Travelling with your pet on Harwich - Hook of Holland

Under the EU pet movement system, all pet dogs, cats and ferrets moving between EU Member States must meet the same animal health rules. All pets travelling between the Republic of Ireland and the UK, the UK and Continental Europe and across Europe must be microchipped and accompanied by an EU pet passport or health certificate - EU Pet Travel Scheme. The EU pet passport can be acquired at any authorised veterinarian after a microchip has been fitted and a successful blood test has been carried out. 

Please note that it is your responsibility to provide all necessary documents and to make all arrangements, including, where necessary, quarantine, to satisfy all legal requirements.

There are a number of requirements that the travel documents for your pet must meet:

• The animal is at least 15 weeks old
• Chip for identification (must be placed before the rabies vaccination, this may also be on the same day)
• Valid rabies vaccination (transport possible at least 21 days after the first vaccination). If the animal has been vaccinated before and this vaccination is still valid, this waiting period is not necessary
• Valid European pet passport issued in a member state of the EU, or; a health certificate issued by the official authority in the United Kingdom or another non-EU country
• Tapeworm treatment. This only applies to dogs. The vet must carry out this treatment at least 1 day (24 hours) and at most 5 days (120 hours) before the time of entry into the United Kingdom and it must be stated in the passport. (Only applicable when travelling from Hoek van Holland to Harwich)

At check-in you will receive a coloured tag to indicate that you are transporting a pet. It should be placed on the rear-view mirror of your windscreen and should remain there until you clear customs at the port of arrival.

If my pet remains in my vehicle can I check on it during the crossing?

To ensure the safety of our guests, the vehicle deck areas are not allowed to be accessed during the sailing. In exceptional circumstances, and at the discretion of our onboard team and with the Master's permission, a short, accompanied visit may be considered. Please note that this will be an exception and is not to be expected.

Travel on foot (max. 3 pets)

If you are travelling as a foot passenger, you must book an onboard kennel for your pet or a pet-friendly cabin; otherwise your pet may not be allowed to travel.

When you board the ferry, we ask you to carefully follow the instructions of our employees. After boarding, report to the information desk on deck 9, where you will receive more information about taking your pet on board Stena Line ferries.

Kennels and pet-friendly cabins on board

There are a limited number of places available in our heated kennels. You book this in advance at the "Stena Plus & Onboard Extras" step of the booking process. We also have a number of pet-friendly cabins available so that your pet can travel with you. Pets are not allowed in the restaurants, bars and shops. There is an area available on board our ferries where you can walk your dog.

Our onboard kennels are available in three sizes:

• Large kennels: 97 cm high x 94 cm wide x 100 cm deep
• Medium kennels: 64 cm high x 108 cm wide x 100 cm deep
• Small kennels: 65 cm high x 50 cm wide x 100 cm deep

We also have a number of pet-friendly cabins available so that your pet can travel with you.

Maximum number of pets per cabin:

• 3 small pets up to 15 kilos, or
• 2 medium pets up to 30 kilos, or
• 1 large pet from 30 kilos

Pets are not allowed in the restaurants, bars and shops. There is an area available onboard our ferries where you can walk your dog.

Please note: Large pets must climb stairs, go over a high door stop and may be lifted into small and medium kennels that are not at floor level.

Only the following pets are allowed: dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, ferret, mouse, chinchilla & gerbil (the maximum numbers also apply to small rodents).

Guide, hearing and autism assistance dogs are welcome in all areas of our ports and ships and are entitled to free travel. They have full access to the passenger decks on all Stena Line routes and vessels. All guide, hearing or autism assistance dogs must have the necessary paperwork when checking in at the port and must wear the correct harnesses and jackets at all times while travelling so that your dog can be instantly recognisable by the ship’s crew and other passengers.. Please visit our Guest Services desk when you board in order to show the relevant documentation for your dog to allow access to all areas onboard.

Assistance dogs must be:

• Either specifically trained to assist a person with a disability and certified by an organisation that is a full member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF), the accrediting bodies for assistance dog organisations worldwide; or
• where they are not recognised as an assistance dog by ADI or the IGDF, written evidence must be provided by a qualified dog trainer to prove that they have passed an assistance dog public access certification test in accordance with the requirements set by ADI, which you can access here.

