SHORT ANSWER
The UK bans five types of dog: the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully. It is illegal to own, sell, give away, abandon or breed from any of them without a valid Certificate of Exemption. Whether a dog counts as a banned type depends on what it looks like, not its breed name, papers or DNA. The XL Bully was added in England and Wales in two stages ending on 1 February 2024, and Scotland and Northern Ireland brought in their own XL Bully rules afterward. A banned type cannot be brought into Great Britain unless it already holds a valid Certificate of Exemption. Snub-nosed breeds are not banned by the UK government, but many airlines will not carry them as cargo, which is the only way most pets can fly into Great Britain.
According to GOV.UK's banned dogs guidance, it is against the law to own these types of dog in the UK:
The first four have been covered by Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 for decades. The XL Bully is the newest addition. For any of the five, it is also illegal to sell the dog, abandon it, give it away or breed from it.
The consequences are serious. Police or a council dog warden can seize a banned dog even if it has never acted dangerously and nobody has complained. If the case goes to court, the owner has to prove the dog is not a banned type. If they cannot, GOV.UK states the owner faces an unlimited fine, up to six months in prison, or both, and the dog will be destroyed.
This is the part that surprises most American families. GOV.UK puts it plainly: "Whether your dog is a banned type depends on what it looks like, rather than its breed or name." If your dog matches many of the characteristics of a Pit Bull Terrier, it may be treated as a banned type, whatever its registration papers say.
After a seizure, a police or council dog expert assesses the dog's physical features and decides whether it is, or could be, a danger to the public. The dog is then either released or kept in kennels while the police or council apply to a court. Owners are not allowed to visit during that wait.
For the XL Bully, the UK government published an official XL Bully conformation standard. It is used by courts and Dog Legislation Officers to identify the type, and owners can use it to judge whether their dog may fall within the ban. Key measurements include a height from 20 inches (51cm) at the withers for adult males and 19 inches (48cm) for adult females, along with a heavy, broad head, a blocky muzzle and a heavily muscled body. The guidance notes that a dog does not have to look exactly like the example photos to meet the standard.
The XL Bully ban came into force in England and Wales in two stages. From 31 December 2023, it became illegal to breed, sell, advertise, give away or abandon an XL Bully, or to have one in public without a lead and muzzle. From 1 February 2024, it became illegal to own one without a Certificate of Exemption, as confirmed in Defra's press release announcing the ban.
Defra's current Ban on XL Bully dogs guidance confirms that applications for a Certificate of Exemption have closed and that new exemptions can only be authorised by a court order. Neutering deadlines for registered dogs have also passed. Owners who hold a certificate must, for the life of the dog:
That export rule matters for families leaving the UK. If you are relocating an exempted XL Bully from England or Wales to another country, Defra needs to be told.
The UK does not have a single XL Bully law. Scotland and Northern Ireland each brought in their own rules after England and Wales, partly because XL Bully numbers rose in both places once the ban took effect elsewhere.
Scotland introduced its own XL Bully safeguards on 23 February 2024, followed by a ban on owning an XL Bully without an exemption certificate (or a submitted application) from 1 August 2024. Scotland uses the same conformation standard as England and Wales. Full details for Scottish owners are on mygov.scot.
Northern Ireland bans the same five types. According to nidirect, owning an XL Bully without an exemption certificate has been an offence since 1 January 2025, after the application window closed on 31 December 2024. Northern Ireland adds a requirement England and Wales do not have: every exempted XL Bully must hold a dog licence, renewed every 12 months, at a fee of £12.50. The maximum penalty for owning an XL Bully without an exemption certificate is up to six months in prison and/or a fine of up to £5,000. Northern Ireland also uses the UK conformation standard, and its banned breeds page notes that a dog a warden identifies as banned is presumed to be so unless the owner proves otherwise in court.
For most families moving from the United States, the answer is no. GOV.UK's guidance on bringing a pet to Great Britain states that you cannot bring a banned breed of dog into Great Britain unless it already has a valid Certificate of Exemption. Since XL Bully exemption applications are closed and new exemptions are only granted by a court, GOV.UK lists no application route for a dog that does not already hold a certificate.
That is why breed and type need to be the very first question in any UK move, before the microchip, rabies vaccine, health certificate or flight booking.
"In the UK there's the Dangerous Dogs Act, so types like the Pit Bull Terrier and the Japanese Tosa are banned, and since 2024 the XL Bully is on that list too, so those dogs can't be imported," says Georgiana Strait, Marketing Manager at Starwood Pet Travel. "What catches families off guard is that it's based on how the dog looks, not what the adoption paperwork says. And then there are nuances around snub-nosed breeds, which have nothing to do with the ban and everything to do with which airlines will fly them. We look at both before anyone books a vet appointment."
A Certificate of Exemption lets someone keep a banned dog legally, as long as the dog does not behave dangerously and the owner follows strict conditions. Per GOV.UK, the certificate lasts for the life of the dog. In England and Wales it is issued through a court process: if a court finds a dog is a banned type but not a danger to the public, it may issue a Contingent Destruction Order, which allows the owner to apply for the certificate.
The dog must be neutered, microchipped, kept on a lead and muzzled in public, and kept somewhere secure. The owner must be over 16 and must tell the Index of Exempted Dogs (dogsindex@defra.gov.uk) about a change of address or the dog's death. Under current GOV.UK guidance, third party public liability insurance is no longer required for banned dogs in England and Wales.
A new condition starts on 1 November 2026. From that date, owners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must not leave a child under 12 in close contact with a banned dog in a private place, such as a home or garden, without adult supervision. GOV.UK has published guidance on keeping children safe around banned breed dogs in the home.
The UK government does not ban brachycephalic (snub-nosed) breeds like Pugs, Bulldogs or Boxers. The obstacle for these dogs is the flight. According to GOV.UK's travel routes guidance, pets have to travel into Great Britain as cargo on a plane unless you fly on a chartered private plane or travel with a guide or assistance dog. In-cabin travel to Great Britain is not an option for most pets.
Cargo programs set their own breed policies. American Airlines Cargo's PetEmbark service, for example, publishes a breed restriction list of brachycephalic and snub-nosed dogs it will not accept because of hereditary respiratory risks, along with breeds it describes as historically aggressive. The list includes Boxers, Bulldogs (all breeds), Pugs (all breeds), Boston Terriers, Shih Tzus, Pekingese, Mastiffs (all breeds), Cane Corsos, the American Bully, American Staffordshire Terrier, Pit Bull and Presa Canario, plus mixes where one of these is the predominant breed. The same page states that American Airlines Cargo accepts dogs into the UK at London Heathrow (LHR) and Manchester (MAN) only, requires a customs broker on arrival, and only carries warm-blooded animals when ground temperatures are between 45 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit at every point on the route.
Policies vary by airline and change often, so a snub-nosed dog's routing has to be confirmed directly with the carrier before anything else is booked. Our Ultimate Guide to Relocating Overseas with Flat-Faced Dogs and Cats covers how families plan around these limits.
The appearance-based rule comes up again and again in online forums. In an r/PitBullOwners thread from an owner planning a move to the UK, one commenter summed up why paperwork alone will not settle the question: "The ban doesn't work on breed and a DNA test won't be enough to prove that your dog shouldn't fall under the ban. The ban work[s] with the type of dog" (r/PitBullOwners discussion).
That matches the government's own wording. A clean DNA result can be useful context, but it does not replace the physical assessment UK authorities use.
If your dog is a bully mix, a large mastiff type or a brachycephalic breed, work through these questions first:
If you would like help reviewing your dog's breed, type and airline options before you commit to a move, request a free quote and our team will walk through it with you.