Pet Passport Scheme ends for UK
PET TRAVEL UPDATE
We have been informed by the government, last night, that the UK will have ‘Part 2’ listed status for pets traveling to the EU after 01/01/2021.
What this means is that all existing UK Pet Passports (see the attached photo) will no longer be valid for travel from 01/01/2021. We hope this message will be read by anyone holding such a passport, but please forward this information on to anyone you know who has such a document so they can be prepared.
From 2300 GMT on 31/12/20 any pet traveling to the EU from the UK will need to be issued with an ‘Animal Health Certificate’ (AHC) by your vet.
The vital things to know about the AHC is that they are ONLY valid for:
• 10 days after the date of issue for entry into the EU – i.e. they cannot be issued to you more than 10 days before you travel
• A single trip for entry to the EU – they cannot be reused
• Onward travel within the EU for 4 months after the date of issue
• Re-entry to GB for 4 months after the date of issue.
Unfortunately, veterinary surgeons are not permitted to issue any AHCs until after 22/12/2020.
These AHC are issued as bilingual documents; you will only be able to enter the EU if you hold the correct document for the country you first arrive in. Thus pet owners cannot change their country entry point into the EU once the AHC is completed, otherwise a new AHC would need to be issued.
In addition, as these are large, 10 page, documents that will require a considerable time to complete, and can only be filled by certified veterinary surgeons, it is likely all veterinary practices will be very limited in the number that can be completed prior to 01/01/2021.
This means there may be delays in the issuing of such documents by veterinary practices, and we thank our clients in advance for their patience with this process at this extremely challenging time.
Finally, it should be noted that animals younger than 12 weeks of age are no longer permitted to be exported, and that travel is not permitted until 21 days after Rabies vaccination.
Comments
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Will we also have to start the rabies treatment from scratch as well? I thought we only had to do that if we became an ‘unlisted’ country, and the GOV.UK website doesn’t appear to answer that question.
Val, please could you direct us to the source of your information?
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Ron, it is my understanding that we will become an "unlisted" country. We jumped thru the hoops of the rabies vaccination in 2019 when it looked like we would leave with no deal etc, jumping thru these hoops took nearly 4 months to complete, and things could be worse this time around.
Whilst we are in the EU UK labs are classified as EU labs and that is where the blood samples from your pouch have to go to test for rabies antibodies, when we did this it took approx 10 days to return the results, BUT, once we leave the EU will UK labs still be able to carry out these tests or will they have to be shipped across the channel ???more delays ???.
Once you have jumped thru these hoops you can keep your pouch valid by having a booster jab every 2 years.
If you are planning on taking pouch abroad next year i would talk to your vet now, to avoid any misunderstanding or delay , good luck.
our pouch failed the test first time round, i.e. insufficient antibodies so had to have second injection, but you have to wait i think 30 days from having injection to taking blood , and even if you pass the test i think you have to wait 30 days before you can travel, but check with your vet things could have changed....dont want to be a prophet of doom, but it is possible your pouch will never have sufficient antibodies so will never be able to travel whilst we remain an "unlisted" country
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Rufs, Val’s post says that we will have ‘Part 2 listed status’ rather than Part 1 listed or Unlisted and If we become Unlisted, then you are correct. My question refers to the status in Val’s post. I can’t see anything about this on the government website, although there is plenty of info about Unlisted status.
I’ve found some info about Part 2 on a vet’s website which says that the current documents will still be valid but we would still need the paperwork that Val mentions.0 -
I think Govt ministers are dropping hints that we will be Part 2 Listed rather than unlisted. If that's the case then the Titre rabies antibodies test will not be needed. The AHC will of course be required.
Like Rufs we went for the titre test last year to cover all bases. Fortunately she passed. Hopefully, it won't be required in future.
The Gov UK website will no doubt be updated when the UK status is confirmed.
We won't be going abroad until we get the vaccination (not for rabies
) and travel is "permitted", ie the FO doesn't advise against.A further thought. We normally sail BF to Spain, however if the ferry is cancelled due to bad weather there may be a problem with the 10-day AHC window (we will already have used 2-3 days of that travelling down to Portsmouth). If you need to travel to the country for which the AHC has the language translation, then you couldn't divert via France, if I read this correctly. We may decide to sail to France instead of Spain to avoid this potential problem.
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Yes.....and the below paragraph for me would be the most relevant
"To make sure your pet is able to travel from Great Britain to the EU from 1 January 2021, you should contact your vet at least 4 months before travelling to get the latest advice"
and that is what i have been posting, have to say "been there got the tee shirt "
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You could say 'it's all gone to the dogs'
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We have decided that our dog is staying with our daughter in future when we go to France / Spain. Although her rabies is up to date in anticipation (of a since cancelled trip to Spain last March) we can't be ar**d with all the new formalities - also she is 13 now and we don't want to stress her with travelling and potential heat over there in summer.
