Portugal is a close neighbour of Spain and both are members of the EU. Portugals hot climate, low cost of living and mix of cities and coastal areas with lush beaches make it an ideal spot for tourism and relocating.

Portugal is a wildly popular holiday destination for many Irish and UK residents year in year out and plenty bring their pets along for their holidays also.

Bringing your pet to Portugal requires each pet to have their own passport which requires the following steps:

Step 1 – Your dog or cat needs a microchip.

Step 2 – They then need a rabies vaccination. They must be at least 3 months old before they have this. Some rabies vaccines in the UK last for 3 years and others will last for 3 years but need a top up after one year, so you need to know when the vaccine expires.

Step 3 – Your vet issues you with a pet passport and 21 days after the initial vaccination, your pet can travel to Europe and back again.

Step 4 – If your pet is travelling by plane, then the airlines demand that they are checked within 5 days of the flight to ensure that they are fit and healthy.

All European countries accept the pet passport and Portugal is no different. Once you have the pet passport, all you will need is to contact a quality Pet Transport company to complete your move.