Implementation date of the EU Regulation on the movement of pet animals

The European Commission have confirmed that this Regulation is implemented from 3 July 2004. However, there is a transitional period when Member States may run their national rules and the new EU system concurrently until 30 September 2004.

You can still use your pets certificate to enter or re-enter the UK until it expires. Vets can also issue pets certificates until 30 September 2004 which can be used until they expire.

· Passports are now being issued to pet owners by Local Veterinary Inspectors. You are strongly advised to get a passport but if you have to travel before you can get one you can still get and use a pets certificate.
· If your dog or cat is travelling abroad with a pets certificate to enter another EU country before 30 September 2004 you are advised for additional reassurance to also get an Export Health Certificate (or a pets 5 for France). For more advice on how to get one, contact your local Animal Health Divisional Office.
· Dogs, cats and ferrets must be treated against ticks and tapeworms before being allowed to enter the UK. For pets with passports the treatment will be recorded in that document. For dogs and cats with pets certificates, you will need to get an official tick and tapeworm certificate from a vet in the country in which your pet is treated. This certificate will only be available in certain countries. More information is given below in the section on transitional arrangements.
· Dogs, cats and ferrets must not have been outside any of the qualifying countries in the 6 calendar months immediately before travelling to the UK and must enter the UK using an approved transport company and route.
· See below for more information on ferrets, and domestic rabbits and rodents.

EU Regulation on the movement of pet animals

The European Regulation on the animal health requirements for the non-commercial movement of pet animals was published on 13 June 2003 as EC Regulation No. 998/2003. It came into force on 3 July 2003 and will apply from 3 July 2004. The Regulation can be downloaded from the European Union (EU) website.

The Regulation sets out the requirements for the movement of pet animals (dogs, cats and ferrets) travelling within the European Community, and into the Community from non-EU countries. It also refers to importation requirements applying to rodents, domestic rabbits, birds (except certain poultry), ornamental tropical fish, invertebrates (except bees and crustaceans), amphibians and reptiles. We are still waiting for more information from Brussels about requirements relating to some of these species.

For dogs and cats, the Regulation will allow the rules of the UK Pet Travel Scheme to continue largely unchanged for 5 years. The main changes relate to the introduction of a pet passport for dogs, cats and ferrets, an expanded list of qualifying countries, and the requirements for other species.

We have produced a brief of questions and answers about the Regulation which will be updated as necessary.

EU pet passport

Dogs, cats and ferrets meeting the necessary requirements may move between EU Member States if they are accompanied by an EU pet passport. All these countries will recognise this document. The final version of this passport was published on 27 November in the Official Journal of the European Union L312. You can view and print the passport from the European Union website. Certain non-EU listed countries may also issue a passport. Gibraltar will do so.

This passport will replace the existing pets 1 certificate and will be accepted for entry to the UK from other Member States and from other qualifying countries. It will also replace the pets 5 and other documents currently required to enter EU countries. There are some special arrangements for pet owners whose animals have a valid pets certificate (see transitional arrangements below).

If you are currently preparing your animal for pets, you are strongly advised to get a passport instead of a pets certificate. However, if you have to travel before you can get one you should get a pets certificate. If you are exchanging your pets certificate for a pet passport, you must take to the vet your pet's vaccination record and the date it was microchipped. Your vet may already have these details but if you have a record of the date it was microchipped, please take it with you. The date must be entered in section III of the passport. You must continue to vaccinate your pet against rabies on time.

Passports may only be issued by Panel 2 Local Veterinary Inspectors (LVIs) and are now being made available to pet owners. Check with your surgery that they are issuing passports.

The passport contains details of the pet owner and the animal including its microchip number, the date it was microchipped, rabies vaccination and blood test details. There are also sections to record the tick and tapeworm treatment. Dogs and cats entering or re-entering the UK need to comply with all these requirements. If the animal is going to an EU country and not returning to the UK, all that will be required are the microchip and vaccination details recorded in a passport*. The blood test required for UK entry can be carried out if necessary after the animal has travelled to another qualifying country. See below for requirements for ferrets.

* Note that for entry to Sweden and, from qualifying countries other than the UK, the
Republic of Ireland, a satisfactory blood test and tick and tapeworm treatment are also
required. Check with your local Animal Health Divisional Office or the authorities of the
country concerned for more details about entering those countries. There are no
requirements for animals travelling between the UK and Ireland.

The passport does not have a section for a "Valid from" date to be recorded. This is the date from which the passport can be used to enter or re-enter the UK. It is calculated as follows: for dogs and cats it is 6 calendar months from the date the blood sample was taken which gave a satisfactory blood test result (this is the date shown in the first paragraph of section V of the passport). Your pet requires only one satisfactory blood test and 6 month wait provided the subsequent rabies booster vaccinations are given by the required. Details relating to ferrets are given below.

Non-EU countries certificate

A Decision establishing an official veterinary certificate to accompany pet dogs, cats and ferrets entering the EU (including the UK) from non-EU countries has been published. (Please note that in the "Notes for guidance" on this certificate, the heading at "(A)" has now been corrected to read "Entry in a Member State other than Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom"). This certificate must be accompanied by supporting documentation, originals or certified copies, of the vaccination record and, for dogs and cats, the blood test result, both bearing the animal’s microchip number.

You need to be aware of the following. The certificate will not become valid for entry to the UK for 6 calendar months from the date shown in section V. However, it is only valid for entry to the EU and subsequent travel within the EU for 4 months from the date it was signed or endorsed, or until the ‘valid until’ date shown in Part IV, whichever is earlier. You should therefore delay getting the certificate until a month or two before you travel to ensure that it will still be valid when you enter the UK.

