UK Pet Import Requirements From Vietnam: Documents, Flights and Arrival (2026)

To bring a pet from Vietnam to the UK, you need to meet three sets of rules: Vietnam’s export rules, Great Britain’s import rules and the airline’s conditions. Vietnam is not on Great Britain’s list of approved countries, so your pet needs a rabies blood test, a 3-month wait and a cargo flight. Vietnam issues the export quarantine certificate, and the airline decides which breeds and crates it accepts.

Short Answer: Can You Bring a Pet from Vietnam to the UK?

• Is it possible? Yes, for a personal pet that moves with its owner. The UK issues no import permit for a personal pet, so there is nothing to apply for in advance.
• How long does it take? At least four months from the rabies vaccination. Plan for five to six months, because the blood sample goes to a laboratory abroad.
• Cabin or checked baggage? No. Pets enter Great Britain as cargo. Assistance dogs and pets on a chartered private plane are the only exceptions.
• Must I fly at the same time? You, or a person you authorise in writing, must arrive within 5 days of the pet. There is no commercial route for dogs and cats from Vietnam.
• Can Vietnam Airlines fly my pet? No. Vietnam Airlines is not on the UK’s list of airlines approved to carry pets.
• Who collects the pet in the UK? A UK clearing agent. Airlines do not let a private person clear cargo through customs.

How Daisy Pet runs this route is on our pet shipping page for Vietnam to the UK.

What Must Be in Place Before You Plan the Move?

Check these points first. If one of them fails, the move cannot go ahead as planned.

• Microchip. The chip must meet ISO 11784/11785. The vet implants it before or on the same day as the rabies vaccination. A vaccine given before the chip does not count.
• Age. The rabies vaccination can be given from 12 weeks of age. With the waits that follow, a pet is about seven months old on the earliest arrival date.
• You travel too. Great Britain accepts a personal pet only if the owner arrives no more than 5 days before or after it. A person the owner authorises in writing can travel instead. No more than 5 pets can travel this way, and they must not be for sale or rehoming.
• No commercial route. Outside those conditions, a dog or cat counts as a commercial import. UK guidance does not allow commercial imports of dogs and cats from countries that are not listed, and Vietnam is not listed (import information note BLLV/5b). This also closes the route for a rescue dog going to a new owner in the UK.
• Breeds banned in Great Britain. A Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro or XL Bully cannot enter without a valid Certificate of Exemption. UK law judges a dog by how it looks, not by its breed name (GOV.UK: banned dogs).
• Snub-nosed breeds. Many airlines limit or refuse snub-nosed dogs and cats in cargo. Some count British Shorthair and Persian cats in this group. Turkish Airlines takes them only in a crate one size larger, with an indemnity letter, when it is below 27°C at both ends. Emirates takes them mainly from November to April. Ask the airline in writing before you book.
• Cropped ears and docked tails. The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act 2025 lets the government ban imports of these dogs. It can also ban puppies and kittens under six months and heavily pregnant pets. None of these bans had a start date by October 2026, so such a dog enters under the normal rules for now.

Which Airlines Can Fly Your Pet from Vietnam to the UK?

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) approves which airlines and airports can bring pets into Great Britain. Every approved airline carries pets in the hold as cargo. Great Britain requires this so that each pet goes straight to an animal reception centre for checks, not through the passenger terminal.

The table shows approved airlines that connect from Vietnam through their hubs. It follows the UK government list updated on 9 October 2026 (GOV.UK: airlines and airports you can use).

Vietnam Airlines is not on the list, so its non-stop flights from Vietnam cannot carry a pet into the UK. Wales has no approved route, and no commercial airline is approved into Birmingham.

A place on the list does not mean an airline takes every pet on every aircraft or airport. The list also changes almost every week. Confirm the exact route with the airline before you book. The differences between cabin, checked baggage and cargo are explained in how pets fly: cabin, baggage or cargo.

6 Steps to Bring a Pet from Vietnam to the UK

The plan below starts from a new rabies vaccination. If your pet already has a valid blood test result, some steps may already be done.

• Day 1: microchip and rabies vaccination.
• Day 31 or later: blood sample for the rabies test.
• During the 3-month wait: flights, UK agent and VAT relief.
• Last days before arrival: health certificate and, for dogs, tapeworm treatment.
• Departure day: cargo check-in in Vietnam.
• Arrival day: checks at the animal reception centre, then customs.

Step 1 (Day 1): Microchip and Rabies Vaccination

Who: a vet in Vietnam.

The vet scans or implants the microchip, then gives the rabies vaccination at the same visit or later. The vet records the chip number, the vaccine date and the batch number. Every later document must show the same chip number.

A first rabies vaccination becomes valid for Great Britain 21 days after the injection. The blood test in Step 2 sets a longer wait, so these 21 days rarely change the plan. See how rabies vaccine validity is counted.

Step 2 (Day 31 or Later): Rabies Blood Test

Who: the vet in Vietnam and an EU-approved laboratory abroad.

The vet takes a blood sample at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination. Vietnam has no approved laboratory, so the sample is sent abroad. The result must show at least 0.5 IU/ml of rabies antibodies (GOV.UK: rabies blood tests).

The pet can enter Great Britain 3 months after the day the sample was taken, not the day of the result. The result stays valid as long as the rabies boosters never lapse. A result below 0.5 IU/ml means the vet must repeat the test, and a new wait starts from the new sample. More on the test: how the rabies titer test works.

Allow time for the sample to travel. In a Vietnam-to-UK move Daisy Pet handled, the vet took the sample on 1 December 2025 and the laboratory issued the result on 7 March 2026. The 3-month wait had already ended by then, so the result date set the earliest flight.

