A recent change in the EU’s Pet Passport rules has closed down a money-saving loophole. So how can you make taking your pets to France on a regular basis more affordable?
As more and more of us have more than one dog and cat, and spend longer in France, so the cost of taking your pets with you become both more important, and more expensive.
You may have 90 days in 180, even as a non-resident, but that’s a long time to ask the neighbours to feed your cat.
Yet since Brexit, the costs of taking pets to France has risen dramatically as we are no longer part of the pet passport scheme.
It is not just the crossing fee. It is the animal health certificate, the French vet appointment before coming home if you have a dog and the small admin traps that can turn one missed detail into a very expensive day.
Are there cheaper ways to take your pet to France? Yes, but the savings come from planning rather than dodging the rules. Shop around for your animal health certificate, compare routes by total journey cost and book your French vet appointment early if your dog needs tapeworm treatment before returning to Great Britain. If your main home is in Great Britain, do not rely on a French pet passport shortcut – you will usually need a new AHC each trip.
Know what you are really paying for
For most people travelling from Great Britain to France with a dog, cat (or ferret as we feel duty-bound to point out, as that’s within the same rules), the biggest cost is now the animal health certificate, or AHC.
GOV.UK says you need an AHC for dogs, cats and ferrets travelling from Great Britain to an EU country, and it must be signed by an official veterinarian. It is valid for entry into the EU for 10 days after issue, then for six months for onward travel within the EU and re-entry to Great Britain. Crucially, you still need a new AHC for each trip from Great Britain to the EU.
That final point matters. The six-month validity does not mean you can pop back and forth to your French holiday home all summer on the same certificate. It means that once you have entered the EU, the document can cover onward travel and your return to Great Britain during that period.
In other words, for regular trips, the AHC is the repeat cost you need to attack first.
Can you shop around for a cheaper AHC?
Yes, and you absolutely should.
An AHC has to be issued by an official veterinarian, but that does not mean every vet charges the same. Some practices charge a premium because AHCs take admin time, need careful checking and are not a standard appointment. Others, particularly those used to regular cross-Channel travellers, may be more competitive.
The Guardian reported that some UK vets were charging more than £250 for one animal health certificate, while some practices near Folkestone were offering them from around £99, with cheaper repeat-customer rates in some cases.
So before accepting your usual vet’s price, ring around. Ask for the total cost, not just the headline fee. You want to know whether the price includes VAT, the consultation, the certificate, extra pets on the same certificate, checking the microchip, checking rabies records and correcting any paperwork errors.
Try these questions:
“How much is an AHC for one dog travelling to France?”
“How much is each additional pet on the same certificate?”
“Do you offer repeat-customer pricing?”
“Is the vet an official veterinarian who can sign the certificate?”
“Does the price include all paperwork and VAT?”
If you travel often, it may be worth using a specialist AHC clinic or a practice near your departure point rather than your local vet. That does mean planning the journey around the appointment, but if you save £100 or more per trip, the faff starts to look less faffy.
Don’t rely on the French pet passport workaround
For a while, some regular travellers reduced costs by getting an EU pet passport from a vet in France. Pet passports issued before 22 April 2026 should still be valid for travel into the EU, but will not be if issued afterwards.
Certainly it is no longer a safe workaround for people resident in Great Britain.
Since April, GOV.UK says GB residents should no longer use EU pet passports to travel into the EU. It also says EU pet passports may now only be issued to people whose main home is in the EU, and should not be used by people who have holiday homes in the EU or visit seasonally.
That does not mean EU pet passports have disappeared. If your main home is genuinely in France, speak to a French vet about your options. But if you live in England, Scotland or Wales and visit your French holiday home, treat the AHC as the document you need for entering France.
It is annoying. But being turned away with a confused spaniel is worse.
Can you register your dog with a friend in France to get a pet passport?
Suppose the dog is owned by a neighbour of yours in France? Can you then travel with it on a pet passport? This might seem like a clever dodge, but if a dishonest misrepresentation to avoid paying for an AHC it leaves you open to risk, including having the pet impounded and yourself facing a fine.