The certificate does not have a section for a "Valid from" date to be recorded. This is the date from which the certificate can be used to enter or re-enter the UK. It is calculated as follows: for dogs and cats it is 6 calendar months from the date the blood sample was taken which gave a satisfactory blood test result (this is the date shown in the first box of section V of the passport). For ferrets, it is 6 calendar months from the date of the rabies vaccination.

Current certificates

From 1 October 2004, vets will not issue pets re-entry certificates (pets 1), pets 5 certificates or, for movement of dogs and cats within the EU, Export Health Certificates.

Qualifying countries

Dogs, cats and ferrets will be able to enter the UK from qualifying countries provided they meet the relevant requirements. The EU has published the list of qualifying countries. All pets-qualifying countries are in the list except Northern (Turkish) Cyprus.

All the new accession countries became qualifying countries on 3 July 2004. These countries are Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. Cyprus and Malta are already pets countries. Some other countries have also been added to the list and qualified from 3 July. They are Aruba, Croatia, the Faroe Islands, French Guyana, Greenland, the Grenadines, the Netherlands Antilles and St Pierre & Miquelon. There are not yet any approved routes from these countries to the UK. Animals that enter the UK on an unapproved route must be licensed into quarantine with a view to obtaining early release. This must be arranged before the animal travels to the UK.

There will still be free movement within the British Isles, including between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. However, owners with pets documents are advised to take these with them when travelling with their animal. Pets can be carried on any route within the British Isles subject to the transport company's agreement and conditions of carriage.

Transitional arrangements

Special arrangements have been agreed with the EU for dog and cat owners whose animals have valid pets certificates issued before 1 October 2004. The Decision establishing transitional arrangements has been published.

The Decision permits dogs and cats to enter EU countries, except Sweden and the Republic of Ireland which have their own rules, using a valid pets certificate from 3 July 2004. However, we strongly recommend that to avoid confusion or delay you use an EU pet passport or an official veterinary certificate where possible. If you are using a pets certificate to enter another EU country before 30 September 2004 you are advised for additional reassurance to also get an Export Health Certificate (or a pets 5 for France).

Please note that while you can use a pets certificate to enter most EU countries, you will not be able to use the certificate to return direct to the UK from some of them. Question and answer 32 gives more details.

EU countries

· if you travel with your dog or cat from the UK to another EU country it can enter that country using a valid pets certificate. You are also advised to get an Export Health Certificate (or a pets 5 for France) if travelling before 1 October 2004. Your pet will be able to return to the UK using its pets certificate;

Non-EU listed countries

· if you take your pet from the UK to a non-EU listed country you will be able to return to the UK using a valid pets certificate. If you return via an EU country before 1 October 2004 you may be able to enter that EU country with the pets certificate but should check the entry requirements with the authorities of that EU country. From 1 October 2004 you will be able to enter other EU countries using a pets certificate.

EU and non-EU listed countries

· if your pet is resident in an EU country other than the UK, or a non-EU listed country, and has a pets certificate issued before 1 October you will be able to use the certificate to enter the UK until its 'valid until' date;
· animals entering the UK with a pets certificate must also be accompanied by an official tick and tapeworm treatment certificate. You are advised to check in advance that a vet will be able to issue this.

Ferrets

To travel from the UK to another EU country, a ferret must be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and issued with an EU pet passport. There are additional requirements to enter Sweden and, from a country other than UK, the Republic of Ireland. Check with your local Animal Health Divisional Office or the authorities of the country concerned for more details.

To enter or re-enter the UK from a listed country without quarantine a ferret must, in this order, be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and issued with an EU pet passport or an official veterinary certificate and be treated against ticks and tapeworms. Ferrets must not have been outside any of the qualifying countries in the 6 calendar months immediately before travelling to the UK and must enter the UK using an approved transport company and route.

There are no requirements for ferrets travelling between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

· The 6 month rule for entering the UK

(a) Ferrets from non-EU listed countries
Your ferret may not enter or re-enter the UK under pets from a non-EU listed country until 6 calendar months have passed from the date that a vet vaccinated it against rabies. Once a vet has signed section IV of the passport or section V of the official veterinary certificate and that 6 month period has passed, the document becomes valid for your pet to enter the UK.

Ferrets from non-EU listed countries which travel to the UK via another EU country are also subject to the 6 month rule.

(b) Ferrets from EU countries

The 6 month rule does not apply to ferrets entering the UK either direct from an EU country or via other EU countries. However, it does apply to ferrets entering the UK from an EU country via a non-EU listed country.

Where a six month wait applies, your ferret must undertake it only once provided the subsequent rabies booster vaccinations are given by the required date.

Pet rabbits and rodents

From 3 July 2004 the following will apply:
· When imported into the UK from another EU country or from Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland or the Vatican there will be no rabies requirements. This means that currently there are no requirements for these animals when entering the UK from these countries. The EU may impose conditions on the movement of these animals at a later date.
· Animals from these countries will be able to enter the UK on any route at any point of entry.
· Animals in quarantine in the UK which came from any of these countries will become eligible for early release.
· When imported into the UK from any other country, animals must be licensed into quarantine for 6 months. The EU may revise this requirement at a later date.

Further information

We have now issued new fact sheets on the EU Regulation and the rules for travelling with dogs and cats. Further fact sheets on ferrets and other species will be available shortly. We will continue to update this website with more information as it becomes available. Please contact the pets Helpline if you need further information.

Commercially traded animals

The Regulation also makes some amendments to the Balai Directive on commercially traded animals (Council Directive 92/65/EEC of 13 July 1992) which apply from 3 July 2004. For more details on commercially traded animals contact Defra's International Animal Health Division on 020 7904 6415 (e-mail: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text93274 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ).