Hi,
Firstly let me apologise if this has been asked before but can't seem to find the answer.
We are moving to france at the end of the year and are bringing our 2 cats with us. We have no intention of returning to the UK ever......... and want to know what we require to bring the cats over. Our vet seems to think that as we are not returning with the cats then we dont need the passport/microchips only the vaccine. Is this correct or has she got it wrong.
Your help would be appreciated.
steve
Hi Steve
I think your vet may be wrong, I have copy /pasted this on another thread but I think it will help you. Please note that 'pet' means dogs/cats/ ferrets.
This was copied from the defra site http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/factsheet/eufactsheet3_050907.pdf scroll down page to find:
(b) Taking your pet from the UK into other EU countries
To travel from the UK to another EU country, a pet must be microchipped (although some countries accept a tattoo), vaccinated against rabies (although Sweden does not require this when a pet travels direct from the UK) and issued with an EU pet passport. Malta has additional entry requirements and to enter Sweden your pet must be treated for tapeworms with a product containing praziquantel no more than 10 days before entry. Please contact the authorities (e.g. the Embassy) of the country you wish to enter to check the
8
requirements. See also
21 day wait
For EU countries where more stringent entry requirements do not apply, the EU has introduced a wait of 21 days from the date of the first rabies vaccination before a pet can enter those EU countries. However, if the vaccine manufacturer’s datasheet requires more than one vaccination to complete the primary vaccination protocol, the 21 day wait applies from the date of the final vaccination of that protocol. Your vet will advise you further.
Booster vaccinations are valid for entry from the date given
Residence
If your pet stays in another country it may become subject to that country’s rules on residence e.g. pets in France become resident after 3 months. You are advised to check with the authorities of the country what those rules are and what implications becoming resident will have for your pet. For example, some countries require resident pets to have an annual rabies vaccination.
Your cats won't be allowed on the boat or the plane without a passport. If they're going on the plane the airline will probably need a certificate of fitness to travel also. My advice is take them on the boat. Much less traumatic for them.
Remember also they have to be treated for worms and ticks, by your vet, before they travel. Your vet must enter into the passport the date and time when it's done. This must be done more than 24hrs but less than 48hrs before the travel time.
Apart from that microchip. rabies vaccine and satisfactory blood test - but that's all part of the passport procedure.
We just did all this ourselves.
The tapeworm/tick treatment is only required for travel to the UK. It is not a requirement for entry into France.
Bernice
RicandJo wrote: Remember also they have to be treated for worms and ticks, by your vet, before they travel. Your vet must enter into the passport the date and time when it's done. This must be done more than 24hrs but less than 48hrs before the travel time. .
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No. This is only required for a return trip to the UK.
My recommendation (and I make no apology for repeating it) is that despite no desire to return to the UK that you do have your pets blood tested for rabies and microchipped.
Life has a nasty habit of changing the direction you have to take. So consider this when saying you will never return.
You or partner dies - will you want to stay alone in a strange country?
Relative in the UK has an accident and one or both of you have to return to tend or bury them.
and so on.
Unless you have absolutely no loinks or ties with the UK, never say you will never return.
Learn from one who had to attend a family funeral at a time when all of the catteries were full.
andyh4 wrote: My recommendation (and I make no apology for repeating it) is that despite no desire to return to the UK that you do have your pets blood tested for rabies and microchipped.
For a pet to enter France from the UK it needs a passport. To get a passport you need to have the pet micro chipped, then it needs vaccination for rabies, then you need to wait a minimum of 21 day before you can travel.
These are the minimum requirements to gain a pet passport.
You can not get a passport without micro chipping, and you can not enter France without a pet passport.
It is all explained in the link in my first post.
Just to agree with what most folks have already said - a pet passport is absolutely necessary, regardless if you intend to return to the UK or not.
We would not have been able to bring our 3 cats over to France without passports, as the airline would not have accepted them, without one, for the flights. They checked everything very thoroughly including the date of their vaccines & the vets medical stamp (on the Clinical Examination page of the passport) to prove they were fit to travel. They are also very strict about the size & style of cat box they would be traveling in - although I think that may only apply if you are flying them out.
Your cats will need to be chipped & vaccinated at least 6 months before you intend to move to France, so the passport can be issued after all the necessary blood tests. The micro-chip can be registered in France when you arrive & unfortunately a case of rabies has recently been reported, so their vaccinations should always be keep up to date, for their own good as well.
ali-cat wrote: Your cats will need to be chipped & vaccinated at least 6 months before you intend to move to France, so the passport can be issued after all the necessary blood tests.
Your cats will need to be chipped & vaccinated at least 6 months before you intend to move to France, so the passport can be issued after all the necessary blood tests.
I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you on that statement, That would only apply if they were returning to UK.
To leave UK you only need to wait 21 days after vaccination before traveling to France
Edit: This discussed not so long ago: http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1196351/ShowPost.aspx
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