Step 1
Find the official information
We start with information from the relevant government websites and travel companies’ own pet policies instead of relying on blogs or copied summaries.
How we turn changing rules into a plan for your journey
A link is useful only when it answers the right question for the customer’s trip. We separate official travel rules, company pet policies and possible travel options. If anything is unclear or needs a judgement call, a person reviews the request.
Our review process
Every plan follows the same four steps, from finding the official information to creating the customer’s checklist.
Step 2
Check the information, not just the link
We make sure the page still backs up the wording in our guidance. We then record when we checked it and which country, region or travel company it covers.
Step 3
Match it to the trip
We connect the guidance to the direction of travel, type of pet, reason for the journey and way of travelling. A list of two countries is not enough to make a complete plan.
Step 4
Save the version used in the plan
The customer’s checklist keeps the guidance, trip details, source links and check dates used to create it. It does not silently change afterwards.
Different sources answer different questions
We do not treat a possible route as proof that a pet may enter a country or that a travel company will accept the booking.
Official travel rules
We use the relevant government department or agency for entry documents, treatments, waiting periods, route restrictions and animal-health rules wherever possible.
Pet policies from travel companies
We use the airline, ferry, rail or other travel company’s own information for check-in, vehicles, crates, booking and how pets are carried. A company’s rules may be stricter than a country’s entry rules.
Possible ways to travel
Airline, ferry and other suggestions give customers a place to start their search. They do not confirm a flight, connection, current price, space for a pet or that a particular service will carry the pet.
When we can send a plan instantly
Some journeys match a plan we have already prepared and checked. We can send that plan instantly only when the important trip details match, no answer needs a judgement call and every supporting source is up to date.
- The route, direction, dog or cat, one-way or return journey, place of residence and reason for travel must be supported.
- The number of pets of this type and the total number travelling together must be within the plan’s limits.
- Answers about risks, such as a dog’s recent travel before entering the USA, must be clear. Extra instructions in Preferences require a person to read the request.
When a person prepares your plan
A person researches the journey when its details do not fit a plan that is ready to send. They use our checked guidance and add new guidance from official sources where needed.
- Pet transfers, rehoming, animals other than dogs or cats, larger groups and Northern Ireland journeys need a person to prepare the plan.
- Unclear or higher-risk USA dog travel history and any extra written preference also need a person to check the request.
- A plan prepared by a person must pass the same source checks as an instant plan.
See why each step is in the plan
Customers can see the trip details and official information behind the checklist instead of being asked to trust an unexplained answer.
Your trip details
The direction, type of journey and answers that explain why a checklist step applies.
The official source
Who published it, the page title, a direct link and the date PetRoutePlanner checked it.
The saved plan
The checklist wording and source information used when the customer’s plan was created.
Important limits
- A recent PetRoutePlanner check date does not guarantee that a government or travel company has not changed a rule since then.
- Plans are practical travel guidance. They are not legal or veterinary advice and cannot guarantee that a pet will be allowed through the border.
- Customers must check the latest government and travel-company rules, and make sure their pet meets them, before booking and travelling.
- Journey times, comparisons and suggested travel options do not guarantee current services, prices or space for a pet.
- PetRoutePlanner does not support journeys for animal sales, breeding or other commercial purposes.