Dublin to Holyhead with dog (Irish ferries), rabies shot 1 day short

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to travel from Ireland to the UK by ferry (Irish Ferries, Dublin–Holyhead route) with my dog.

He has his EU Pet Passport, is microchipped, and will have his tapeworm treatment done at the correct time.

The only issue is that his rabies vaccination will be 20 days old on the date we travel, just one day short of the official 21-day waiting period.

I understand the rules say it must be 21 full days after the rabies vaccine before travelling, but I’m wondering what the checks are like in practice on this particular route.

•Do they look closely at the rabies vaccine date when you check in?

•Has anyone ever travelled when it was one day off — and were you allowed through or stopped?

•Are the checks done at the Dublin side or after arrival in Holyhead?

I know it’s technically not compliant, but I’d really appreciate hearing recent experiences from anyone who’s done this crossing with a dog.

Thanks so much for any insight or advice!