Welcome to BuyAssociation.co.uk

France: Pets and Passports

INTRODUCTION

It is not possible to import pet animals by private means (eg, by private boat or plane). You must pass through official checks before your entry into the UK or France.

The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) which came into force on 28th February 2000 allows cats and dogs resident in the UK to visit certain other countries and return to the UK without quarantine, provided that certain conditions are met. To use this system, you need to comply with the law, down to the last detail. This is to prevent the transmission of disease from country to country.

From 3rd July 2004, the original rules were updated by a new EC Regulation (No. 998/2003) although the UK still uses the original name for the scheme.

For dogs and cats, the new Regulation will allow the rules of the UK Pet Travel Scheme to continue largely unchanged for five years. The main changes relate to the introduction of an EU pet passport for dogs, cats and ferrets, an expanded list of qualifying countries, and the requirements for other species. The pet passport replaces the PETS certificate and the tick and tapeworm certificate. For travel to France, the passport also replaces the PETS 5 certificate. It also replaces the export health certificate for travel to other EU countries.

Only certain sea, air and rail routes between the UK and France are included in the scheme and these are:

1) By ferry, via Boulogne, Caen, Calais, Cherbourg, Dieppe, Dunkerque, Le Havre, Roscoff and St Malo from/to Dover, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth and Newhaven.
2) By rail, via Eurotunnel shuttle service but not Eurostar.
3) By air, via nine French airports from/to London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester. Please check with your airline or tour operator for exact details.

DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and DARD (the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Northern Ireland) have various fact sheets and information available on their websites (see Appendix 1 for contact details).

THE CONDITIONS OF THE SCHEME

All cats and dogs must:

1) Be fitted with a microchip that meets an ISO specification so that it can be read by a standard microchip reader.
2) Only enter the UK/France using an approved transport company and route.
3) Be vaccinated against rabies with an approved vaccine and have booster vaccinations as recommended. Pets must be at least three months old and be already fitted with a microchip before they can be vaccinated.
4) Be blood tested about 30 days after vaccination. If your pet fails the blood test it will have to be vaccinated and tested again until a satisfactory result is shown.
5) Wait at least six months after a successful blood test result before being allowed entry or re-entry into the UK. (Animals must not have been outside any of the listed countries in the six calendar months before entering the UK).
6) Have tick and tapeworm treatment, carried out between 24 and 48 hours by a vet before being checked-in to travel into the UK with the approved transport company.

WHAT DOCUMENTATION DO YOU NEED?

To allow your pet to enter or re-enter the UK:

1) From an EU country, the EU pet passport which replaces the PETS certificate, the certificate of tick and tapeworm treatment (which must still be done each time by a vet 24-48 hours before re-entering the UK) and the declaration of residence that your pet has not been outside any of the qualifying countries in the six months before entering the UK.
2) There are transitional arrangements if your dog or cat has a PETS certificate with a current “valid until” date.
3) Dogs and cats prepared in a non-EU listed country require a third country official veterinary certificate, instead of a PETS certificate, to enter any EU country, including the UK. The certificate includes details of the microchip, rabies vaccination, blood test and tick and tapeworm treatment. Pets with an EU pet passport may re-enter the EU from non-EU listed countries using the passport.
4) Dogs and cats travelling to the EU from an unlisted country must meet EU import requirements before leaving that country. If travelling direct to the UK, this means they will have to be licensed into quarantine for six months on arrival.

HOW DOES THE SCHEME WORK?

Before your pet re-enters the UK, the transport company will check the microchip and the official documents. It is very important that all the conditions have been met.

You are advised to discuss your plans with your vet as early as possible and allow at least seven months before your departure date to take advantage of the scheme.

More pages

Page 1: INTRODUCTION
Page 2: SOME TIPS

www.holidaylettings.co.uk online advertising for home owners abroad

The best villa holidays from James Villas with our hand-picked villas and all the support you need in resort, we're the number one choice

Find your perfect holiday home - over 250,000 homes worldwide to chose from

Holiday home insurance from intasure - Click Here UK insurance for your property overseas