Clé France

Client's Question: “I’d like to take my dog on holiday to France this year, but have heard that it takes a year to get a pet passport. What do I have to do, and does the process really take that long?”

The Pet Passport allows you to take domestic pets such as dogs and cats out of the U.K and then return without the need for a period of quarantine. If you intend to travel with your pet it is essential to follow the procedure correctly in order to avoid the unnecessary and stressful separation from your beloved family pet that quarantine would bring.

Firstly the pet must be microchipped with an ISO standard microchip, prior to rabies vaccination. Then the animal will be vaccinated against rabies with an approved vaccine, the microchip having been read by a vet just prior to giving the vaccine.

One month later the animal will then receive a blood tested, with the microchip having been read by a vet, to check that the pet has responded favourably to the vaccine and that there are sufficient antibodies against rabies. If the vaccine has no taken it will have to be given again in order to obtain a good result.

The passport can now be issued BUT the date of entry into the UK cannot be earlier than 6 months after the blood test was taken. The passport can be issued before a blood test is taken, but it is not valid for re-entry to the UK. You can have the blood test done in France at a later date.

So for instance, if you began the process on January 1^st with the microchipping and the vaccine, the pet would have the blood test on the 1^st February, and if the results were good would be able to enter the U.K on or after the 1^st August.

You are therefore advised to allow at least 8 months for the process.  

Blog submitted by: Sharon at Cle France.

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