Step 3 (During the 3-Month Wait): Flights, UK Agent and VAT Relief

Who: you and your shipper.

Book the pet’s cargo space and your own ticket together, so that you land within 5 days of the pet. Allow at least 30 days to confirm the airline and the UK agent, because space for live animals on these routes can run out.

• Arrival airport: choose one from the airline’s approved airports. Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Edinburgh each have their own reception facility for pets.
• UK agent: the agent collects the pet from the airline and clears it through customs. Airlines and ground handlers at UK airports do not let a private person clear cargo.
• Someone else collecting: if the pet lands before you, the agent needs your written authorisation to collect it.
• VAT relief: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) charges 20% import VAT on a pet unless you claim Transfer of Residence relief. You apply on form ToR1, and HMRC must approve it before you claim. The relief needs at least 12 months of living outside the UK and at least 6 months of owning the pet (GOV.UK: Transfer of Residence).

The crate must meet IATA rules and let the pet stand, turn around and lie down. See how to size an IATA-compliant pet crate.

Step 4 (Last Days Before Arrival): Health Certificate and Tapeworm Treatment

Who: the vet, the Vietnamese animal quarantine station and you.

The pet needs a Great Britain pet health certificate. An official government vet of the exporting country must sign it. In Vietnam, the animal quarantine station signs it when it issues Form 13a, the export quarantine certificate (GOV.UK: Great Britain pet health certificate).

• 10-day limit: the pet must reach the entry checks in Great Britain within 10 days of the issue date. Your shipper times the certificate to the flight, not earlier.
• Declaration: you sign a declaration that the pet is not for sale and travels under the 5-day rule. Keep your boarding pass, because officials can ask for it.
• Tapeworm, dogs only: a vet treats the dog with praziquantel 24 to 120 hours before it enters Great Britain. Count the transit time, because the window ends at entry, not at departure (GOV.UK: tapeworm treatment).

The Vietnamese side of the paperwork is explained in documents for pets leaving Vietnam.

Step 5 (Departure Day): Cargo Check-In in Vietnam

Who: your shipper.

The shipper brings the pet to the cargo terminal at Tan Son Nhat or Noi Bai. The airline checks the crate and the documents, then books the pet on its own air waybill. The original certificate and vaccination record travel with the pet.

Your own flight is a separate booking. You can fly before or after the pet, as long as the 5-day rule holds. Read more about how pets travel in the cargo hold.

Step 6 (Arrival Day): Checks at the Reception Centre and Customs

Who: the animal reception centre, your UK agent and HMRC.

The airline hands the pet to the animal reception centre at the arrival airport. At Heathrow, this is the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre (HARC), which is open 24 hours a day. Staff check the documents, scan the microchip and examine the pet (HARC: importing a dog, cat or ferret).

• Timing: a pet is usually ready about 2 to 4 hours after it reaches HARC.
• Missing tapeworm treatment: a HARC vet treats the dog on arrival.
• Customs: after the checks, HARC contacts your UK agent. The agent clears the pet with HMRC and pays any VAT due. Import duty on a pet is 0%.
• Collection: you, or the person you authorised, collect the pet from the agent.

What Happens If Your Pet Fails the UK Checks?

A pet that does not meet the rules is not released. You must choose to put it in quarantine, return it to Vietnam or have it put down. Quarantine lasts up to 4 months in premises authorised by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). You pay all fees, and you could be taken to court (GOV.UK: rabies quarantine).

Most failures come from timing: a sample taken too early, a certificate that is too old at entry, or a tapeworm treatment outside the 120-hour window.

What Does It Cost to Bring a Pet from Vietnam to the UK?

The total depends on the pet’s size, the airline and the arrival airport. Costs fall into three groups:

• In Vietnam: the vet visits, the rabies blood test sent abroad, export quarantine and the crate.
• The flight: the cargo charge. Airlines charge by the weight or by the size of the crate, whichever is higher.
• In the UK: the reception centre and the UK agent. HARC publishes its fees: £104 to receive a pet from the aircraft, plus £213 for holding with a document pre-check or £293 without one. VAT applies unless your relief was approved.

Current ranges for this route are in our pet shipping cost guide for Vietnam to the UK.

FAQ: Bringing a Pet from Vietnam to the UK

Can my pet fly in the cabin from Vietnam to the UK?

No. Pets enter Great Britain as cargo on an approved airline. Only assistance dogs and pets on a chartered private plane are exceptions.

Do I need a UK import permit for my pet?

No. The UK issues no import permit for a personal pet. The pet is checked at the arrival airport and released once it passes.

What if I cannot arrive within 5 days of my pet?

Then the pet counts as a commercial import, and Great Britain does not allow commercial imports of dogs and cats from Vietnam. You, or a person you authorise in writing, must arrive inside the 5-day window.

How long does it take to bring a pet from Vietnam to the UK?

At least four months from the rabies vaccination. The blood sample comes 30 days after the vaccine, and the pet then waits 3 months. Plan for five to six months.

Do cats need the same steps as dogs?

Yes, except the tapeworm treatment, which is for dogs only. Cats need the microchip, rabies vaccination, blood test, 3-month wait and health certificate.

Can I bring more than five pets to the UK?

Not as personal pets. More than 5 pets count as a commercial import, which is closed for dogs and cats from Vietnam. The only exception is pets travelling for a competition, show or sporting event.

Do these rules apply to Northern Ireland?

No. Northern Ireland follows its own rules, set by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). This guide covers England, Scotland and Wales.

Can my pet move back to Vietnam later?

Yes. Vietnam has its own import rules for pets coming from the UK. They are explained in our guide to bringing a pet from the UK to Vietnam.