Route guide
Montreal → London
Montreal to London means clearing Canada’s comparatively light export rules before facing Great Britain’s tapeworm treatment and approved-route requirement on entry, a combination that adds real lead time even though neither country demands a titer test. Air Canada offers cabin, checked-baggage, or cargo travel, while British Airways carries pets on the London leg only as manifest cargo. Sixty days covers the tapeworm dosing window plus any documentation lag between the two countries’ systems. Compliant pets enter Great Britain with no quarantine required.
What this route involves
Flying from Montreal to London means clearing United Kingdom entry rules on arrival and meeting your airline’s own conditions on departure. Below are both, plus the order to do them in.
Leaving Canada
Rules tighten for dogs arriving from countries Canada considers high-risk for dog rabies. Commercial imports and puppies under eight months follow separate paths.
See full entry rulesEntering United Kingdom
Great Britain accepts pets under its own post-Brexit scheme. Dogs, cats and ferrets need an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination and a GB health certificate, and dogs additionally need a tapeworm treatment recorded shortly before arrival.
See full entry rulesAirlines on this route
Airline rules stack on top of the country rules above. Confirm both before you book.
Your chronological checklist
Work backwards from your travel date. Start the earliest step first — some cannot be rushed.
- 1 Implant an ISO 11784/11785 microchip22 days before travel
It has to come first: every later certificate references this number, and a rabies shot given before the chip usually does not count.
- 2 Rabies vaccination21 days before travel
Must be given after the microchip and be valid on the day you travel. Most destinations also require a minimum of 21 days between the shot and entry.
- 3 Book the flight and reserve the pet slot30 days before travel
Airlines cap how many animals travel per flight. The pet slot runs out well before the seats do.
- 4 Health certificate and official endorsement2 days before travel
Issued by an accredited vet close to departure, then endorsed by your government authority. This endorsement cannot be done at the airport.
- 5 Tapeworm treatment1 days before travel
Required by a few destinations for dogs, and the window is unforgiving: it must be given between 24 and 120 hours before you arrive, and recorded by the vet.
- 6 Travel dayTravel day
Carry the originals plus copies of everything, arrive early, and keep the crate documents attached to the crate.