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By Residence Angels
Relocation Company in Poland

Moving to Poland with a Cat from the UK: Complete 2026 Guide

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Moving to Poland with a Cat

Moving to Poland from the UK with a cat requires some preparation before you travel. Since Great Britain is no longer treated as an EU country for pet travel purposes, owners relocating to Poland must comply with EU animal health and documentation requirements.

The good news is that the process is relatively straightforward if everything is arranged in the correct order.

This guide explains how to bring a cat from Great Britain to Poland in 2026, including microchipping, rabies vaccination, the Animal Health Certificate (AHC), border formalities and what to do after arriving in Poland.

Requirements for Bringing a Cat from the UK to Poland

For a standard non-commercial relocation from England, Scotland or Wales to Poland, you will generally need to complete the following steps:

  1. Microchip your cat.
  2. Make sure the cat has a valid rabies vaccination.
  3. Observe the required waiting period after the first rabies vaccination, if applicable.
  4. Obtain an Animal Health Certificate (AHC).
  5. Travel with the original documentation.
  6. Enter the EU through an appropriate travellers' point of entry.
  7. After relocating, consider obtaining an EU Pet Passport in Poland.

The order of these steps is important.
2 STEPS

Step 1: Microchip Your Cat

Your cat must have a microchip before travelling to Poland. Importantly, the microchip must be implanted before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination. If your cat was vaccinated against rabies before being microchipped, the vaccination may not be accepted for EU pet travel purposes and the cat may need to be vaccinated again after microchipping.

Before travelling, ask your veterinarian to verify that the microchip can be read correctly and that its number matches the number recorded in the cat's veterinary documentation.

Step 2: Make Sure the Rabies Vaccination Is Valid
Your cat must have a valid vaccination against rabies. For a first rabies vaccination, you must wait at least 21 full days before the cat can travel. Depending on the vaccine used, the required period can be longer.
For example, if the vaccination is administered on 1 June and the applicable waiting period is 21 days, the first day of the waiting period is 2 June.
If your cat receives a booster while the previous rabies vaccination is still valid, a new waiting period will normally not apply.
This makes maintaining continuous rabies vaccination particularly important for people who expect to travel regularly between Poland and the UK.

Does a Cat Need a Rabies Blood Test to Move from the UK to Poland?

For a standard journey from Great Britain to the EU, a rabies antibody titration test is not normally required.
This makes relocation from the UK considerably simpler than bringing a pet from certain other non-EU countries.

Step 3: Obtain an Animal Health Certificate (AHC)

Before travelling from Great Britain to Poland, you will normally need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC).

The certificate must be issued by an Official Veterinarian authorised to issue Animal Health Certificates.

When visiting the veterinarian, you should have evidence of:

  • the date your cat was microchipped;
  • the cat's rabies vaccination history; and
  • any relevant previous veterinary documentation.

The AHC must be issued shortly before the journey. It is valid for entry into the EU for 10 days from the date of issue.

Following changes introduced in April 2026, an AHC can also be used for onward travel within the EU for up to six months after entry and for re-entry into Great Britain, provided the relevant requirements continue to be met.

However, an AHC is still effectively a single-trip document for journeys starting in Great Britain. A new AHC is generally required for each new trip from Great Britain to the EU.

Can I Use a UK Pet Passport Instead?

Pet travel rules changed following Brexit and were updated again in April 2026.
People whose main residence is in Great Britain should not rely on an EU Pet Passport previously issued to them as their document for entering the EU from Great Britain.
For someone currently resident in Great Britain and relocating with their cat to Poland, obtaining an Animal Health Certificate before departure is therefore the safest standard route.
Once Poland becomes your main place of residence, the situation changes. You may then be able to obtain an EU Pet Passport from an authorised veterinarian in Poland for future travel.

Travelling from the UK to Poland with Your Cat

You should carry the original Animal Health Certificate and supporting veterinary documentation during the journey.

The cat's microchip and documentation may be checked when entering the European Union.

Remember that the relevant EU entry point is not necessarily Poland.
For example, if you drive from the UK to Poland through France, you enter the EU in France. The applicable entry formalities therefore take place at the first EU point of entry rather than at the Polish-German border.
The same principle should be considered when planning flights involving another EU country.

What If Someone Else Travels with My Cat?

The simplest arrangement is for the cat to travel with its owner.
If another person accompanies your cat, additional documentation may be necessary. Under the current rules, where the owner is not accompanying the pet, the pet generally needs to travel within five days of the owner's journey, and the accompanying person should have written authorisation from the owner.
If the cat is transported separately outside these conditions, different rules may apply and the movement may no longer qualify as ordinary non-commercial pet travel.
This is particularly important when using specialist pet relocation or transport companies.

What to Do After Arriving in Poland?

If you are permanently moving to Poland rather than simply visiting, it is worth arranging an appointment with a Polish veterinarian after arrival.

Obtain an EU Pet Passport

Once you are resident in Poland and the applicable conditions are satisfied, an authorised Polish veterinarian may issue an EU Pet Passport.
This can make future travel with your cat within the European Union significantly easier and may also simplify future journeys between Poland and Great Britain.

Keep the Rabies Vaccination Valid

Do not allow the cat's rabies vaccination to expire.
Arrange each booster before the existing vaccination loses validity. Maintaining uninterrupted vaccination coverage can prevent the need to restart the vaccination and waiting-period process before future travel.
It is also worth checking that the microchip number and vaccination information have been correctly entered into the EU Pet Passport.

Moving from the UK to Poland with More Than One Pet?

The rules described above concern non-commercial movement of pets.
Current rules generally allow up to five pets under the standard non-commercial pet travel regime, subject to specific conditions. Since April 2026, there is also a five-pet limit per private vehicle when entering the EU.
Different rules can apply where animals are being transported commercially, ownership is being transferred, or larger numbers of animals are involved.

Moving to Poland from the UK?

Pet relocation is only one part of an international move.
British citizens moving to Poland after Brexit may also need to consider their legal basis of stay, residence permit, employment or business arrangements, registration requirements and the immigration status of accompanying family members.

Residence Angels assists foreigners relocating to Poland with immigration and residence formalities, business immigration and practical relocation matters.
If you are planning a move from the UK to Poland, contact our team and we can help you prepare the immigration side of your relocation.