Animal import

In order to ensure that animal diseases are not imported into Great Britain, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) enforces a system of controls which rely primarily on imported animals being accompanied by health certification.

The United Kingdom importation rules require that pets imported into the UK are quarantined in DEFRA approved facilities for six months.

There are some exemptions to these rules under a scheme called The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS). This scheme allows pet animals from designated countries to enter the UK without quarantine as long as they meet the scheme rules, details of which are available from DEFRA

Find out further information about animal importation