A pet taxi from the UK to Portugal collects your dog, cat or ferret from your home in the UK, crosses the Channel from Folkestone on LeShuttle and drives on through France and Spain to your address in Portugal, with your pet in the vehicle for the whole journey. You can travel in the vehicle alongside your pet, or fly out and meet them when they arrive. It suits owners moving to Portugal who cannot drive the distance themselves, and owners who would rather their pet stayed with a person than went on a flight.
Before your pet can leave Great Britain it needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination followed by a wait of at least 21 full days, and an animal health certificate from an official vet. The certificate has to be used to enter the EU within ten days of being issued. Since new EU rules came in on 22 April 2026, it then covers onward travel within the EU and the journey back to Great Britain for up to six months, as long as the rabies vaccination stays valid. People who live in Great Britain can no longer use a pet passport to enter the EU, even one issued in an EU country.
What your pet needs before it leaves Great Britain
GOV.UK’s guide to taking your pet abroad sets out the order things have to happen in, and the order matters.
- Your pet is microchipped, before or at the same time as its rabies vaccination. If the chip goes in afterwards, the vaccination has to be given again.
- Your pet is vaccinated against rabies. Your vet needs proof that your pet is at least 12 weeks old first.
- You wait at least 21 full days after the first vaccination, or the last of the first course, before travelling. If your pet is already vaccinated and has had its boosters on time, there is no wait.
- An official vet issues the animal health certificate. Take proof of the microchipping date and your pet’s vaccination history to the appointment. Up to five pets can go on one certificate, and you sign a declaration that you will not sell or rehome your pet while you are abroad.
The ten days count from the day the certificate is issued, which is day one, and they run to the point your pet enters the EU. On this route that happens at the Channel crossing, a day or more before you reach Portugal, so book the vet appointment around the crossing date rather than the arrival date. Checking that those dates line up is part of how a pet taxi handles travel paperwork.
Dogs going to Portugal do not need a tapeworm treatment on the way out. GOV.UK lists Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland and Norway as the destinations that require one. You also cannot take more than five pets in a private vehicle to an EU country unless you are attending or training for an event, or exporting them commercially.
If you fly out and your pet comes by road
If you would rather fly out and let your pet follow by road, GOV.UK allows it, but the pet’s journey must be within five days of your own journey to the same destination, either before or after, and with your permission. You give that permission by signing a declaration that names the person travelling with your pet, and they carry the declaration along with proof that you are travelling within five days of the pet.
GOV.UK’s guidance for transport companies treats a pet travelling more than five days before or after its owner as a commercial consignment, which comes under different rules. If your flight and your pet’s journey cannot sit within five days of each other, contact the APHA Pet Travel helpline before you book anything. When you ask us for a quote, tell us the date you are travelling so we can plan the collection around it.
How the drive from the UK to Portugal runs
The journey starts at your door. From there we head to Folkestone, where your pet is checked in at the LeShuttle pet reception, which LeShuttle asks you to visit at least an hour, and no more than two hours, before departure. Your pet then stays in the vehicle for the 35 minute crossing to Calais. If you would prefer a ferry crossing, we can arrange one.
From Calais the route runs south through France and across Spain, and Portugal sits on the far side of Spain from the Channel. That makes this a journey of more than one day, with overnight stops. Ask for the expected journey time and the overnight arrangements when you request your quote, because both depend on where in the UK your pet is collected and where in Portugal it is going. How long pet transport to Europe takes varies a great deal from one route to another, and Portugal is one of the longer runs.
As on all our pet transport between the UK and Europe, your pet travels in a vehicle that is well ventilated and temperature controlled, with secure enclosures. Our drivers check on every animal along the way and give food and water as needed, and if you are not travelling with your pet, we keep you updated on how they are getting on. Cats need particular thought on a journey this long. Cats Protection advises against more than four hours of travel in a day where possible, and cats can travel long distance by car most comfortably with a carrier they already know and regular breaks.
Rules for pets once you arrive in Portugal
Portugal’s veterinary authority, the DGAV, has two sets of rules that matter to anyone moving a dog abroad from the UK to Portugal, and the first applies to cats as well.
If your pet stays in Portugal for more than 120 days, the DGAV says Portugal’s national rules apply, including registration on SIAC, the national database for companion animals. A vet in Portugal can advise you on registering your pet once you have settled.
The second set concerns breeds the DGAV treats as potentially dangerous. Its list covers the Brazilian Mastiff (Cão de Fila Brasileiro), Dogo Argentino, Pit Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Tosa Inu, along with their crosses. For stays of less than four months, these dogs must wear a muzzle and be kept on a short lead of no more than one metre in public places. For stays of four months or more, the owner needs a licence from the junta de freguesia, the local parish council, as well as SIAC registration. The DGAV lists the documents the licence needs, including a criminal record certificate, civil liability insurance and proof of training, so check its page well before you move.
Once Portugal is your main home, the position on pet passports changes too. GOV.UK’s announcement of the April 2026 rules explains that EU pet passports can now only be issued to people whose main home is in the EU, so ask your vet in Portugal about one for future trips.
Coming back from Portugal to the UK
If you are only spending part of the year in Portugal, the same animal health certificate covers the journey back to Great Britain for up to six months, provided the rabies vaccination is still valid. Stay longer than that and GOV.UK’s guidance on using an animal health certificate to return says you will need a Great Britain pet health certificate to bring your pet back. The April 2026 announcement also confirms that EU pet passports can still be used for the return journey to Great Britain.
Dogs need one extra step on the way back. A vet must give a tapeworm treatment no less than 24 hours and no more than five days, or 120 hours, before your dog arrives in Great Britain, and record it on the dog’s travel document. On a drive of more than one day from Portugal, that means timing the vet visit against the expected arrival in Great Britain, not the departure date. GOV.UK explains the tapeworm treatment for dogs in full, and every pet coming back from mainland Europe must travel on an approved route. Our Portugal to UK pet taxi runs the return journey on the same door to door basis.
Booking a pet taxi to Portugal
To secure a booking we take an initial payment of 50 percent. Once it arrives, we confirm your LeShuttle ticket, and the remaining 50 percent is due two days before travel. You can also pay the full amount in one payment, either by bank transfer or through a secure payment link.
When you get in touch, tell us the collection address, where in Portugal your pet is going, your travel dates, and the species, breed and age of each animal, along with whether you will be travelling with them. Every UK to Portugal pet taxi is quoted door to door, and you can request a pet taxi quote online or contact Europe To UK Pet Taxi directly.