Transporting animals to, from or through Great Britain
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-01)

Find out what documents you need, and records you must keep, to meet animal welfare in transport requirements.

To transport animals between Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) and another country, first read our guidance on transporting animals in Great Britain (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transporting-animals-in-great-britain) to find out if you need a UK issued:
- transporter authorisation
- certificate of competence
- certificate of vehicle approval
If you need any of these documents to transport animals in Great Britain, you’ll also need EU issued versions to transport animals in the EU.

If you’re transporting animals to any other country, you must contact the competent authority for that country to find out what rules you need to follow.

The competent authority is the government department, or appropriate authority, responsible for animal welfare in transport for that country.

These rules apply if you’re:
- transporting into Great Britain
- transporting from Great Britain
- transiting through Great Britain
Journey logs

You must have a journey log if your journey is over 8 hours, to a country outside of the UK and you’re transporting:
- cattle, sheep, pigs or goats
- unregistered domestic horses or other equines
If you’re transporting animals between Great Britain and the EU, you’ll need:
- a UK issued journey log
- an EU issued journey log
UK issued journey log

If you depart from Great Britain to a country outside the UK, you must get a journey log approved by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/journey-log). You must complete section 1 of the journey log and return it to APHA at least 2 working days before the journey starts.

If you depart from Northern Ireland to a country outside the UK, you must get a journey log approved by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) (https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/journey-logs). You must complete section 1 of the journey log and return it to DAERA at least 2 working days before the journey starts.

Prove the purpose of your export

If you’re transporting cattle, sheep, pigs or goats from Great Britain to a country outside of the UK, or transiting these animals through Great Britain, you must provide proof of the purpose of your export in section 1 of your UK journey log application.

This is so that APHA can confirm you’re not exporting the animals for slaughter or fattening, which is illegal (for more information, read the ‘Importing, exporting and transiting animals’ section below). You do not need to provide proof for exports of horses or other equines.

To get proof, you can submit evidence to the relevant national livestock association using their verification service. You do not need to be a member to use the service.

Apply to the:
- National Sheep Association (https://nationalsheep.org.uk/journey-evidence) for sheep and goats
- National Beef Association (https://www.nationalbeefassociation.com/resources/export-evidence/) for beef and dairy cattle, bison and buffalo
- National Pig Association (https://nationalpigassociation.co.uk/resources/exports/) for commercial breeding pigs
- British Pig Association (https://www.britishpigs.org.uk/pedigree-services/export-verification) for rare breed pigs and wild boar
You’ll need to provide information about the:
- journey
- transporter
- animals you’re exporting (this may include their health and pedigree status, and the veterinary practice you use)
You’ll also need to provide:
- for commercial breeding pigs, evidence that you’re a commercial breeder
- for pedigree pigs, proof of pedigree status
- for sheep and goats, evidence that the animals are accredited as scrapie-free
- for cattle, information about the individual animals, such as herd ID and sire identity of progeny for in-calf females
The national associations aim to complete verification checks within 5 working days of receiving an application.

If your application is successful, the national association will provide you with a code to add to section 1 of your journey log. The code is valid for 30 days.

If you don’t use a national association verification service, you can submit evidence of the purpose of your export directly to APHA by including it with your journey log application (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/journey-log). It may take up to 30 days for APHA to process your application.

APHA will only approve a journey log if satisfied the journey is for a permitted purpose.

EU issued journey log

If you’re transporting from Great Britain to the EU, you must get an EU journey log from the competent authority for the country where you first enter the EU.

If you’re transporting from the EU to, or through, Great Britain, you must get an EU journey log from the competent authority for the country where your journey starts.

Contact the EU competent authority before your journey for guidance on how to get a journey log.

Control posts

You may need to rest animals at an approved control post (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/livestock-control-posts-in-great-britain) if they are being imported to, exported from, or transiting through Great Britain.

When you request a journey log, APHA will also provide guidance on journey times and rest stops.

Transporting animals between Great Britain and the EU

If you need any of these documents to transport animals in Great Britain, you’ll also need EU issued versions to transport animals in the EU.

EU issued transporter authorisation

You’ll need to:
- have a representative in the relevant EU country
- contact the competent authority for the EU country you wish to apply to
- seek independent legal advice, specific to your business
- discuss with your relevant trade organisation
You can only hold a transporter authorisation issued by one EU member state.

You must carry a copy of your authorisation when transporting animals.

EU issued certificate of competence

You can apply for a certificate of competence from any EU country, including the Republic of Ireland.

You’ll need to contact the competent authority in your chosen EU country for details of the training and assessment process.

EU issued certificate of vehicle approval

You’ll need to contact the competent authority in your chosen EU country to find out how to get a vehicle inspected. They should also give you information on the vehicle approval process.

Importing, exporting and transiting animals

If you’re importing or exporting live animals, you may need to get licences or certificates and go through checks.

Read guidance on transporting live animals:
- from Great Britain to the EU or Northern Ireland (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/guidance-on-exporting-live-animals-or-animal-products)
- from the EU or Northern Ireland to Great Britain (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/guidance-on-importing-live-animals-or-animal-products)
- into Great Britain under Balai rules (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-live-animals-and-germinal-products-to-great-britain-under-balai-rules)
- through Great Britain (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transiting-animals-and-animal-products-through-great-britain) (transiting)
You cannot export live cattle, sheep, pigs, goats or horses for fattening or slaughter. This applies to journeys from or through Great Britain to anywhere outside the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man.

You can still export live cattle, sheep, pigs, goats or horses for other purposes. For example, for breeding and competitions. You must meet legal requirements to protect animal welfare during transport.

Animal welfare in transport

Find out how to meet your animal welfare in transport requirements (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-welfare-in-transport).

Find out what documents you need, and records you must keep, to meet animal welfare in transport requirements when transporting animals in Great Britain (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transporting-animals-in-great-britain).