Your pet travels to Great Britain on a Greek-issued EU pet passport, or on an Animal Health Certificate issued within 10 days of travel if it has no passport. Dogs also need a tapeworm treatment 24 to 120 hours before arrival. Greece is an …
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from Greece to United Kingdom
typically takes around 4-8 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
Regulations checked
Prepared and reviewed by Marcus Webb, Senior Pet Relocation Consultant
Step by step
The Greece to United Kingdom pet import process
Each step must be completed in a precise sequence. Start early. We manage every stage and deadline.
1
Confirm microchip is ISO standard and pre-dates the rabies vaccination
Responsible: Your vet
Verify now.
2
Confirm rabies vaccination is current and at least 21 days old
Responsible: Your vet (Greek official vet)
A primary vaccination needs 21 days before entry, and only counts from 12 weeks of age, so allow at least three weeks if one is needed.
3
Book manifest cargo on an approved route
Responsible: Owner or agent
4-6 weeks ahead.
4
If your pet has no EU pet passport, a Greek official vet issues the AHC
Responsible: Official vet authorised by the Ministry of Rural Development and Food
Within 10 days of travel. Use the same practice that will give the tapeworm treatment if you can.
5
Dogs: praziquantel tapeworm treatment, no less than 24 and no more than 120 hours before arrival in Great Britain. The vet records the date and time in the passport or AHC.
Responsible: Vet
Counted back from your scheduled arrival time in Great Britain, not from departure. The treatment must be entered on the same document your pet travels on, so arrange this with the issuing vet.
6
Travel to Great Britain. Documents checked on arrival before your pet is released.
Responsible: Airline/owner
On travel date.
Requirements
What your pet needs to enter United Kingdom
Every item below must be in place before your pet can travel. We manage and verify each one.
Microchip
Required. ISO 11784/11785. Must be implanted before the rabies vaccination.
Rabies vaccination
Required. The vaccination only counts if your pet was at least 12 weeks old on the day it was given, and at least 21 days must pass between a primary vaccination and entry into Great Britain. The earliest a puppy or kitten can enter is therefore about 15 weeks old.
Quarantine
Not required for a compliant pet. Greece is an EU member state, so there is no titre test and no routine quarantine. If the paperwork or the tapeworm timing is wrong, GOV.UK gives penalty quarantine of up to four months at your expense as the outside case.
Import permit
Not required. Up to five pets per owner travel under the non-commercial pet rules. More than five, or a pet travelling unaccompanied for sale or rehoming, moves under commercial Balai certification, which needs different paperwork and more time.
Health certificate
A valid EU pet passport issued in Greece is accepted, or an AHC issued within 10 days of travel. No titre test is needed for pets coming from Greece. Dogs also need a praziquantel tapeworm treatment given 24 to 120 hours before arrival in Great Britain and recorded in the passport or AHC; cats are exempt.
Export permit (Greece)
No formal export permit required for pets leaving Greece.
Costs
What this route typically costs
AHC from Greek official vet: approximately EUR 100-300 (GBP 85-260)
Tapeworm treatment (dogs only): EUR 20-50
Airline cargo Athens to London: quoted per shipment on crate size and weight. There is no published tariff, so get a written quote
Travel crate: EUR 60-220
Pet transport agent fee, commonly used on this route: EUR 400-1,000
Fixed paperwork and crate costs come to roughly GBP 150 to GBP 500. The cargo booking and any agent fee sit on top and are quoted per shipment, so budget well above that figure
Critical points to read before you book
No airline will carry your pet in the cabin into Great Britain. GOV.UK is explicit: pets have to travel as cargo on a plane, and the only exceptions are a chartered private plane or a recognised guide or assistance dog. Airlines that offer cabin travel elsewhere cannot offer it on a flight into the UK. Entry must also be on an APHA-approved transport company and an approved route, which is a condition of entry rather than a booking preference: check the approved routes list on GOV.UK before you book, not after, because arriving outside one risks refusal of entry or penalty quarantine. Source: GOV.UK, bring-pet-to-great-britain, read 2026-09-02.
Check your dog's type before you spend anything. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 bans the import of Pit Bull Terrier type, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro, and the assessment is made on physical type, not on pedigree or registration, so a dog that substantially resembles one of these types can be classified as it. The XL Bully is also restricted in England and Wales, where owners need a Certificate of Exemption. This matters on a Greece route because many pets acquired locally are rescues of uncertain parentage. A banned type can be seized at the border.
Tapeworm treatment: the window is measured against your scheduled arrival time in Great Britain, and it has a floor as well as a ceiling. The treatment must be no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours before arrival. An Athens to London flight is only about 3.5 hours, so a treatment given late in the afternoon before a next-morning arrival can fall inside 24 hours and fail. Give yourself a clear day of margin, and check the vet writes the date and time on the document. Getting this wrong risks penalty quarantine of up to four months at your expense.
