The reproachful eyes of your pet as you deposit him or her at kennels that seem to charge almost as much as first-class hotels, may linger in the memory long after you settle into your villa. If instead the animal is boarded out with some well-meaning, if not entirely reliable, friend or relative, almost as much money may be spent on phone calls throughout the holiday, dealing with one mini-crisis after another. Taking a cat or dog with you is now a feasible, and increasingly attractive, alternative.
But not at short notice. There are six separate conditions that must be met to ensure that your pet will be allowed back into the United Kingdom at the end of your time abroad:
- Microchip: your pet must be fitted with one by your vet to ensure that it can be satisfactorily identified
- Vaccination: your pet must be vaccinated against rabies
- Blood test: your pet must have a blood test at an EU-approved UK laboratory, arranged by your vet, to ensure that the vaccination has given it a satisfactory level of protection
- Pet passport: issued by a government-authorized vet, this must show your pet’s microchip number and date inserted, its vaccination record and blood test result
- Treatment against ticks and tapeworm: at the end of the holiday, see below
- Travel with an approved company on an authorised route: all Channel crossings arranged by Dominique’s Villas comply
- An interval of six months and one day between the date the satisfactory blood test was taken (not the date the sample is subsequently tested) and the date of re-entry into the UK
This re-entry date is not shown in the pet passport so it is important to make a careful note of it. For example, if the blood test was taken on 1 May, your pet would not be allowed back into the UK, however long or short its time away, until 2 November.
Even then, your pet has to undergo treatment against ticks and tapeworm by a vet between 24 and 48 hours before you check in for the return passage at the ferry port. If you arrive too soon after the vaccination, you will have to wait until 24 hours has elapsed; too late, and you will have to go through the process again.
To find a vet in France to treat your pet, visit the French yellow pages (
www.pagesjaunes.fr) and enter veterinaire under ‘Activité’ and the town you are likely to be in between 24 and 48 hours prior to departure under ‘Localité’. It is advisable to make sure in advance that the vet can administer the treatment and issue the correct certificate on a date and at a time that ensures you and your pet will arrive at the ferry terminal for the return trip within the required ‘window’.
The French vet must use the official public certificate, shown below. A private certificate or letter on headed paper will not be accepted. The certificate must show your pet’s microchip number, the date and time of treatment, and products used by the vet, which must include praziquantel to treat tapeworm. The vet must sign, date and stamp the certificate.
The treatment against ticks and tapeworm is required for each re-entry into the UK. However, provided vaccination boosters are carried out before the last date shown in the pet passport, no other blood tests or documentation are necessary.
If there is sufficient time, it may be worthwhile getting your pet vaccinated twice before it has a blood test, to ensure that it passes, because some vaccinations are unsuccessful, particularly where young animals are involved.
Other animals, such as guinea pigs, mice and rabbits, can be taken in and out of the UK without a passport or vaccinations. Not all parents will be eager to admit this to their children, of course…
Over 50% of Dominique’s Villas’ property owners accept pets.
Article from our May 2005 Newsletter
