1. Book your dog in for a rabies vaccination at your vet practice

All dogs that travel to the EU from the UK are required to have an Animal Health Certificate, and the key requirements for an Animal Health Certificate is that your dog must be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies.

Your dog will need to have their rabies vaccination at least 21 days before an Animal Health Certificate can be issued, so it's worth booking your dog in for a rabies vaccination at your vets as early as possible to avoid delays to your travel. Most rabies vaccinations administered in the UK are valid for three years, so there is no downside to getting the rabies vaccination booked in well before your travel date.

Prices for a rabies vaccination vary by veterinary practice, but they typically range from £50-90.

At the rabies vaccination appointment, the vet should give you a document evidencing the vaccination details, such as a vaccination card or vaccination certificate.

You'll need to ensure that this document contains the following information in order to get an Animal Health Certificate:

• Pet details including 15 digit microchip number

• Date of rabies vaccination

• Batch number and manufacturer of rabies vaccination

• Practice stamp and signature of vet who administered the rabies vaccination

France does not require that your dog is up to date with the annual, routine vaccinations but it's advisable to keep these up to date anyway.

2. Research travel options and book your crossing to France

There are a number of different ways to travel to France with a dog.

Travelling from the UK to France by air is very complicated, so most people tend to travel by car, either through the Eurotunnel or by ferry. When travelling with a dog you will need to enter France through a designated travellers' point of entry (TPE).

The most popular routes are listed below:

• Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais

• Ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre

• Ferry from Portsmouth to Caen

• Ferry from Portsmouth to Cherbourg

• Ferry from Portsmouth to St. Malo

• Ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe

• Ferry from Poole to Cherbourg

• Ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff

• Ferry from Dover to Calais

• Ferry from Dover to Dunkirk

You'll need to have an idea on which date you are planning on travelling to France before you book in for an Animal Health Certificate appointment, because the AHC needs to be issued within 10 days of your travel date and at least 21 days after the date the rabies vaccination was given.

If your pet is going to be travelling with a friend/family member or with a pet transport company, you (the owner) must be travelling within 5 days of your dog's departure date. If you are travelling more than 5 days outside your dog's departure date, an Export Health Certificate would be required instead.

3. Obtain an Animal Health Certificate within 10 days of your departure date

You will need to book in for an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) appointment with an Official Veterinarian (a vet that has done the extra course required to issue pet travel documents).

This appointment needs to be within 10 days of your travel date, and at least 21 days after your dog's rabies vaccination date. There is no way around the 21 day wait period following an initial rabies vaccination, so it's vital that you get the rabies vaccination booked in as soon as you have decided you want to take your dog to France.

Different vet practices have different protocols and prices when it comes to issuing Animal Health Certificates. Prices typically range from £100-£300 per pet. The Official Veterinarian vet that issues the Animal Health Certificate must physically scan your dog's microchip so Animal Health Certificates cannot be issued remotely.

See our page on Animal Health Certificate FAQs for more information.

At PassPets, we've issued thousands of AHCs for pet owners around the country, and with prices starting from £99, we're highly likely to be a lower cost option than your vets. To find out more about our service, visit our homepage, or call us to speak to one of our veterinary team. We have three clinics around the UK (Havant, London and Bristol), and if you're not local all three locations are easily accessible if you would like to collect your AHC en-route to your ferry or tunnel crossing.

4. Travel to France with your dog

Once you have the Animal Health Certificate in your hand, you can travel to France with your dog. You need to have departed on your trip no more than 10 days after the AHC was issued, otherwise you will need a new one.

Different ports have different procedures for checking pets in (they will inform you upon booking with them), but generally you'll need to take your dog to their pet reception where you'll need scan your dog's microchip and they will check through the Animal Health Certificate to ensure all the information is correct.

The Animal Health Certificate is valid for ongoing travel within the EU (including Switzerland and Norway) for a period of 4 months from the date it is issued or until your dog's rabies vaccination expires, whichever date is earlier. However, if you leave the EU (for example to come back to the UK), you will need another AHC in order to re-enter the EU.

5. Visit a vet in France to get tapeworm treatment administered between 1 and 5 days before returning to the UK

All dogs entering the UK need to have tapeworm treatment administered by a vet no less than 24 hours (1 day) and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before the dog's scheduled arrival time in the UK.

The treatment date and time must be recorded by the vet at the bottom of page 4 of the Animal Health Certificate. Most vets in France are familiar with having to do this, as it's been a requirement for many years, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding a vet to get this done.

This is an example of how the tapeworm treatment table at the bottom of page 4 needs to be completed:

If you are travelling to France and returning to the UK within 5 days, the tapeworm treatment can be administered by a vet in the UK before your outbound journey to France.

If the tapeworm treatment is not administered in time or if it has been incorrectly recorded on the AHC, it will result in your dog being refused travel, and you'll need to get this done again.

See here for more detailed information on the tapeworm treatment requirements for returning to the UK.

6. Return to the UK

On your return to the UK, you'll be asked to show the Animal Health Certificate (with the tapeworm treatment details added to it) at the border. If the tapeworm treatment has not been given in the correct time period (1 to 5 days before arriving in the UK), then you will either have to wait until 24 hours have passed, or you'll need to take the dog to a vet to get the tapeworm treatment administered again.