Pet Passports Explained

The pet passport explained

In years gone by, it would have been very difficult for pet owners to take their companions abroad, even if they had a clean bill of health. Months of potentially traumatic quarantine for the animal, and seemingly endless unhappy days for the owner were the norm.

The rules were in place to protect the country from rabies and other diseases, even though countries such as the UK have virtually eradicated rabies in pets. In the whole time quarantine has been in effect there has never been a case of rabies detected at the quarantine centres.

So effectively they were a waste of time and money. They were also very traumatic for the dogs. Many ended with behavioural problems or even died whilst they were incarcerated for six months in the many quarantine centres around the country.

Therefore, the Pet Travel Scheme was established in order for pets to travel from countries with good records in regards to rabies and disease prevention.

It’s meant that lots of pets have been able to join their owners when they go abroad for a long period of time without the stress and pain of quarantine. Thousands of pet owners have benefited from the scheme so far, and with the scheme being relatively straightforward, many more are set to take advantage of it.

A Pet Passport is essential for your animal to be eligible to utilise the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), which allows dogs, cats and ferrets to travel to selected countries without a lengthy quarantine, and also travel to EU countries and back again.

Passports for pets are issued by government-authorised local Veterinary Inspectors. Any vets who aren’t approved are not able to issue pet passports, so check that they have the relevant documentation.

A pet passport is a means of allowing your pet to travel between certain qualifying countries (mainly the EU & a few others) as often as you like during the life of the passport without export certificates or chip and a rabies vaccination. The passport can be  issued, 21 days after the rabies vaccination.

There are a number of criteria that your pet must meet in order to get a pet passport.

These are as follows:

– A microchip under the pet’s skin, which allows vets and officials to scan the animal and check its identity corresponds to the information on the passport.

– A vaccination against rabiies

– 14 days after rabies vaccination the passport can be issued. (Some Vets will recommend a booster at this time) It is NOT a requirement for the passport. You may wish to read my article on vaccinations on my home page under The Dangers of Annual Vaccinations -.

– If your vet issues the passport after that 14 day period has passed. However you still have to wait 21 days after rabies jab before you can travel.

– Most initial rabies jabs are give at 3 months old at the earliest.

– Day 35 – You are free to travel between participating countries. Your pet can leave at anytime but may not re-enter until this 35 day criteria is in place

– The requirement to have your pet treated for ticks and tapeworms between 24 and 48 hours before landing in the UK has changed, with the need to treat for ticks no longer rquired, and treatment againsttapeworms is now 1 to 5 days prior to travelling