Crossing the Eurotunnel as an EU Citizen (With a Dog): The Honest Experience

I drove from Romania to the UK with my car and my dog, and the Eurotunnel crossing was its own adventure entirely. I had no idea what to expect. 

As a Romanian crossing with an EU car, a dog, and no fixed return date, I couldn’t find a single LeShuttle review written by someone in a similar situation. 

Most of what’s online is either the official LeShuttle pages or experiences from UK or Western European travellers doing short hops across the Channel.

So here’s everything that actually happened, including the parts nobody warns you about.

You’re crossing from mainland Europe to the UK with your dog. You have two options: the ferry or the Eurotunnel. I chose the Eurotunnel, and I want to share my experience.

Here’s why: on the ferry, your dog sits alone in the car on the vehicle deck while you go upstairs. This is not the case anymore. On the P&O ferry on the Dover – Calais route, the ferries offer a pet lounge (not free) where you can take your dog for the duration of the trip. Read my detailed comparison of the ferry vs Eurotunnel for crossing the English Channel with a dog.

On the Eurotunnel, you stay in your car the entire 35 minutes. Your dog is with you the whole time.

But at the time of my crossing on the Eurotunnel, the ferry pet lounge wasn’t available. That alone made the decision easy for me.

Our crossing didn’t go exactly to plan. Our train broke down, we got stopped at the UK border control for a “quick chat,” and we ended up waiting over an hour before boarding a second train. Here’s what that was actually like.

Eurotunnel Channel crossing with LeShuttle (summary)

Before I give you all the details of my experience with LeShuttle in June 2026, I want to give you the timeline of events, which is especially important to follow if you’re travelling with a pet. 

1. Book tickets in advance to pay the best price for your desired time slot
2. Make sure you have all your pet’s documentation (this can take up to 1 month in advance)
3. Check specific guidelines for each crossing (UK to France or France to UK) for pet travel
4. Add all the details (car, passengers, pet) to your LeShuttle booking at least 24h before the trip
5. Be at the LeShuttle check-in at least 1h before the trip for your pet’s check-in
6. Don’t waste time at the Duty-free (prices for goods are better at the regular French shops anyway)
7. Take your pet to the pet relief area at the Duty Free
8. Have water and snacks in the car (in case of delays)
9. Follow the staff’s instructions at all times
10. After disembarking the LeShuttle train, you will drive directly on the road, but you’ll shortly find a petrol station to stop.

Why Eurotunnel vs ferry with a dog

The Eurotunnel is a train that runs under the English Channel between Calais (France) and Folkestone (UK), with a total travel time of 35 minutes. However, considering that you need to check in at least 1 hour before departure, the total time will be around 2 hours. 

In contrast, the ferry between France and the UK takes 90 minutes (Dover to Calais), but it will probably take 2.5 hours or 3 hours in total, with the check-in time and boarding times.  

It’s obvious that the Channel crossing with LeShuttle is a better choice for dogs because it’s faster than the ferry. At least, that’s what the advertising says. 

When I made the decision to book LeShuttle and take the Eurotunnel, my priority was time. This Channel crossing was part of the massive European trip from Bucharest, Romania, to Wales. This was my 8th day on the road, and all I wanted was to arrive in the UK faster. 

Also, the price difference wasn’t that big between the Eurotunnel and the ferry. In my case, LeShuttle was about 30 euros more for 2 pax, 1 normal car, 1 dog. 

Booking LeShuttle

I booked almost 1 month in advance, and I paid 178 EUR  for 1 car, 2 passengers and 1 dog. Booked on May 9, and the crossing was on June 4th. The pet ticket is 29 EUR.

Summertime is the high season, as everyone goes on holiday and if you wait too long to book it, you might not find an available spot for your desired slot or even day. Prices increase as you approach your travel date, and midday slots are more expensive than night slots. 

I was on a tight schedule and couldn’t afford to be on that train on that early June morning. I think I saved some money by booking earlier because my crossing time was 9:25 AM, which is convenient, and prices tend to increase around that time slot.  

I liked the organisation of the LeShuttle regarding pet travelling on their train, and the entire process was helpful.

I booked the pet ticket as an add-on (when I first booked the trip), and then I used the app (LeShuttle), which I highly recommend you install on your phone. It will send you all info as you need to fill in passenger details or keep track of the pet documents you might need. And you also get info about the train and your time slot – it’s all there. 

Note that you need to add all the details of the passenger and your car’s details at least 24 hours before. 

Bringing your pet on LeShuttle

First of all, you need to be aware that different rules apply to you as an EU or UK resident. 

This info will be very clearly stated in the booking, and that’s why I suggest you use their app to have it remind you of all the documents and steps you need to do. 

As a dog owner, I researched all requirements on official government websites and also on the resources sent by email and in the app by LeShuttle. 

Please research this at least 1 month before your travel date so that you can acquire all necessary documentation for your pet. 

Here are the official resources for pet travel in Europe. 

In my case, I am a Romanian citizen, and my dog has an EU passport, where he has his yearly rabies vaccination. 

So back home, my vet simply checked the passport before we left for our road trip. 

