Dogs, cats and ferrets are eligible for a Pet's Passport, giving them the freedom to travel to all countries listed in the scheme. It takes some forward planning to prepare your pet for travel abroad. Allow AT LEAST seven months from the date of the first vaccination to the date of entry into the UK.
Whilst we give an indication of costs involved, they are highly variable across the country and should be treated as guidance only. For example, our local Somerset vet would charge around £160 for the whole procedure, whilst in the Home Counties and London we have heard of charges closer to £400. With those sort of sums involved it does pay to shop around.
Your pet can be prepared by your local veterinary surgery. The steps are, in order:
- Your vet will fit your pet with a microchip. Defra recommend you fit an ISO standard 11784 to 11785 chip. Check with your vet that the chip he is going to fit meets these standards, otherwise there is a risk that it will be unreadable on some scanners. Approximate cost, £25
- Your pet can then be vaccinated against rabies; this may be a single vaccination or require a secondary vaccination a short period later. Your pet must be at least three months old before he can be vaccinated. Approximate cost, £32
- One month after completing the rabies vaccinations your vet will blood test your pet and send the sample to a Defra recognised laboratory to be tested. Approximate cost, £75
- Six months later, if the blood test was successful, your pet can enter the UK under the Passports for Pets scheme
- Before entering or re-entering the UK with your pet he must be treated for ticks and tapeworm by a veterinary surgeon and your pet's passport signed, stamped and dated. This must be done between 24 - 48 hours before check-in for your journey to the UK. At check-in he will be scanned for his microchip and his passport checked. Cost varies considerably
- If travelling by air, the admissions procedures will be followed at the port of arrival
- It is the owner's responsibility to ensure that the documents are correctly completed by the vet and that the pet is scanned and the chip number confirmed at every stage
- The Passport for Pets remains valid until the annual rabies booster vaccination is due
