Pet Passport Scheme ends for UK

PET TRAVEL UPDATE

We have been informed by the government, last night, that the UK will have ‘Part 2’ listed status for pets traveling to the EU after 01/01/2021.

What this means is that all existing UK Pet Passports (see the attached photo) will no longer be valid for travel from 01/01/2021. We hope this message will be read by anyone holding such a passport, but please forward this information on to anyone you know who has such a document so they can be prepared.

From 2300 GMT on 31/12/20 any pet traveling to the EU from the UK will need to be issued with an ‘Animal Health Certificate’ (AHC) by your vet.

The vital things to know about the AHC is that they are ONLY valid for:
• 10 days after the date of issue for entry into the EU – i.e. they cannot be issued to you more than 10 days before you travel
• A single trip for entry to the EU – they cannot be reused
• Onward travel within the EU for 4 months after the date of issue
• Re-entry to GB for 4 months after the date of issue.

Unfortunately, veterinary surgeons are not permitted to issue any AHCs until after 22/12/2020.
These AHC are issued as bilingual documents; you will only be able to enter the EU if you hold the correct document for the country you first arrive in. Thus pet owners cannot change their country entry point into the EU once the AHC is completed, otherwise a new AHC would need to be issued.

In addition, as these are large, 10 page, documents that will require a considerable time to complete, and can only be filled by certified veterinary surgeons, it is likely all veterinary practices will be very limited in the number that can be completed prior to 01/01/2021.

This means there may be delays in the issuing of such documents by veterinary practices, and we thank our clients in advance for their patience with this process at this extremely challenging time.

Finally, it should be noted that animals younger than 12 weeks of age are no longer permitted to be exported, and that travel is not permitted until 21 days after Rabies vaccination.