Brittany Ferries Says Older EU Pet Passports Still Work. Should You Use One?

No. If you live in England, Scotland or Wales and you're taking your dog to Spain, get an Animal Health Certificate (AHC). Even if you have an EU pet passport. Even if it was issued before 22 April 2026. Even if a friend says nobody looked at their documents.

Here's why we say that, and why this rule is so hard to pin down.

What Brittany Ferries says

Brittany Ferries' pet travel advice page says "EU authorities have confirmed" that EU pet passports issued to British residents before 22 April 2026 "remain valid for travel into the EU and can still be used". It adds that EU vets can't issue new passports to non-EU residents after that date.

The page doesn't say which EU authority confirmed this, or when. The most likely source is France. In September 2026, France's agriculture ministry told The Connexion that passports issued before 22 April 2026 remain valid, even for owners who don't live in the EU.

That's one country's view. It isn't the view of the European Commission, the UK government or Spain.

Who says what

Five sources point one way. One country and one ferry operator point the other. For a trip to Spain, the one that matters most is Spain itself — and MAPA is clear that a pet living in Great Britain needs the certificate.

Why these rules are so hard to understand

It isn't you. The information genuinely doesn't line up, for a few reasons.

Three layers of rules. The EU writes the rules. Each EU country's border staff apply them. The UK government explains them to UK owners. A change at one layer takes weeks or months to reach the others — and each one words it differently.

The wording varies. The GOV.UK guide says you "cannot" use a passport. The GOV.UK news story from the same week says passports "may no longer be valid". One reads as a rule, the other as a warning. Both are official.

The rules changed twice. Once at Brexit in 2021, and again on 22 April 2026, when a new EU regulation (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131) took over. Forum threads, blog posts and even company pages written in between are still out there, and still rank in search.

Your route changes who checks you. Sail to Santander or Bilbao and Spanish officials check your dog on arrival. Drive through France and you enter the EU at a French border — where the French view applies. Same trip, same dog, different border.

Operators pass on what they've heard. A ferry company's job is getting you on the boat. When it says "EU authorities have confirmed", you can't tell which authority, what exactly they said, or whether it applies where you land.

"But nobody even checked our documents"

You'll hear this a lot. It's often true — plenty of owners roll off a ferry without anyone opening the folder.

That tells you what happened on one crossing. It doesn't tell you what will happen on yours. The rules don't change because a check was skipped, and the risk sits entirely with you. If your dog is checked and the paperwork is wrong, it can be refused entry, held in isolation or sent back at your cost — at the end of a long crossing, with your trip on hold.

An AHC removes that risk. It's the document every source in the table above accepts.

What to do instead

If you live in Great Britain and you're taking your dog to Spain:

• Get an AHC for this trip. It has to be issued by an Official Vet (OV) within 10 days of travel — the issue date counts as day 1. Not every vet is an OV, so check before you book.
• Get a new one for every trip. An AHC covers one trip out of Great Britain.
• Use it for the rest of the trip too. It covers onward travel within the EU for up to 6 months after you arrive, and your return to Great Britain within 6 months of the date it was issued — as long as your dog's rabies vaccination stays valid.
• Keep the passport at home for the way out. GOV.UK says GB residents can still use an EU pet passport for the return journey to Great Britain, but the AHC does that job anyway.
• Don't forget the tapeworm treatment on the way back. A vet has to treat your dog 24 hours to 5 days before you re-enter Great Britain.

Why Border Pet exists

Border Pet started because of exactly this: five websites saying five different things, and no way to tell which one applies to your dog on your route.

So we read the sources for you — GOV.UK, the European Commission, Spain's ministry and the regulations themselves — and turn them into one set of steps, in order, for your trip. Every step links to where the rule comes from and shows when we last checked it. Where official sources disagree, we tell you, and we point you to the option that can't get your dog turned away.

Check what your dog needs for Spain →

For the background on the passport change itself, read The EU pet passport loophole is closed. For every step in order, see our guide to taking your dog from the UK to Spain.