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Pet Travel Scheme (PETS)
Part One – The Rules
To enter or re-enter the UK from other EU countries without quarantine your pet (cat, dog or ferret) must be microchipped & vaccinated against rabies. They must be issued with an EU pet passport and treated against tapeworms.
Where PETS procedures can be carried out
Your pet can be fitted with a microchip in any country. Rabies vaccinations & tapeworm treatment must be carried out in the UK or any of the listed countries
Part Two – Preparing Your Pet
Step 1: The Microchip
Your pet must be fitted with a microchip. We recommend that it meets ISO Standard 11784 or 11785. If the microchip does not meet one of these standards you must provide a reader that can read the microchip number at the time of inspection.
Step 2: The Rabies Vaccination
When To Vaccinate
Pets being prepared to enter or re-enter the UK must be vaccinated in accordance with the recommendation of the vaccine manufacturer’s data sheet. They must be vaccinated after a microchip has been implanted. We will read the microchip before we vaccinate your pet.
If your pet was vaccinated before the microchip was fitted, it will have to be vaccinated again. This is to make sure that it correctly identified when vaccinated.
Booster Vaccinations
After your pet has been vaccinated, it will need booster vaccinations. These must be given by the “Valid Until” date in Section IV of the passport and be recorded on the vaccination record and in Section IV of the passport.
If the booster is missed, your pet will have to be vaccinated again and have to wait another 3 weeks before travelling.
Step 3: The Blood Test
As of the 1st January 2012 it is now no longer compulsory to demonstrate an effective antibody response to the rabies vaccine and animals can travel 21 days after the date of vaccination.
Step 4: Documentation
After your pet all these steps have been achieved correctly, you will then be able to obtain an EU pet passport.
Step 5: Treatment Against Parasites
Before your pet can enter, the UK, they must be treated against tapeworms. Any vet in the EU can give the treatment. You must not do it yourself. Make sure the vet reads the microchip before treatment.
Your pet must be treated not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours before being checked in with an approved transport company to travel to the UK. The treatment must be given every time your pet travels into the UK.
The product used the tapeworm treatment must contain praziquantel.
It is no longer necessary to treat for ticks prior to entry to the UK
These treatments are to stop the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis from entering the UK. These parasites can carry diseases, which can infect other animals and human causing illness and sometimes death.
Part Three – Travelling To The UK
Countries, which your pet can travel freely to, are subject to change. We advise that you log on to the DEFRA website for the latest situation, or ring the helpline 0870 241 1710 (Monday – Friday 08.30 to 17.00).
Health & Welfare of Your Pet
When abroad your pet may come into contact with animal diseases, which we do not have in the UK. Some of these diseases can be fatal or make them seriously ill. Some can affect humans.
Also consider the welfare needs of your pet and actually, whether your pet will benefit from travelling with you. Long or thick haired dogs may not enjoy a trip to Spain in the height of summer!
If your pet becomes ill after returning to the UK, please let us know where you have been so we can investigate the possibilities of diseases not normally found in the UK.