Cat and dog imports into Northern Ireland

Information related to the importation of cats and dogs into Northern Ireland.

Cats and Dogs imported in to Northern Ireland from all countries, other than Great Britain, Republic of Ireland or The Channel Islands must

Either

Be accompanied by a valid Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) import licence. They must be inspected by a DARD Portal Inspector and collected from the Airport/Port by a licenced operator of an approved quarantine kennel. They must then serve a 6 month quarantine period. No hay, straw or peat may be present in the container.

Or:

Comply with the conditions of the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) (see below), and have cleared the PET's inspection procedures at an approved entry point in GB or the ROI. No hay, straw or peat may be present in the container.

Since 2000, pets from certain countries have been permitted to enter the United Kingdom (UK) without quarantine as long as they meet certain rules.

At present no direct flights into Northern Ireland are approved routes under PETS. Pets qualifying will therefore either have to land via approved routes in GB or ROI prior to onward travel to Northern Ireland or, on arrival under DARD Import Licence in Northern Ireland, travel directly to quarantine premises where they may be eligible for the early release scheme.

The conditions for the  Defra Pet travel sceme can be found  on the defra website at:

In July 2008 DARD established a Pet Travel scheme for assistance dogs. Currently the scheme is approved on certain routes into Belfast International Airport, and it is hoped that other airports and airlines will join the scheme in the near future.

It is important to point out that the scheme is only open to registered assistance dogs.

Another important requirement is the need to apply to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland for an import licence before travelling with the assistance dog into Northern Ireland

Contact Telephone: 02890 524622 or email cathy.coulter@dardni.gov.uk

Links to non-DARD sites.

Please note that links are to non Department of Agriculture and Rural Development sites.

We are not responsible for the content or reliability of the linked websites. Listing should not be taken as endorsement of any kind. We cannot guarantee that the links will work all the time and we have no control over the availability of linked pages.