Pet Passport

If you live in Great Britain electronic tagging is mandatory if you wish to travel abroad with your pet. The Peddymark microchip becomes part of the "pet passport". By microchipping your pet with PeddyMark, all the animal and owners information is recorded on the Petlog National Database and you receive the following benefits:

  • 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week reunification service
  • A fully staffed helpline
  • The only UK member of the European Pet Network. That means if your pet is found in Europe, authorised agencies can bring you and your pet back together

Pet Passport Scheme

A pet cat or dog, including guide and hearing dogs, will have to meet certain conditions to be able to enter or re-enter the UK without quarantine. It will have to be:

  1. Identified with a microchip
  2. Vaccinated against rabies (but not before it is 3 months old)
  3. Blood tested at an EU-approved laboratory and get a satisfactory result
  4. Issued with an EU pet passport or, in a non-EU listed country, a official third country veterinary certificate
  5. Treated against ticks and tapeworms

For dogs and cats entering or re-entering the UK these steps must be carried out in the order shown.

A dog or cat may not enter or re-enter the UK under PETS until 6 calendar months have passed from the date that the blood sample which gave a satisfactory test result was taken.

The Procedures

  • Have your pet microchipped
    Before any of the other procedures for PETS are carried out, your pet must be fitted with a microchip so that it can be properly identified.
  • Have your pet vaccinated
    After the microchip has been fitted your pet must be vaccinated against rabies. There is no exemption to this requirement, even if your pet has a current rabies vaccination.
  • Arrange a blood test
    After your pet has been vaccinated, it must be blood tested to make sure that the vaccine has given it a satisfactory level of protection against rabies.
  • Get PETS documentation
    For animals being prepared in an EU country, you should get an EU pet passport. If you are preparing your animal in a non-EU listed country you will need to obtain an official third country veterinary certificate although note that Gibraltar and Switzerland are also issuing passports.
  • Animals can also enter the UK using a PETS certificate issued before 1 October 2004 until its “valid until” date. Certificates issued on or after that date will not be acceptable for entry to the UK.
  • Before your pet enters the UK, it must be treated against ticks and a tapeworm. Your pet must be treated against ticks and a tapeworm not less than 24 hours and not more than 48 hours before it is checked in with an approved transport company for its journey into the UK.
  • Arrange for your animal to travel with an approved transport company on an authorised route. Your pet must entr the UK from a listed country travelling with an approved transport company on an authorised route.

For further information please refer to
www.defra.gov.uk

Further useful information on travelling with your pets can be found at www.petsandtravel.co.uk