Travelling with your pet on the Irish Sea

If you’re travelling to Britain and Europe, pets need to have documentation showing that the essential vaccinations have 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.

Dogs must undergo a tapeworm treatment not less than 24 - 120 hours prior to check-in for travel to the UK from Continental Europe. The EU pet passport must show the time and date of treatment.

For residents of Northern Ireland please visit https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/travelling-pets for information although there will be no requirement for a pet passport or routine checks for non-commercial movement of pets between Northern Ireland and Great Britain until further notice.

Pets must be vaccinated against rabies. Firstly ensure your pet is microchipped or the vaccination will not count. The dog must be at least 12 weeks old before vaccination and the vaccination must be in date at the time of travel. You must wait 21 days from the date of the rabies vaccination before travelling.

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. Please read in full the specific route requirements below. 

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. 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 ensure you are familiar with the EU and PETS rules before travelling. 

Bringing your pet into Ireland

For the most up to date information on the requirements your pet must meet in order to travel, please visit Gov.ie. When travelling from Britain into Ireland, you must complete an advance notice form and organise compliance checks for your pet in advance of your arrival into Ireland.

Bringing your pet into Great Britain

For the most up to date information on the requirements your pet must meet in order to travel, please visit Gov.uk.

British residents travelling with pets to Northern Ireland

If you live in England, Scotland or Wales and are travelling to Northern Ireland with your pet, you will need to follow new government requirements:

• You’ll need a Northern Ireland Pet Travel Document to take your dog, cat or ferret on our routes from Cairnryan to Belfast or Liverpool to Belfast.
• Your pet must be microchipped.
• ·Your pet does not need rabies vaccinations or tapeworm treatment if they have a Pet Travel Document.
• These rules also apply to assistance dogs.
• You do not need any documentation when travelling back from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. You just need to make sure your pet or assistance dog is microchipped.

You can apply for a Northern Ireland Pet Travel document online. It is free of charge and will last as long as you own your pet. Find out more about pet travel to Northern Ireland

Exporting or moving live animals from the UK

Please visit Gov.uk for full details on the requirements when exporting or moving live animals from the UK.

What checks will be carried out at the ports for travel with a Northern Ireland Pet Travel Document?

In the ports of Cairnryan and Liverpool, pet checker staff from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will ask to see your pet travel document (PTD). Your pet’s microchip will be scanned and checked against your PTD. 

Do I need a Pet Travel Document if I live in Northern Ireland?

If you live in Northern Ireland, you do not need a PTD for travel to and from Britain, but your pet must be microchipped.

Pet owners travelling beyond Northern Ireland with their pet into the Republic of Ireland, another EU country or a non-EU country

If you are travelling onward to a different country from Northern Ireland, please check the requirements for continuing to an EU country or a non-EU country.

All dogs must be under the control of an adult at all times. Dogs must be wearing a collar and be on a non-retractable lead (no longer than 4 ft / 1.2 m in length) when being transferred to a kennel, to the Pet Lounge or to a pet cabin. If your dog is aggressive or has been aggressive to people or other animals it must wear a muzzle at all times except when inside a pet carrier case in the Pet Lounge or whilst in a pet cabin or in a pet kennel. 

Banned dog breeds:

Please note, we will not transport any breed of dog that is banned by any Government in the EU or UK.

The following breeds are banned from travel as they are banned in either or all of our markets (UK and Ireland):

• XL Bullies
• Pit Bull Terrier or American Pit Bull Terrier
• Japanese Tosa
• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Brasileiro

Restricted dog breeds:

Please note that the following restricted breeds must remain in your vehicle at all times, including at the port and onboard:

• Bandog
• Boerboel

There are a number of options to choose from depending on the route and ferry you are travelling on. Please note that these options could change should a temporary replacement vessel be in service on the route.

Pre-booking your pet is mandatory. Regardless of the option you choose when travelling with your pet, all pets, whether you are travelling by car or by foot, must be pre-booked in advance of travel.

Pets in car 

Pets can remain in your vehicle on all routes. On our Liverpool – Belfast route, whilst pets can remain in your vehicle, due to the length of the crossings and given that certain breeds of dogs are more sensitive to heat/poor air circulation in vehicles, we recommend that you either book a pet-friendly cabin or a pet kennel. Pets travel for free when remaining in your vehicle.

Pets in kennels

Kennels can be pre-booked on the "Stena Plus & Onboard Extras" step of the booking process or via our Contact Centre.

Pet kennels are free when travelling between Cairnryan – Belfast, Holyhead – Dublin and Fishguard – Rosslare. On our Liverpool – Belfast route, a fee is payable per kennel each way.

Pet kennels on our Liverpool – Belfast route and the Stena Estrid on our Holyhead – Dublin route can be accessed throughout your journey. Not only can you visit your dog on these two routes but you can also exercise them under controlled conditions too. 

Our onboard kennels are suitable for domestic pets such as cats and dogs. If you are carrying livestock, exotic, dangerous or larger animals you must contact us in advance of booking to determine the suitability of the facilities onboard for the safe carriage of the animal/pet.

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.

We also have a number of pre-bookable pet friendly cabins available, where you can bring up to 2 pets into your cabin. These pet-friendly cabins can be pre-booked on the “Cabins” step of the booking process or via our Contact Centre. Pets are not permitted in Superfast Suites on our route between Belfast and Cairnryan due to the limited number of suites per vessel. Our Superfast vessels have a dedicated Pet Lounge as well as the option to leave pets in kennels or in vehicles.

Onboard our Stena Superfast vessels between Belfast and Cairnryan we have a dedicated Pet Lounge. For safety reasons your pet must remain in its secure pet carrier case for the duration of the crossing whilst in the Pet Lounge. The pet carrier case can be no bigger than 91cm in length, 62 cm high and 56cm wide. The Pet Lounge is not exclusively for dogs, so with different types of pets and breeds of animal permitted in the lounge, all pets must remain secured in their pet carrier case. The lounge is an enclosed area and is an unfamiliar environment for all pets, so for the comfort and safety of pets and owners, it is mandatory for all pet owners to adhere to this rule.

A maximum of 2 pets is permitted per booking. For safety and security reasons, owners must not leave their pets unattended in the Pet Lounge at any time. All passengers who wish to travel with their pet in the Pet Lounge must pre-book the Pet Lounge in advance of travel.

Learn more about our Pet Lounge when travelling between Belfast and Cairnryan.

• 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.

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.

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 

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.

If you are travelling with 6 or more pets with the intention of attending a competition or show, you must complete an "Exemption from Commercial Movement" declaration form. You should book via our Contact Centre with evidence of the competition or show, then provide the exemption declaration form at check-in on the day of travel. 

If you are travelling with 6 or more pets and are not travelling for a competition or show, you must book via Stena Line Freight and provide all necessary paperwork for the commercial movement of animals.

For more information, please visit:

Travelling with more than 5 pets to Britain

Exemption declaration forms when travelling to the UK with more than 5 pets

Commercial movement of pets from Northern Ireland

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.

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.