In the UK, it is against the law to travel abroad with your pet without a Pet Passport. Don’t risk your dog’s life by going without one!
Find out just how easy it is to get one below so you can stay on the right side of the law.
To make sure that you’ll be able to bring your dog back into the UK (whenever that will be), and comply with the Pet Travel Scheme which has been in operation since 2000, you’ll need to get a Pet Passport for them from your Vet.
This website and also this website have a lot of useful information if you’d like to know more.
To get a passport you need to have your dog microchipped. The chip needs to be scanned (to prove it’s been inserted correctly) and the details written into the passport.
They must be at least 12 weeks of age to get this done. (Scrappy was 12 weeks and 6 days old when he was microchipped!)
AFTER (NOT before) your dog has been microchipped, they need to get a rabies vaccination (this can be done at the same appointment as long as the microchip is inserted first).
The details of this also must be recorded in the passport.
You must then wait 21 days before you can travel. (The youngest dogs allowed into the UK are 15 weeks old to allow for the wait time after receiving their rabies jab.)
The first jab lasts for one year (unless you come from Jersey, Channel Islands!) and the booster jabs can last up to three years.
The initial vaccination Scrappy had was valid for one year – we didn’t renew it before the year was up so we had to get a second (one) year vaccination done before we left.
The second vaccination was due to expire whilst we were in Jersey. We found a Vets there and had the booster vaccination done so Scrappy is covered for three more years.
They seemed surprised there that he needed a booster done though as they sign the initial vaccination off for three years (not one year) so it’s worth checking what your vet does!
If you let the vaccine lapse then you’ll have to wait 21 days again before you can travel. If you get a booster before the previous one runs out then no waiting time is needed.
Something to keep an eye on in the future for when you’re travelling between countries is that not all countries will accept the three year booster jab – they need your dog to have been vaccinated within the previous 12 months.
Check each country you plan to visit ahead of time (so you can get a booster jab done if needed), so you don’t have any nasty surprises on arrival or an uncomfortable sail back to where you came from…!
For pets travelling to unlisted Third countries (those with a high-risk of rabies), before returning to the EU, they also need to get a Rabies Antibody Titration Test (blood test) test done to make sure the Rabies vaccination has taken and your dog is protected from Rabies. Please read page 12 of this document for more information if this applies to you.
We made the decision to get Scrappy’s blood tested during our time in Falmouth, UK as we plan to travel much further in the near future and some of the countries we are planning to stop at in the Caribbean require it.
It was a simple procedure at the Vets.
We booked Scrappy in and after checking his health was good and his weight, the Vet shaved a small section on his neck and took a small blood sample into a test tube.
The blood sample was then sent off to be tested and we received the result a few weeks later.
There aren’t many places in the world where this test can be sent for testing so make sure time is factored in to wait for the results before travelling.
Once the Vets had received Scrappy’s blood test results, we went back for another appointment for them to complete the relevant sections in his passport and ensure we had a paper copy of the results to keep with his passport.
Depending on which country you intend to visit there may also be further paperwork that needs completing either prior to travel or on arrival. Have a look at this website to find out more (use the drop-down menu to select the country(-ies) you plan to visit. They also have a page specifically for travelling on a private yacht.
Keep in mind that the website is designed for people travelling from the USA so further research may be required depending on where you are departing from.
Before you travel anywhere (even before you leave the vets!) check that they have filled in the following sections:
⦿ Details of ownership (which you must sign) [page 4];
⦿ Description of animal [page 5];
⦿ Marking or Identification of animal [page 6];
⦿ Issuing of the Passport (Vet’s details) [page 7];
⦿ Vaccination against Rabies [page 8];
⦿ Rabies Blood Test (if needed ) [page 12];
⦿ Anti-Echinococcus Treatment (your dog’s tapeworm treatment) (if needed*) [page 14]
Although I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere official, there is a ‘Clinical Examination’ page for a Vet to sign a declaration stating your pet is fit for transport [page 28]. [*I’ll touch more on this in the “Returning to the UK” section in a later blog post.]
I think these are all the sections that need completing in the passport but do not hold me to this! Speak to your Vet and do your own research also to make sure you are 100% covered to travel abroad with your dog!
The rabies vaccination is one thing you’ll need to keep on top of as it expires after a certain amount of time and you’ll need to get a booster done.
There are other sections that can be completed in your passport before travel such as other vaccinations. I talk about those here.
I hope that this was helpful and gives you an idea of what you need to do before you start traveling with your dog.
As the UK is in the process of leaving the EU due to Brexit, this may change after the 31st December 2020. We are keeping an eye on it all as it will affect us travelling with Scrappy so I’ll update this page when we find out more.
Is this more or less to do than you expected?