Because this was a longer trip through Europe, I had booked in advance a vet appointment in Bruges, Belgium, 2 days before the crossing, for my dog to get the tapeworm treatment. This tapeworm treatment is required for dogs travelling from mainland Europe to the UK, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Finland, and Malta. 

Note that this treatment needs to be administered 1-5 days before the crossing, and the exact day and hour need to be noted by the vet in the dog’s passport. 

Last year we did a similar longer road trip in Norway with my dog, so I knew how easy the entire process is if I simply plan accordingly. 

We stopped for one night each in Ghent and Bruges on the way. Here’s my honest comparison of the two cities if you’re planning the same route.

The pet check-in process 

The entire process was smooth; we had no issues and went much faster than I anticipated. 

I am doing this massive road trip in Europe with my small anxious dog, and this entire trip was planned with his well-being in mind. 

Pet owners need to arrive at the pet check-in 1 hour before the booked departure time. 

When I got there at around 8 AM, there wasn’t any queue. I parked the car just outside the building and walked inside with my dog, his EU passport and my booking number (I had it on the app). 

The staff checked the dog’s passport, asked for the number of my booking and also scanned my dog’s microchip, and that was it. We got a small paper to place in the car, but nobody checked it afterwards. 

Check-in & boarding the train for the Eurotunnel

After you check in your pet, you’ll need to follow the signs for the normal LeShuttle check-in, which is nearby. 

Once you get to the booth, the camera will read your licence plate and will automatically recognise your booking. This was an unmanned booth; I had to simply check and verify the info on the screen from the car. 

As I was there earlier than required, the system offered an earlier crossing, which I accepted. 

After you check all the info, the system prints a boarding pass and asks you to hang it from your mirror. 

Next, you are guided to the duty-free area; I found a fenced pet relief area. Some people were waiting in the car, and there are some panels in the parking lot to announce when your boarding time is. I had no time to check out the duty-free (and it was raining outside). 

Crossing as an EU Citizen (Not from Western Europe)

Then I drove towards the border control, as there are 2 borders to check your documents. Before driving there, a member of staff stopped us to ask if we had the ETA for the UK. Of course, I had it. However, if you ever forget about it, you can do it on the spot, as it only takes a few minutes. 

Check the UK government’s official website to get an ETA. 

Once you submit the photo and document on the app and pay for it (about 20 EUR), it only takes a few minutes to be approved, and you get the confirmation in your email. 

You don’t need to print your ETA; the system will find you when you are at the border, so you simply present your passport. 

So the first check was the French border, and it all went smoothly; it only took 1 minute. 

We Got Stopped at UK Border Control (Read this if you’re staying longer in the UK)

Then I drove straight to the UK border officer, who had the booth on the right side (nice introduction to driving on the left side, I suppose). 

The officers asked for our passports, checked them and asked, “What are you doing in the UK? How long are you staying?” To which I quickly replied, “We’re going on holiday and staying for 2 months”. 

It was in that moment that 2 officers from inside the booth looked at both my partner and me smiling, and after a second or two asked something along the lines of, “What are you doing for 2 months? That’s a long time to visit”. 

I continued to explain that this is what we do: we travel, and I have this travel blog, and no long after that he said that he would hold our passports for a while and that we should park our car in the small parking right after the booth and that someone would shortly come to have a “quick chat with us”. 

I felt like he was very friendly until he also handed us a note (to justify him holding our passports), which had a lot of words but read “You are liable to be detained under Paragraph 16(1) to Schedule 2 of the Immigration Act 1971 pending your examination and pending a decision to give or refuse you permission to enter”, among other things. 

It only took him 2 minutes to make this decision. 

We waited in the car for about 10 minutes before someone else came to ask some questions, took a look at our baggage in the trunk of the car and asked about the funds we had to support this long trip in the UK. 

In the end, the issue seemed to have been the long stay and money. Saying that I have a travel blog probably didn’t help build my initial credibility either. 

I’d be lying to say that I didn’t get anxious by the time I was asked to open the trunk of the car, but the officers said in a serious way that it’s only normal that they want to know about the people who enter their country. 

But note that we were the only car there being stopped, as the others were mostly French cars, with some Germans and Dutch in the queue. 

If you’re entering the UK for an extended stay, be ready to explain your travel plans clearly and have some evidence of funds available. It’s a normal check, even if it feels intense in the moment.

After that, we proceeded to the boarding queue, which is a massive queuing area, and you simply follow the signs. 

I noticed one weird fact at the British border. The British officers were using the UK official time because the time is on the paper notice they gave me (7:55 AM), but then when you are waiting for boarding for LeShuttle, they use the French time, which is +1 hour, and the hour used for boarding from the French side. 

That border conversation was a good reminder that for a trip like this (months away from home, multiple countries, no fixed return date), having proper coverage matters. 

I use SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance Essential plan, which covers travel medical emergencies across 180+ countries and can even be purchased after you’ve already left home. 

At around $2/day, it’s one less thing to worry about when you’re trying to convince a border officer your trip is legitimate.

Inside LeShuttle (the Eurotunnel) 

The boarding queue has panels, traffic lights and staff to direct you. 

