Taking Your Dog Back to the UK or Norway: Papers, Time Limits and Pet Taxi to the Vet

Many families on the Costa Blanca spend part of the year in Spain and part in the UK or Norway, and the dog goes with them. Both countries ask for papers and, for dogs, a tapeworm treatment given by a vet within a tight window before you arrive. If the timing is wrong, your dog can be refused entry or placed in quarantine.

This is a practical summary of the official rules for dogs travelling with their owners (not for sale or rehoming), checked on 22 October 2026 against gov.uk and Mattilsynet, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. Rules change: always confirm with the official source and with your vet before you travel. At the end you'll find how Hatchi can help, from the vet visit to the terminal.

Private trip: only your family's pets travel. We never share the van with pets from other families or combine bookings from different customers. And if you like, you come too.

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What both countries ask for

• Microchip first: your dog must be microchipped before the rabies vaccination (for Great Britain, at the latest at the same time).
• Rabies vaccination: given by a vet, and you must wait at least 21 full days after the first vaccination (or the last one of the first course) before travelling. Boosters given on time, before the previous vaccination expires, don't restart that wait for Norway.
• Tapeworm treatment: a vet must treat your dog against the Echinococcus tapeworm, with a medicine containing praziquantel (or an equivalent the rules accept), and record it in your dog's travel document.
• The right document: the EU pet passport for dogs that live in Spain or another EU country; for Great Britain there are other options, explained below.

Great Britain: what your dog needs

These are the rules for entering Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) as summarised on gov.uk.

• Travel document: one of these four: an EU pet passport; the AHC, the health certificate issued in Great Britain, if it was issued in the last 6 months; a Great Britain pet health certificate; or a pet passport issued in Great Britain before 1 January 2021.
• If your dog came to Spain with an AHC: gov.uk says you can use it to return if it was issued in Great Britain and it's less than 6 months since you entered the EU. If you stay longer, you'll need a Great Britain pet health certificate or an EU pet passport: check on gov.uk.
• Great Britain pet health certificate: signed by an official vet (OV), and your dog must enter Great Britain within 10 days of it being issued.
• Tapeworm treatment: given by a vet no less than one full day and no more than 5 days (120 hours) before you arrive in Great Britain, and recorded in the Echinococcus section of the document. Dogs coming directly from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta or Norway don't need it.
• Approved route: you must use an approved travel route and company. Check yours on gov.uk before you book.
• Pet travel declaration: you fill it in to confirm you won't sell or transfer ownership of your dog.
• Travel together: if your dog arrives more than 5 days before or after you, different rules apply (the Balai rules).
• If something is missing: gov.uk warns your dog may be put into quarantine for up to 4 months, or refused entry if you arrive by sea.
• Banned breeds: a dog of a banned breed can't enter Great Britain unless it already has a valid Certificate of Exemption.

Norway: what your dog needs

These are the rules for dogs travelling with their owner from an EU country to mainland Norway (not Svalbard), as published by Mattilsynet.

• Microchip: it must follow the ISO 11784 standard and be put in before the rabies vaccination.
• Rabies vaccination: given by an authorised vet when your dog is at least 12 weeks old. It becomes valid at least 21 days after the primary vaccination is complete. A booster given within the validity of the previous vaccination has no 21-day wait.
• EU pet passport: it must go with your dog and include the microchip, the rabies vaccination and the tapeworm treatment. No other vaccination card can replace it.
• Tapeworm treatment: as the main rule, between one full day and 120 hours (5 days) before entering Norway, given by a vet and recorded by that vet in the passport. The medicine must contain praziquantel or epsiprantel. Dogs coming directly from Finland, Malta, Ireland or Northern Ireland don't need it.
• Frequent travellers: instead of a treatment before each trip, you can follow the 28-day rule: at least two treatments before travelling, no more than 28 days apart, and then one at least every 28 days while you keep travelling. If the gap goes over 28 days, you start again.
• At the border: when you arrive in Norway, you and your dog must contact Customs. Mattilsynet lists exceptions for dogs coming from Sweden: check them before you travel.
• Up to five pets: with more than five dogs, cats or ferrets, the trip is considered commercial, except for competitions and shows.
• Breeds: Norway restricts some dog breeds. Check on Mattilsynet's website whether yours is affected.

Getting the timing of the tapeworm treatment right

This is where most mistakes happen. The window counts back from the moment you arrive in Great Britain or Norway, not from when you leave the Costa Blanca.

1. Work out the date and time you'll arrive at the border.
2. Count back: the treatment must be no more than 5 days and no less than one full day before that moment. For example, if you arrive on a Saturday at noon, the vet must treat your dog between Monday at noon and Friday at noon.
3. If you're driving through France or travelling by ferry and the journey takes several days, a treatment given in Spain may fall outside the window. Plan the vet visit near the end of your journey, so the treatment falls inside the window when you arrive.
4. Book the vet appointment early and ask the vet to record the treatment, with the date and time, in the passport or certificate.

How Hatchi helps

We're not a taxi: we're the private transport your pet deserves. We don't issue documents or give veterinary advice, but we do take care of the trips around them, in a van reserved for your family alone.

• To the vet: we take you and your dog to your vet for the passport, the check of the documents or the tapeworm treatment, wait or come back, and bring you home.
• To the terminal: we drop you, your dog and your luggage at departures at Alicante-Elche or Valencia airport, or at the port. When you're travelling by plane, check first with your travel company how your dog will travel.
• On the way back: we collect you at arrivals and take you straight home or to the boarding kennel.
• Every day: public holidays included, from 8:00 to 20:00. You book on WhatsApp, in English, with a fixed price before you confirm.

Official sources

Always confirm the rules here before you travel; they're the ones that apply, not this summary.

• gov.uk: Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain
• gov.uk: Tapeworm treatment for dogs
• gov.uk: Which pet travel document you need
• gov.uk: Getting a health certificate (AHC) for your pet
• Mattilsynet: Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets from EU countries to Norway
• Mattilsynet: Mandatory tapeworm treatment for dogs entering Norway

Frequently asked questions

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