Pet Transport from the United Kingdom to Montenegro
Planning a pet relocation from United Kingdom to Montenegro is easier when you work backwards from your travel date. Set aside roughly 18-24 weeks for this route and keep a close eye on the …
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from United Kingdom to Montenegro
typically takes around 18-24 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
A rabies titre test is required, which adds a fixed waiting period, so start early.
Regulations checked
Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team
Step by step
The United Kingdom to Montenegro import process
01
As early as possible; the chip must pre-date the vaccine
Microchip the pet before administering the rabies vaccination
Responsible: UK vet
02
30+ days before the titre test can be drawn
Confirm the rabies vaccination and wait at least 30 days before the titre blood draw
Responsible: UK vet
03
30+ days after vaccination
Draw blood for the FAVN or RNATT titre test at an approved UK laboratory
Responsible: Vet and laboratory
04
Typically 2-3 weeks after the blood draw
Receive a passing titre result; the 3-calendar-month wait to travel starts from this date
Responsible: Owner to record the result date
05
During the 3-month wait, with the certificate timed against the flight
Book the APHA Official Veterinarian appointment and submit the export application (EXA)
Responsible: Owner, with the nominated OV
06
4-8 weeks before travel
Book Lufthansa via Frankfurt or Munich, or Austrian Airlines via Vienna, not Wizz Air
Responsible: Owner or relocation agent
07
Only once the 3-month wait has fully elapsed
Travel to Podgorica and present all documents to AFSVPA officials on arrival
Responsible: Airline and owner
Requirements
Montenegro entry requirements
Every item below must be in place before your pet can enter. We verify and track each one.
Microchip
ISO 11784/11785 microchip required, implanted before the rabies vaccination is given. A vaccination given first is not recognised.
Rabies vaccination
Current rabies vaccination required. Publicly available Montenegro-specific guidance places the titre blood draw at least 30 days after this vaccination, so the two dates need to be planned together rather than left to the last minute.
Rabies titre test
Required, and no exemption for any particular country of origin is described anywhere in the guidance we could find, EU member states, the UK and the US included. A FAVN or RNATT titre test is drawn no sooner than 30 days after the primary rabies vaccination, and a further wait of more than 3 calendar months from that test is stated before the pet may enter. That is a different position to Albania and North Macedonia, both covered elsewhere on this site, which extend the EU's approved-country exemption to UK-vaccinated pets. Given how thin the published detail is on Montenegro's own rule, confirm the current requirement directly with AFSVPA before booking any travel date.
Quarantine
No routine quarantine described for pets arriving with compliant paperwork. Guidance warns that a pet without valid documentation risks quarantine, refusal of entry, or return to the country of departure at the owner's expense.
Import permit
No standalone import permit is described for an owner travelling with their own pet dog or cat.
Health certificate
International veterinary health certificate, issued within 10 days of travel, presented on arrival alongside the vaccination record and titre test result.
Leaving United Kingdom
Export requirements
Export permit
An export application (EXA) is submitted to APHA alongside the certificate request; there is no separate standalone export permit for a companion pet.
Veterinary inspection
Clinical examination by an APHA-authorised Official Veterinarian (OV), confirming the pet is fit to travel and meets Montenegro's stated health conditions.
Government endorsement
Only an APHA-authorised OV can issue and sign the Export Health Certificate (EHC). Applications submitted more than 7 working days ahead are processed 7 working days before the certification date. Source: GOV.UK, 'Taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad: Getting an animal health certificate,' 2026.
Health certificate
Bilingual Export Health Certificate confirming microchip, rabies vaccination and general health, valid for a limited window around the travel date, typically 10 days.
Costs
What this route typically costs
APHA Official Veterinarian consultation and Export Health Certificate: GBP 200-400
Microchip and rabies vaccination, if not already current: GBP 40-90
FAVN or RNATT titre test at an approved UK laboratory: GBP 80-150
IATA-compliant travel crate: GBP 70-250
Cargo agent handling for the export booking: GBP 600-1,400
Air cargo London to Podgorica via Frankfurt, Munich or Vienna: GBP 700-1,800
Total typical range: GBP 1,700-4,100
Critical points
Wizz Air's direct London-Podgorica flight is usually the first result in a flight search and the one option that definitely will not take a pet.