The distance between one place and another is not long, but there are specific logistics, and staff will direct you at each step. But most of the time I was simply following the car in front of me. 

It took quite a while to board the train (LeShuttle). After the boarding queue, there was no place to get out of the car, so we were just inside, waiting to get on the train, which took longer than expected. 

For each crossing, the lights direct you exactly to the right ramp, and you are basically driving right next to the train. 

At one point, the staff will direct you to drive inside the train, and then you continue driving a few more carriages so that all cars fit. Note that the train has 2 levels for small cars. 

There is also staff on the train who will check each car’s position and ask you to drive closer to the front if needed, and check that you have turned off the engine and have your front windows half lowered. 

There are toilets inside the train, there are small windows to see outside, and you can get out of your car, but there isn’t anywhere to go. 

Each carriage is closed (there are doors that close between each one), and after a few more checks, the conductor should make an announcement and off you go. 

What Happens If Something Goes Wrong

But my experience with LeShuttle wasn’t as smooth as advertised. 

I arrived at the queue at 9:10 AM. 

The first sign was the longer-than-expected waiting time at the queuing spot. Trains go and arrive frequently; you can see the exact departure times at the time of booking. 

However, it took me almost 1 hour to get from the queuing spot to board the train. Most of that time was spent on the bridge that takes you to the ramp where the train is, so we couldn’t even get out of the car. 

I was parked inside the train at 10:09 AM. 

And then we waited; the staff did all the checks, closed the doors, and we waited until 10:47 AM, when they announced over the speakers that the train had broken down and we all needed to get off. 

I was shocked, as we had already waited for so long in the car, and we were not able to get the dog out since 8:41 AM (when we visited the pet relief area, after which I gave him a lot of water). 

The staff then directed us to get off the train (at 11:15 AM), did a big drive around the boarding area, ended up waiting back on the ramp, and we were finally directed to another train. 

The train finally left at 12:05 PM, and we were driving in England at 1:05 PM (which in fact was 12 PM UK time).

My total time spent crossing with LeShuttle 

To try to summarise this ordeal, here’s the timeline (all converted to France local time, which is the departure location) of our Channel crossing when the train broke down:

For this delayed experience with LeShuttle, the total time was 4.5 hours. This is the time I spent going through all the formalities and the actual travel time. 

Given my booking time, I should have arrived in the UK at 9 AM local time (10 AM French time), but I arrived at 12 PM local time (1 PM French time), which meant a 3-hour delay. This time was mostly spent waiting in the car while our dog was stuck inside and not allowed to get out. 

This definitely defeats the purpose of taking the LeShuttle in the first place, as we ended up trapped in the car much longer than anticipated (and we also couldn’t plan accordingly for this). 

Arriving in the United Kingdom

Arrival was very straightforward. We heard an announcement on the train about safety measures upon arrival, and we had to wait for the staff to open the carriage doors before we could start moving and drive off the train. 

The unloading process was fast, and after driving off the ramp, we were effectively on the road. 

Luckily, there are signs reminding me to drive on the left once you arrive in the UK, and not far from that was the first petrol station where most people would stop. We also found a free toilet and a pet relief area. 

Driving in the UK can feel a bit strange at first if you’re used to driving a left-hand drive car, but experienced drivers usually get used to it quickly, as the road signs are clear and the flow feels natural. 

For the first night in the UK, we drove to a well-established coastal resort in the south of England. I recommend it to anyone looking to experience true British culture and travel with a dog. I wrote a detailed review of my stay at The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne with a dog.

For data across borders without juggling local SIMs, I use a Holafly eSIM. Connectivity varies depending on where you are, like any network, but having one eSIM covering multiple countries simplifies things at border crossings like this.

However, I have to be transparent: I ended up using multiple eSIMs because of connectivity issues. Here’s my best eSIM for the UK, after trying 3 popular services.

Driving an EU Car to the UK

Driving an EU car in the UK takes some adjustment beyond just remembering to stay on the left. 

Your headlights will need adjusting to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic. You have to check your car’s settings (mine has LED headlights and I didn’t use any stickers) or buy beam deflector stickers if needed. However, most modern cars will not need it. 

You’ll also need a country identifier sticker on the back of your car if your number plate doesn’t clearly show it. But EU cars already have it on their licence plates. 

The most important (and confusing) driving issue is roundabouts, which go clockwise instead of counter-clockwise, and it takes a bit to get used to. But with patience, you will manage. Generally, UK drivers tend to be patient with foreigners, and I never had any issues with other drivers. 

I wrote an entire guide about what to expect when driving in the UK, including specific destinations such as the south of Wales, Scotland, and the Scottish islands.

Tips and what to prepare

I was “lucky” enough to experience more than I paid for, boarding 2 trains for the price of 1 ticket. Preparation is key to minimising the effects of unforeseeable events, such as delays. 

Overall, the experience wasn’t that bad; it was just much longer than expected, and the worst was for our dog, who wasn’t allowed out of the car for hours. 

But we are lucky he is such a good boy, and after realising he was not getting out of the car, he eventually took a nap inside and waited patiently for the trip to be over. 

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