EU Pet Passport 2026: Who Still Needs One?

At a glance

EU residents: get the passport from a local vet after microchip + rabies vaccine — valid for the pet's lifetime.

Non-EU residents (US, UK, Canada, Australia, etc.): this document no longer applies to you at all — go straight to the Health Certificate page.

Norway, Switzerland, Iceland: treated the same as EU countries for passport purposes.

The EU Pet Passport is a small blue booklet issued by an authorised veterinarian, permanently linking a pet's microchip number to its identity, owner details, and rabies vaccination history. For years it was the default document for any dog, cat, or ferret entering the European Union, no matter where the owner lived. That changed on 22 April 2026, under Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131: new EU pet passports are now issued only to owners who are official residents of an EU member state.

If home is inside the EU, the process barely changes. A local vet issues the passport once the microchip and rabies vaccination are both on record, and it's valid for the pet's entire life as long as booster shots stay current and get logged in the same booklet. It travels with the pet to every EU country afterward — no need to reapply for future trips.

If home is outside the EU — the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and everywhere else non-EU — an EU pet passport will not be accepted at entry, even one issued before the April 2026 change. Travellers from these countries need a Health Certificate instead, a document that has to be renewed for every single trip rather than issued once. That's covered in full on the Health Certificate page.

Non-EU countries inside the Schengen travel area under separate agreements — Norway, Switzerland, Iceland — still follow the same passport and timing rules as EU members. Great Britain is a special case worth flagging on its own: since Brexit, a UK-issued pet passport was never valid for EU entry, and as of 22 April 2026, GB residents must get a fresh Health Certificate from GOV.UK for every trip into the EU, with no exceptions for pets that held an EU passport from before.

Quick answers

Can I still use an EU pet passport issued before April 2026?

Only if the pet's owner is an EU resident. If the owner lives outside the EU, the passport is no longer valid for entry regardless of when it was issued — a Health Certificate is required instead.

Does the passport expire?

No — once issued to an eligible EU-resident owner, it's valid for the pet's life, as long as rabies boosters are kept current and recorded in the same booklet.

Rules, fees and policies change. Check the official sources linked in this guide and confirm with your vet, airline or property before you travel. Last updated September 2026. How we use sources.