If your dog does not meet the above criteria, or is an Emotional Support Dog that is not recognised as an assistance dog by ADI or IGDF, then your dog will not be allowed to travel in the public areas. In these cases, please book your dog to travel as a pet under our usual rules.

For assistance dogs travelling for free on our Hook of Holland - Harwich route, please book a pet-friendly cabin and add the dog on the "Meals, Stena Plus & Pets" step of the booking process. If a pet-friendly cabin is not available, please contact us and we will provide a suitable solution when other cabins are available on the sailing.

Passengers with severe allergies to dogs

Where other passengers have a severe allergy to dogs, we will alert the assistance dog owner and the passenger with the allergy. We may ask each party to avoid specific areas at specific times to reduce the possibility of an allergy attack e.g. when one party is eating in the restaurant, as we may not be able to provide the necessary medical attention in all cases.

Can my Emotional Support Dog travel as an assistance dog?

We fully appreciate that Emotional Support Dogs (ESDs) provide comfort and support for passengers, however, when we are at sea, maritime laws ensure we put the safety of passengers and crew first.

If you do not have ADUK or IGDF certification for your ESD that you carry with you, they are to travel under the Stena Line guidance on ‘travelling with a pet’. Of course, your pet is more than welcome on board, but they must be booked into the Pet Lounge*, a pet-friendly cabin*, a kennel, or the car.

If you have an ESD query, please contact us. We recommend doing this at least 48 hours before your departure, so we can help you as best we can.

*Selected routes only 

Horseboxes up to 12m in length can be booked online on our Belfast - Cairnryan and Belfast - Liverpool routes, on routes between Sweden and Denmark and on routes between Sweden and Germany. On these routes, vehicles over 12m in length must be booked via Stena Line Freight. Horseboxes under 14m in length can be booked for travel between Sweden and Poland. For all other routes please book via Stena Line Freight.

Illicit Puppy Trading

Stena Line condemns the illicit puppy trade and tries to stop this practice. In cooperation with DAERA and DEFRA , Stena Line is actively taking action against the transport of dogs and puppies from puppy farms between Ireland and Great Britain. Investigators are authorized to stop and search vehicles belonging to people suspected of illegally dealing in dogs and puppies. All passengers who are guilty of illegally transporting dogs will be prevented from continuing their journey. The result is criminal prosecution and the confiscation of the puppies.

Pets Liability Disclaimer

Stena Line cannot accept responsibility for any of the links from this web site, nor the content thereof. The links are provided purely for your benefit and Stena Line is not responsible for inaccuracies in the information provided.

• You are responsible for ensuring the animal's welfare.
• If your pets stay in a vehicle or in the onboard kennels, they must remain there for the duration of the crossing.
• We recommend that dogs should travel in our onboard kennels and Stena Line cannot be held responsible for any damage that may arise from not using our kennel facilities.
• Any passengers who bring a pet into a cabin that is not designated for pets, when a pet cabin is required, will have their cabin removed from their booking for the return leg of their journey without refund. 
• It is your obligation to ensure that all conditions for EU pet travel and the UK Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) are met.
• Stena Line cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information given.
• Should your pet not meet the conditions of the EU pet travel and the UK Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) the animal is liable to be held in UK quarantine for a period of up to 6 months or be re-exported.
• Stena Line is obliged as an accredited PETS carrier to verify your documentation and will refuse the carriage of your pet if the documentation is in breach of the PETS rules.
• If you are planning to quarantine your pet you will be fully responsible for all arrangements and cost associated with this procedure. You will need to produce the relevant documentation to Stena Line prior to carriage.
• Stena Line cannot be held liable for any cost in connection with non-compliance with EU pet travel and PETS rules.
• We do not accept any responsibility for any liability or damage caused by your pet while on board. You accept that if an injury or incident occurs which was caused by your pet, you may be reported to the relevant authorities, and in some cases, it could give rise to criminal or other legal liability.

When you disembark at Harwich International Port, your pet may be subject to a DEFRA (Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) inspection. We recommend that you keep all relevant paperwork related to your pet at hand. This is standard procedure on arrival in UK ports.

For more information on the rules for travelling with a pet from the EU to the UK and vice versa, please visit the DEFRA website or the UK government website GOV.UK.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us for more information.