Service Dogs

You must have our pre-approval letter to arrive at or transit through Heathrow airport. You should arrive on weekdays if possible, due to limited weekend capacity.

Dogs which have been trained by a member of the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) or Assistance Dogs International (ADI) will be recognised as service dogs. Dogs which have received equivalent training or testing may also be recognised by your airline. An unrecognised service dog is one which has not been trained to these standards. Unrecognised service dogs are subject to a checking fee of £429 and can only be issued pre-approval when arriving direct from the USA.

Information from major carriers:

• British Airways: Travelling with a service dog.  
• Please contact British Airways via their online portal.
• Virgin Atlantic: Flying with an assistance dog.
• American Airlines: Flying with a service animal.
• United Airlines: Traveling with service animals.
• Delta Airlines: Trained service animals.

There are four stages you must follow when travelling with your service dog to Heathrow

Stage 1: Notify us

Please email the following to us:

Flight itinerary

• Airline booking reference. This is also known as a PNR or record locator number.
• Scheduled date and time of arrival
• Inbound flight number
• Airport of origin

Evidence of airline acceptance

This is usually in the form of:

• PDF acceptance letter (eg. British Airways)
• Acceptance email (eg. Virgin Atlantic)
• Service Animal ID (eg. American Airlines)

Evidence of service dog status

This is usually in the form of:

• Identification card
• Training certificate
• Doctor's letter

Health paperwork

All service dogs must comply with UK Pet Travel Scheme requirements. If you're arriving from the USA see the additional guidance on health requirements.

Send one of the following entry documents:

• EU Pet Passport (Only valid as an entry document from Part 1 listed countries)
• Animal Health Certificate (AHC)
• GB Health Certificate (GBHC.) We can issue pre-approval based on a draft certificate, referring to the certificate before competent authority endorsement (eg. USDA APHIS) and tapeworm treatment. Once you have the finalised certificate (endorsed by the competent authority and tapeworm treatment recorded) you should forward it to us so we can update our records in advance of your arrival at Heathrow.

Send the following supporting documents:

• Microchip registration / implant certificate: This is not mandatory but we highly advise you confirm the date your dog's microchip was implanted from records, instead of recording the date of first reading.
• Rabies vaccination certificate. This must have your dog's microchip number on and full details of the rabies vaccine (Product name, manufacturer, batch number, validity dates.)
• Rabies serology report. This is only needed for service dogs originating from an unlisted country. 

NOTE: If your dog is travelling with an EU Pet Passport no additional supporting documents are needed.

Stage 2: Await HARC response

We aim to review and reply to your email within 72 hours of receipt with a reference number which you must quote in any further correspondence. We will advise you if we need more information or if any documents require amendment.

Stage 3: Payment (if applicable) and issue of pre-approval letter

We will notify you via email when we are ready to issue pre-approval. For unrecognised service dogs you must pay the £429 checking fee via phone on 020 8745 7894 before we can issue pre-approval. We accept all card types except American Express. The pre-approval letter is sent to you as a PDF in follow-up email from our automated system.

Stage 4: Flight arrival at Heathrow

A HARC representative will greet you as you disembark the aircraft. Please be ready to give us all the original documents previously sent to us. You must not leave the jet bridge or enter the terminal building until one of our representatives has met you. The final entry checks should take no more than about five minutes. We will give you a completion certificate and payment receipts (if applicable) which you must show to the Border Force staff at the immigration channels.