Pet travel to Europe after Brexit

As March 29th looms the future of the UK remains uncertain. There is a possibility that we will be leaving the EU without a deal.

In the event of this the UK may become an unlisted or Part II listed third country this means the current EU passports may not be valid for pets travelling after 29th March 2019 and travel regulations may change. If this is the case your pet would need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC). A Vet that is qualified in issuing passports (OV) can issue you with one of these in place of a Pet Passport. Please note these are long forms and take extra time for the vet to complete.

An AHC is valid for up to 10 days from its date of issue, and up to four months for onward travel within the EU and/or for re-entry to the United Kingdom.

Please do visit the Gov website for up to date information https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit and call us if you would like to make an appointment.

Rules for pet travel:

  1. You must get your dog, cat or ferret microchipped and then vaccinated against rabies be-fore they can travel. Your pet must have a blood sample taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination. You’ll need to talk to your vet about whether you need a rabies vaccination or booster before this test.
  2. Your vet must send the blood sample to an EU-approved blood testing laboratory.
  3. The results of the blood test must show that the vaccination was successful (Your pet must have a rabies antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml).
  4. You must wait 3 months from the date the successful blood sample was taken before you travel.
  5. You must take your pet to an Official Veterinarian (OV), no more than 10 days before travel to get a health certificate.