The pet passport will need to say that the dog is registered in France and the microchip would have to conform that, being registered on France’s I-CAD database. Then you might need to prove ownership and why you are travelling with it.
It may feel frustrating, especially if you visit your French home often, but this is not the place to get creative. Save money by shopping around for the AHC, comparing routes and planning the French-side tapeworm appointment properly – not by putting the dog in someone else’s name.
Use the AHC window properly
The AHC must be issued within 10 days of entering the EU, so you cannot get it months in advance. But you can prepare the boring bits early.
Check your pet’s microchip record and rabies vaccination history long before travel. If your pet needs its first rabies vaccination, GOV.UK says you must wait at least 21 full days after the first vaccination, or after the last dose of the first course, before getting the AHC.
For regular travellers, make a pet travel calendar. Put the rabies booster date in it. Put a reminder a month before travel. Put another reminder 12 days before travel to book or confirm the AHC appointment. This is not glamorous content, I know, but neither is paying twice because a vaccine date was missed.
Budget for the French vet before coming home
If you are returning to Great Britain with a dog, you need to budget for a vet appointment in France. This is not a general health check. It is the tapeworm treatment required before your dog can enter Great Britain.
Cats and ferrets do not need the tapeworm treatment.
There is no national fixed price for this appointment in France. French veterinary fees are not regulated, and each practice sets its own charges. SafelyPet’s 2026 observatory puts a basic veterinary consultation in France at around €40–€70 and notes that fees vary by town, clinic and service.
As a planning figure, allow roughly €45–€90 for the appointment, treatment and paperwork, but ask before you book. Say: “traitement contre l’échinococcose pour retour au Royaume-Uni” or “vermifuge pour retour en Grande-Bretagne, avec tampon sur le certificat de santé.” That makes it clear you need the UK return treatment recorded properly, not just a routine wormer.
If you are staying at your French home for several days, try a local vet near the property rather than waiting until the port. Port-area vets are often very familiar with the process, which is useful, but convenience is not always the cheapest option.
For very short trips, you may be able to have the treatment done by a vet in Great Britain before you leave, as long as your return still falls within the 24-to-120-hour window. LeShuttle gives the same 24-to-120-hour timing for dogs travelling to the UK, and GOV.UK says you will need another treatment abroad if you do not travel within the required window.
Choose the route by total cost, not just pet fee
The cheapest crossing is not always the cheapest trip.
LeShuttle says dogs, cats and ferrets travel from £24 each way, and many owners like it because pets stay with you in the vehicle during the short Channel Tunnel crossing.
Ferries can also be good value, especially if the human ticket is cheaper or the route leaves you closer to your French home. Brittany Ferries says pet travel to France is available from £35, and longer western routes can save a long drive across France, plus fuel, tolls and overnight stops.
For Dover–Calais, P&O says dogs stay in the vehicle during the short crossing unless you book the dog-only pet lounge. That may be fine for a calm dog on a cool day, but less ideal for an anxious pet or summer travel. With cats, the lowest-cost route on paper may not be the best one if it means more hours in the carrier.
The quick money-saving checklist
Shop around for the AHC, especially if your usual vet’s quote makes your eyes water.
Use an official veterinarian who handles AHCs regularly.
Ask for the full price, including extra pets, VAT and paperwork.
Keep rabies boosters in date.
Book the AHC within the 10-day EU entry window, but prepare the records earlier.
For dogs, book the French tapeworm appointment as soon as you know your return crossing.
Ask French vets for the price before you book.
Check the vet has written the date and time clearly.
Compare ferry and tunnel routes by total journey cost, not just pet fee.
Consider leaving your pet at home for short trips if the numbers do not stack up.
So, is there a cheaper way?
If you were hoping to register the dog for a pet passport in France without living there, no.
The saving is in planning, not dodging the rules.
You can shop around for a cheaper AHC, choose a better-value route, use a local French vet rather than a last-minute port appointment and avoid paying twice by keeping rabies dates and travel windows under control.
The best approach is simple: treat pet travel like part of your France budget, not an afterthought. Do the admin early, compare prices and keep a small folder with your pet’s microchip, vaccination and travel records.