Montenegro's titre requirement, on the guidance we could find, does not appear to bend for the UK's own approved-country status elsewhere in the region. Do not assume Albania's or North Macedonia's exemption carries across to Montenegro.
Published detail on Montenegro's exact import rule is thin and inconsistent between sources. Confirm directly with AFSVPA before committing to a travel date, rather than relying on any single secondary guide, including this one.
Turkish Airlines refuses pets on any UK-connected sector, so its daily Istanbul-Podgorica service is not a workaround despite the frequent schedule.
Airlines
Approved carriers on this route
Airline
Notes
Type
Wizz Air
Flies London to Podgorica direct, around 18 times a week according to current schedules, the cheapest and quickest option most owners find first. Wizz Air carries no pets in the cabin or the hold on any route, certified assistance dogs aside, so this well-advertised direct flight has no part to play in the actual move.
None
Lufthansa
Routes London through Frankfurt or Munich to Podgorica or Tivat on its own network, using the Frankfurt Animal Lounge for hold transfers. Keeping the pet on one airline for the whole journey avoids a handover between carriers at a European hub.
Cabin and Cargo
Austrian Airlines
Connects via Vienna, with roughly 14 weekly flights on to Podgorica. Cabin pets accepted to 8kg; snub-nosed breeds are excluded from hold transport entirely. A EUR 150 surcharge applies for the Vienna routing.
Cabin and Cargo
Turkish Airlines
Operates a daily Istanbul-Podgorica service, but the airline does not carry pets on any flight with a UK origin or destination, connections included. Not usable for this route in either direction.
No Pets
Montenegro import rules, explained
Montenegro has a detailed set of import rules, and each one needs to be satisfied before travel. None of it is unusual, but the order and timing are what catch people out.
Practical tips for this move
Book the titre test laboratory well ahead. Approved labs have limited slots and the sample takes time to process, so this is not something to leave to the final weeks.
Microchip before you vaccinate. The microchip must be in place before the rabies shot for the vaccination to count, and getting this order wrong is the most common and costly mistake.
Use an official, government-authorised vet for the health certificate, not just your usual clinic. Many destinations only accept certificates signed by an approved vet.
If this is your first international move, consider an IPATA-registered pet transport agent. They handle the documents, airline booking and crate sizing, and can troubleshoot problems.
FAQ
Common questions about this route
The guidance available for this route says yes, and unlike Albania or North Macedonia, no exemption for the UK’s own approved-country status is described. A FAVN or RNATT test is drawn at least 30 days after vaccination, followed by a wait of more than three calendar months before entry. Confirm the current position with AFSVPA before booking, since published detail on Montenegro’s exact rule is limited.
No. Wizz Air operates the direct London-Podgorica route but carries no pets in the cabin or the hold, only certified assistance dogs. Lufthansa via Frankfurt or Munich, or Austrian Airlines via Vienna, are the workable options.
Albania and North Macedonia both extend the EU’s own approved third-country exemption, the same list the UK sits on, to pets arriving from the UK. Montenegro’s published guidance does not describe the same carve-out, applying the titre test regardless of origin. This is a genuine difference between the three Balkan candidate states, not an error on either route page.
Eighteen to 24 weeks is a realistic minimum. That covers the 30-day gap between vaccination and the titre blood draw, roughly two to three weeks for the lab result, the three-calendar-month wait after a passing result, and time to align the Export Health Certificate and flight booking around the end of that wait.
Only in the cabin, under 8kg including the carrier, on Lufthansa or Austrian Airlines. Both exclude brachycephalic breeds from hold transport, so a larger flat-faced dog has no realistic booking option on either carrier for this city pair.
Airline guides
Wizz Air
Lufthansa
Austrian Airlines
Turkish Airlines
Breed guides
Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.