Guernsey made my planning list the second Sam mentioned it, and here's the headline: your dog needs a rabies vaccination before they board. That one line reshapes your whole timeline, because the shot has to come after the microchip, not the other way around. Get the sequence right and the island opens up. Get it wrong and you're grounded, watching everyone else hike the cliffs.

Bringing a pet to Guernsey requires three documents in the right order: a microchip, a rabies vaccine within the destination's wait window, and a government-endorsed health certificate. The table below lays out exactly what's required, what's not, and where each rule comes from.

How Guernsey handles your pet

Key points

  • Guernsey's rules depend entirely on where you are coming from
  • Travelling with a cat, dog or ferret between the Bailiwick and the UK (except Northern Ireland), Jersey, Alderney, Sark or the Isle of Man, there are no official requirements at all: no pet passport, no documentation, no vaccinations and no import notification
  • Everything recorded on this row is the stricter case, a pet arriving from the EU or further afield
  • Coming from abroad, the pet must have legally landed in the UK or a Crown Dependency before travelling on to the Bailiwick
  • The governing instruments are the Rabies Order, 2014 (which revoked the 2011 Order), the Import (Control) (Guernsey) Order, 2010 and General Import Licence 2024/01
  • A rabies blood test is needed only when the pet travels from a country the Order does not list as qualifying; the sample must be drawn at least 30 days after vaccination and at least 3 calendar months before arrival
  • Tapeworm treatment against Echinococcus multilocularis is required for arrivals from anywhere other than the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, Malta, Norway or Finland
  • The minimum age to travel is 8 weeks, and a consignment may not exceed 5 animals
  • Pets can only arrive through St Peter Port Harbour or La Villaize Airport, on an approved carrier: Brittany Ferries or Channel Seaways for the harbour, and the Aigle or ASG hangars at the airport, which between them cover about sixty named air operators
  • The 27 restricted dog breeds, and any dog or cat hybrid, can still be imported, but only under a specific import licence applied for in advance
  • An animal that does not meet the conditions may be detained in quarantine for 4 months at the owner's expense

Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.

Health & documents

Microchip · Required Yesverified 2026-09-10
Microchip · StandardISO 11784 (HX or FDX-B), readable by an ISO 11785 compatible deviceverified 2026-09-10
Quarantine · Required Noverified 2026-09-10
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Waiting period after test days90 daysverified 2026-09-10
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Test must follow vaccination days30 daysverified 2026-09-10
Import permit · Required Noverified 2026-09-10
Import permit · Issuing authorityStates of Guernsey Committee for the Environment and Infrastructureverified 2026-09-10
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-09-10
Health certificate · Validity days120 daysverified 2026-09-10
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-09-10
Rabies vaccination · Waiting period after vaccination21 daysverified 2026-09-10
Tapeworm treatment · Required Yesverified 2026-09-10
Tapeworm treatment · Vet documented Yesverified 2026-09-10
Tapeworm treatment · Window max hours before arrival120verified 2026-09-10
Tapeworm treatment · Window min hours before arrival24verified 2026-09-10

Other rules

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-09-10

Timing chain

Day -90 microchip implant · Day -21 rabies vaccine deadline · Day -120 health certificate issued · Day 0 arrive at customs

Breed restrictions

Restricted breeds: Akbash Dog, American Bulldog, American Bully (including XL Bully types), American Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Ban Dog (or Bandog) Type, Boerbull Mastiff, Cane Corso, Caucasian Shepherd Dog, Central Asian Shepherd Dog, Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese tosa, Kangal Shepherd, Moscow Guard Dog, Neapolitan Mastiff, Perro de Presa Canario, Perro de Presa Mallorquin, Pit Bull Terrier Type, Šarplaninac, South Russian Ovcharka, Spanish Mastiff a.k.a. Mastín Español, Tornjak, Tosa Inu, Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog, Wolf Hybrid F1-4 verified 2026-09-10

Ports of entry (2)

  • St Peter Port Harbour
  • La Villaize Airport

verified 2026-09-10

The microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccination. A shot given first does not count, even when the paperwork looks complete. Book the microchip appointment as the first step. Confirm the chip number is scanned and logged. Schedule the rabies vaccination only after that record exists. Keep both dates on file to prove the order was followed.
So that's Guernsey: microchip first, rabies second, and a clear runway to the coast paths. Nala already knows the drill and honestly can't wait for those cliff trails. Don't eyeball the dates from a blog post, though. Build your personalized plan with Pawgo's plan-builder so every deadline for your actual dog and your actual travel date lines up. Then grab the leash and go.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Guernsey →

Glossary

ISO chip
ISO 11784/11785 — the universal microchip standard.
FAVN
Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization — a rabies serology test required by rabies-free destinations.
Brachycephalic
Snub-nosed breeds (French Bulldogs, Pugs, Persians, Himalayans) with restricted airline acceptance due to heat-stress risk.
AVIH
Animal Vehicle In Hold — IATA's term for cargo pet shipment, with fees that vary by carrier and route.