August 2011… From 1st January 2012, the UK rules and regulations for travelling with your pets are being relaxed, making it easier, quicker and cheaper to bring Rover along on your break or to bring back that pesky cat you found on your skiing holiday. With some of the red tape being swept away, your dog, cat (or even ferret!) can be your constant holiday companion next year!
The easiest thing to do before you travel is to check on the AFerry site when travelling across the Channel or North Sea as the facilities for travelling with pets varies depending on the carrier due to limited space for pets or charging policies – AFerry.co.uk. Rules for travelling from the UK to other countries will not currently change but the most up-to-date information will always be posted onto our website.
For further information and for information on non-EU country policies – and for current Pet Passport regulations in force until 1st January 2012, visit the Defra website on www.defra.gov.uk .
In a nutshell, however, these are the new rules and regulations from DEFRA for travel to and from the EU:
- Your pet must be micro-chipped
- Your pet must then be vaccinated against rabies
- After these two procedures, apply for the EU Pet Passport certifying the micro-chip and vaccination (most UK vets will handle the entire procedure for you & give advice)
- 21 days then need to pass for the vaccination to take effect before travel
- If your animal has already had the rabies vaccination, then it must be kept up to date with booster shots
- You must travel on an approved route in the UK with your pet with an approved transport company
- It is likely that soon, the European Commission will allow the UK to still require pets to be treated against tapeworm. There is no longer any need for the mandatory tick treatment.
NB Remember the old regulations are in force until January.
There are different sets of rules depending on which country you are travelling to/from.
Notes to Editors:
Aferry.co.uk is The Travel Gateway’s leading on-line ferry brand, which features unique real-time comparison technology for ferries, generating over 55 million unique visitors per year and over 3,000 bookings per day. It is not just for travel to and from the UK, this handy site covers European routes too – over 1,200 ferry routes connecting more than 80 ferry operators. There is an Aferry.co.uk for iPhone and Android.
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