The summer Greece-to-UK travel season (July to September) is busy. Book cargo space early and confirm that your pet can travel in the heat. Many cargo carriers impose restrictions on brachycephalic breeds in high ambient temperatures.
If your pet already holds an EU pet passport issued in Greece, that document is accepted for entry into Great Britain and you do not need to buy an Animal Health Certificate. What stopped working after Brexit is the opposite direction: a GB-issued passport is no longer valid for travel into the EU. Check that the Greek passport records the microchip number, that the microchip was implanted before the rabies vaccination date, and that the vaccination is still in date.
Airlines
Carriers approved for this route
Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. We know which carriers to use and how to book.
BRITISH
British Airways
Athens (ATH) to London Heathrow as manifest cargo through IAG Cargo. Bookings are normally placed through a pet shipping agent, who also handles the UK-side formalities. Compare more than one agent before booking.
Cargo Only
AEGEAN
Aegean Airlines
Flies Athens to London, but we have not been able to confirm that it accepts pets as manifest cargo into Great Britain, so treat this as unconfirmed and ask the airline directly before planning around it. Cabin travel is not an option into Great Britain whatever the airline offers elsewhere: GOV.UK requires pets to fly as cargo.
Unconfirmed
EASYJET
easyJet
Athens to various UK airports. Does not carry pets as cargo, and cabin travel is not an option into Great Britain, so this carrier cannot take your pet on this route.
No Pets
A route frequently used by returning UK expats
A significant number of British citizens have lived in Greece over the years, many of whom acquired pets locally. When returning to the UK, the pet paperwork is entirely manageable but requires some advance planning.
A myth does the rounds among returning expats: that a Greek-issued EU pet passport stopped working for the UK after Brexit. It did not. A valid EU pet passport issued in Greece is accepted for entry into Great Britain, and if your pet has one, correctly filled in, there is no Animal Health Certificate to buy. What Brexit ended was the reverse: a GB-issued passport is no longer accepted for travel into the EU. If your pet has no passport, the alternative is an AHC from a Greek official vet, authorised by the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, issued within 10 days of travel. That is a specific appointment and it needs booking well ahead.
Whichever document you travel on, the order matters: the microchip must have been implanted before the rabies vaccination was given, the pet must have been at least 12 weeks old at that vaccination, and the rabies cover must not have lapsed. If a booster was missed, the vaccination counts as a new primary and the 21-day wait starts again.
Cargo and summer heat
Athens has year-round passenger flights to several UK airports, but your pet cannot follow most of them. The pet needs a carrier that accepts manifest cargo on an APHA-approved route, and on this corridor that points at British Airways and IAG Cargo into London Heathrow. Pick the pet’s routing first and your own flights second. In July and August, temperatures in Athens regularly exceed 35 degrees Celsius, and airport tarmac temperatures can be considerably higher.
Most airlines impose additional restrictions on cargo pet travel during peak summer heat. Brachycephalic breeds (bulldogs, pugs, French bulldogs, Boxers, and others with short muzzles) face the strictest limitations and may be refused by cargo carriers in summer months. For these breeds, planning a move in spring or autumn avoids the worst of the summer heat restrictions.
FAQ
Common questions about Greece to United Kingdom pet transport
No, not for a compliant pet. Greece is an EU member state, so no titre test and no routine quarantine apply. Your pet needs an ISO microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination, a valid rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks or older and at least 21 days before entry, and either a valid Greek EU pet passport or an AHC issued within 10 days of travel. Dogs also need a tapeworm treatment given 24 to 120 hours before arrival in Great Britain and recorded on that document. Quarantine only appears as a penalty: GOV.UK gives up to four months, at your expense, if the documents or the timing are wrong.
Yes. An EU pet passport issued in Greece is accepted for entry into Great Britain, so there is no Animal Health Certificate to buy. It must record the microchip number, show that the microchip was implanted before the rabies vaccination, and show a rabies vaccination that is still in date. Dogs need a fresh tapeworm treatment entry for each UK trip. The rule that changed at Brexit runs the other way: a GB-issued pet passport is no longer valid for travel into the EU.
For large dogs, air cargo is the only option. British Airways (IAG Cargo) is the main carrier offering pet cargo on the Athens to London Heathrow route. Cabin travel is not available into Great Britain: GOV.UK requires pets to fly as cargo, whatever the airline offers on its other routes. Contact the cargo carrier directly or use a pet transport agent to manage the booking and coordinate the Greek-side export paperwork.
You only need one if your pet has no EU pet passport. The AHC must be issued by an official veterinarian authorised by the Greek competent authority, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, through its regional veterinary offices. Your regular Greek vet may hold that authorisation or can refer you to someone who does. Ask at the same time whether that practice can also give the tapeworm treatment and record it, since the AHC must be signed within 10 days of travel and a second appointment elsewhere costs time you may not have.
Airline guides
British Airways
Aegean Airlines
easyJet
Breed guides
Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.