail on arrival.

✈️ 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 dog 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 dog fly in the cabin to the UK?

No — on approved routes pets travel as cargo on planes, unless they are recognised assistance dogs or you use a chartered private plane.

Are any dog breeds banned?

Yes. It is illegal to bring in Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully types without a Certificate of Exemption; 'type' is judged by appearance, not by pedigree papers.

What if the paperwork is wrong?

Your dog can be quarantined for up to 4 months at your expense, or refused entry if it arrived by sea. This is why the certificate dates and the tapeworm window matter more than anything else on this route.

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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