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Microchip before rabies. The rule that catches people out.

The rabies vaccination only counts for travel if the microchip was already in the pet when the dose was given. If the chip went in afterwards, the vaccination has to be redone. It's a quirk of how the paperwork works, and it catches a lot of owners out a few weeks before their flight.

READ6 min readREVIEWEDMay 2026SOURCEgov.uk

How the order works

Think of the rabies certificate as a record about a specific animal. The microchip is what tells anyone reading the certificate which animal it is, which is why the chip number is written onto the certificate at the moment of vaccination. If there’s no chip yet, there’s no number to record, and the certificate can’t be issued for travel.

A vaccination given the same day as the chip is fine, as long as the chip went in first that day. It’s the after case that catches people out.

Why this catches people out

Two common situations.

A puppy gets the rabies dose at a routine first-year check-up before travel was even on the cards, and the chip is added later. Or a rescue pet arrives with vaccination records but no clear history of when the chip went in. The records look fine on the surface; the dates only become a problem when an Animal Health Certificate is requested.

Vets will not always flag it on their own, because chipping after vaccination is a perfectly normal thing to do for any pet that isn’t travelling.

Checking your own pet's records

Look up two dates. When the microchip was implanted, and when the most recent rabies vaccination was given. Both should be on the UK pet vaccination card, or whatever record your vet keeps. As long as the chip date is on or before the vaccination date, you’re fine.

One thing worth doing at the same appointment: ask the vet to scan the chip. Chips occasionally migrate or stop reading, especially in older pets. If yours doesn’t scan, it counts as no chip for travel purposes, and the rabies vaccination has to be repeated against the new one.

If the dates are the wrong way around

The vaccination has to be repeated. A new chip is implanted (or the old one replaced if it isn’t reading), a fresh rabies dose is given, and the 21-day wait runs from the new vaccination date. The AHC comes after that, issued within 10 days of arrival in the EU.

In practical terms, a trip planned for next month becomes a trip planned for the month after. Worth knowing about now rather than at the vet appointment.

Where this rule applies

Every country in the EU, Northern Ireland under the same scheme, and the UK on the way home from the EU. Most listed third countries that built their pet import rules around the EU model follow the same principle, though wording differs. The search on this site flags it on every corridor where it applies.

A note for commercial movers

Breeders, sellers, and transport agents follow a different paperwork track (commercial health certification rather than an AHC), but the chip-before-vaccination rule is identical. The certification changes; the order does not.

The short version

  • The microchip has to go in before the rabies vaccination. If the dose came first, it doesn’t count for travel.
  • Compare two dates on your pet’s record: when the chip was implanted and when the most recent rabies vaccination was given. The chip date needs to come first, or the same day.
  • Ask the vet to scan the chip while you’re there. A chip that doesn’t read counts as no chip.
  • If the dates are the wrong way around, the vaccination is repeated against a new chip, then the 21-day wait, then the AHC within 10 days of EU arrival. Roughly a month before the trip can happen.
  • The rule covers the EU, Northern Ireland, the UK on the way home, and most listed third countries that follow the EU model.

Before booking a vet appointment for travel paperwork, just check the two dates side by side.

Sources

If you want to read the official guidance: