If you live outside the EU and Switzerland, your pet needs an Animal Health Certificate rather than a passport, confirming the microchip, rabies vaccination, and any required titer test are all in order. It has to be issued shortly before travel — check the exact validity window with the certifying vet, since it's tighter than the vaccination timeline.

How do US travellers get the Swiss health certificate?

For US travellers, this certificate is completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and endorsed by USDA APHIS — and Switzerland has its own listing in APHIS's country-by-country pet travel tool, separate from the general EU one. If your trip touches both the EU and Switzerland, this is the detail most likely to catch people out: confirm with your vet whether you need one certificate covering both, or two.

What do UK travellers need for Switzerland?

For UK travellers: GOV.UK's guidance on the April 2026 EU rule change is specifically about entering the EU — Switzerland isn't in the EU, and Switzerland's own official guidance (the BLV, its food-safety and veterinary office) doesn't state the same residency restriction. As written today, the BLV simply requires a valid Swiss or EU pet passport for an animal that meets Swiss requirements, with no residency condition attached. In practice that means a UK traveller going to Switzerland only (not transiting the EU) may still be able to use a pet's existing EU passport for Swiss entry — but don't rely on this site or any blog for that distinction; confirm directly with the BLV or your vet before you travel, since the rules for mixed Switzerland-and-EU trips can differ from a Switzerland-only one.