Thanks for the updates everyone.
Paul
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So no real change then other than you go to UK vet 10 days before travel instead of going to European vet 5 days before return. Really don't see an issue.
Boost for UK vets to fill in AHC and no doubt charge handsomely for it rather than one of their continental cousins.
Time to start looking to use those Eurotunnel cancellation vouchers and accommodation deposits!
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You're right about charging handsomely. It's a ten page document, and quotes from vets seem to be upwards from £100 per certificate, per trip, so a bit more than the 11 euros my son paid a continental vet for his dog's visit on his last trip. And even worse for cat owners like us who didn't require the vet visit, just the passport.
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I've been reading all the updated guidance on the government website and other places. These new certificates are going to be around £100 per dog per trip, which will really add to the cost of our trips a la continent!!
From what I've read it seems that a pet passport issued in the EU (not the UK) is valid or travel both ways.
So is it possible, practical or indeed legal to get new pet passports issued in France on our next trip?? Not that i'm tight or anything, but we have 3 dogs, and travel 2 or 3 times a year.
Any thoughts??
Happy New Year
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Those who have a house in France are certainly getting French / EU pet passports to use when they visit UK, but will a French vet require an address in France before issuing a new passport ? I can't answer that , so suggest you phone DEFRA to ask.
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The additonal medical requirements that will be needed to take your pet abroad are an unfortunate consequence of leaving the EU, and this will be an additional worry for e.g. guide dogs, but diseases such as rabies are still with us and just because your dog is a guide dog does not mean that it could not catch/carry rabies and infect other dogs, humans even, highly unlikley, but we will join the EU list of unlisted countries and vaccinations against rabies is a requirement, as is the additional medical check each time you leave the UK for an EU country.
Personally these additional requirements do not bother me, we routinely have our dog vaccinated against a disease known as Leachmani, prevelant in Spain, however, there is no legal requirement for your dog to have this vaccination, we just get it done so that we know he is protected.
I know guide dog owners are very protective of their dogs, so if it is a requirement it will be adhered to.
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In more ways than one.
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I'm considering exploring the route of a French pet passport on our next visit whenever that may be. I'm also considering a French passport for me as I have a French mother.
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Has anyone gleaned any information re the viability of obtaining an EU pet passport whilst on holiday? I’ve been reading through the regulations and - unless I’m missing something - this seems to be a fairly straightforward process and significantly cheaper than the AHC now required for each trip. I’ve contacted several vets to get a price and they are generally well over £100, although the most eye-watering quote was for £160. This was made up of the fee for filling in the form plus a consultation fee.
If a French address is required for the pet passport, we have several friends who could help out.0 -
We are fortunate in that our Spaniel has a French Pet Passport - issued at Calais as the bag in which we had her passport was stolen in Spain. The vet in Spain reissued the passport for a very reasonable Euros 10 but made a mistake and we were refused boarding at Le Shuttle for both dogs. New pet passports were issued at a cost of Euros 50 in Calais - the elder died in 2018. So a word of caution - if you are fortunate in getting the passport reissued - double check the entries and specifically the dates of innoculations which have to be way before the issue date of the new passport.
I spoke to the Authorities here a few weeks back and they confirmed that the dog can remain on her French passport but said that No UK vet is allowed to write in that passport, So if you need the rabies or other booster then this will need to be done by a European Vet and not one in GB.
Maybe you need to check with a French Vet as to whether they will issue a passport to a British Dog - perhaps your friends can make a call to the local veterinaire (in France). However on the basis that the owner will not have a Residence Permit - it might be more complicated than it seems.
The Authorities seem to have this one "sown up" in that UK Vets are not allowed to write in the passport ...... Would be interested to hear the results of your enquiries.
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I'm in the process of getting my dogs ready for a trip to France and Spain towards the end of August. I've got my head around what needs to be done from this side to get the dogs out to France but I am still unsure of the process for coming back. I understand the need to visit a vet in France (my point of return to the UK) but what does the vet sign / issue to confirm the dogs have had the treatment? Having seen the indicated cost of obtaining a AHC I wonder what the vets in Europe will charge.
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Barney, you will still have to see an overseas vet for worm treatment for your dog - between 24 and 120 hours before returning to UK - the cost will vary as outlined in the List of Vets "sticky" thread at the top of this page. The vet will record that treatment on your UK Animal Health Certificate .
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There is a section on the Animal Health Certificate - page 4 section 11.4 - that allows a European Vet to sign and stamp that the relevant treatment for return to the UK in much the same way as the previous Pet Passport scheme used to work.
A full blank copy of the AHC can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pet-travel-apply-for-a-gb-pet-health-certificate
with the recommended price being £106.00 each! Not cheap for sure ...
Validity is 10 days from issue and expiry within 90 days of entry to the EU.
Hope this helps!
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Thank you eurotraveller and Oxfordeagle15 for your replies both very helpful.
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