Pet Passports

not for every country.

It is now possible to take your dog or cat with you when go abroad and not face a six month quarantine when you come back. In order to do this, your pet will need a Pet Passport. We issue these on behalf the Scottish Office (SERAD) after certain terms of the PETS Travel Scheme have been met.

Your pet must be uniquely identifiable - we use a microchip. Secondly, the pet must be vaccinated against rabies (one dose only required) and thirdly, we must show that your pet has enough antibodies (immune) after vaccination. To do this, we take a blood sample at least 2 weeks after vaccination. If this passes (most do), then a passport can be issued and you are free to travel back and forward to the UK ...BUT...

The only proviso is that a period of 6 months must pass from the date of the blood sample, before your pet can return to the UK. Thereafter you are free to come and go whenever you want. Your passport can be issued as soon as the blood result is back and you can go abroad, BUT you can't come back without quarantene until 6 months have lapsed. Always check with SERAD (see link below) if you plan to go to a new country, as not all counties are covered by this scheme, but it is standardised throughout the EU. Vaccinations must also be boosted with annual or bi-annual boosters, depending on the rabies vaccine used. Our present rabies vaccine lasts for 3 years. The passport details the date to which it is valid and a booster vacination must be done prior to this date - not on the day or the day after, otherwise you need the blood tests all over again. Parkside uses Nobivac Rabies, which lasts for 3 years. If you become resident in some countires, their local laws may insist on annual rabies vaccinations.

In addition, before you return, your pet must be dewormed and treated for ticks, using approved medicines and signed off in the appropriate Passport section by a Vet in the country from where you are returning, between 24 and 48 hours before coming back. This means that if you were to go for a day-trip with your dog to France, you would have to have these treatments in this country, before you even leave. That's the rules. Only certain ports and airports can be used for entry into the UK - check on the links below.

 You can go to the DEFRA web site for an explanation of Travelling with Pets - from "the horse's mouth" - just CLICK HERE and links from there will show you the latest list of qualifying countries as well as any recent updates or changes. 

The Pet Travel scheme full details from DEFRA are :HERE
HELPLINE 0870 241 1710 fax 01245 351162 

For top tips from DEFRA - CLICK HERE