Taking your dog to France

France follows the EU rules for dogs coming from Great Britain, so your dog needs a new animal health certificate for each trip, a microchip and an in-date rabies vaccination. EU pet passports no longer work for GB residents entering the EU. Our pet passport guide sets out every step, timing and exception in one place.

To come back into Great Britain with a dog you must use an approved route, and France has more of them than anywhere else: ferries from Calais, Dunkerque, Dieppe, Le Havre, Caen, Cherbourg, Roscoff and St Malo, and the Channel Tunnel shuttle from Coquelles near Calais. Some carry restrictions, such as Le Havre being for vehicle passengers only and one St Malo route running in winter only. Where the dog travels on each crossing, what it costs and how check-in works are in our crossings guide.

On TGV INOUI and Intercités day trains, a small pet travels in a closed bag or basket no larger than 45 by 30 by 25 cm, on your lap or at your feet. A dog too big for that travels at your feet on a lead and must be muzzled for the entire journey. SNCF charges a flat fare of 10 euros for either, at its fares from 2 January 2026.

SNCF's conditions add that pets other than assistance dogs are allowed provided other passengers do not object, so be ready to move if someone near you does. Guide and assistance dogs travel free and need no ticket on every SNCF train, and they are the only dogs allowed on replacement coaches.

Regional TER trains set their own rules by region. In Hauts-de-France, the region around Calais and Dunkerque, a small pet in a carrier travels free on a zero-fare ticket, and a larger dog pays half the standard fare up to a cap. Normandy charges one flat fee for any animal. On Intercités night trains, pets can go in seated carriages for a fee, but not in sleeper compartments unless you book the whole compartment.

There is no national rule that lets dogs into French restaurants. The French consumer authority states that a restaurant does not have to accept animals, and one that does can require them to stay on a lead in the dining room. Guide and assistance dogs are the exception: they cannot be turned away.

Hotels are in the same position. The authority says hoteliers may refuse pets and advises asking when you book, rather than on arrival. One cafe or hotel letting dogs in doesn't mean the next will, so check each place's own policy before you go in.

Beach rules in France are set town by town. A mayor can ban dogs from particular places even when they are on a lead, and some resorts ban dogs from the sand for the whole summer. La Baule in southern Brittany is a typical example: its own page says dogs are not allowed on the beach from 15 June to 15 September. Look for the signs at beach entrances or the commune's own website before you let the dog on the sand.

In woods and forests, a national rule applies from 15 April to 30 June: dogs off the lead are banned away from the forest paths, to protect birds and game. A dog more than 100 metres from its owner, or out of recall range, counts as straying. National parks and public gardens can have their own bans, posted at the entrance.

France puts some dogs into two legal categories. Category 1 covers dogs without a recognised pedigree that look like American Staffordshire terriers or Staffordshire terriers (the pit bull type), mastiffs (boerbull type) or Tosas. Category 2 covers pedigree American Staffordshire terriers, Rottweilers and Tosas, plus dogs that look like Rottweilers without a pedigree. Only a vet can judge which type a dog is.

Bringing a category 1 dog into mainland France is a criminal offence, so a dog that falls into that group should not make the trip. Category 2 dogs can travel, but in public places, on public transport and in any premises open to the public they must be muzzled and on a lead held by an adult, and a minor cannot keep one.

French owners of both categories also need a permit, insurance and a behaviour assessment. The official guidance does not say how these apply to visitors on holiday, so if your dog might be category 2, contact the town hall where you are staying before you go.

Every dog returning to Great Britain from France needs a tapeworm treatment given by a vet no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours before you arrive, recorded on the animal health certificate or passport. On a longer stay, that means booking a French vet for one of your last few days. A treatment outside the window can mean the dog is refused entry or put into quarantine.

To find a practice, the French veterinary council, the Ordre national des vétérinaires, runs a public directory of vets. Pick a vet in a town you will be in one or two days before your crossing, ring ahead, and take the certificate with you so the treatment can be written in.