TRAVELING WITH PETS UK-FRANCE
Since 28 February 2000, pet cats and dogs can travel into the UK via approved routes from a number of countries,
including France, without undergoing quarantine - provided they meet the conditions of the Pet Travel Scheme. You
will find a summary of the Scheme in English below. Full details are available on the website of the British Ministry
of Agriculture (MAFF): www.maff.gov.uk. You can call their Pet Travel Scheme Helpline (00 44 870 241 1710, open Mondays
to Fridays, 9:00-17:00 UK time) or contact them by e-mail (pets@ahvg.maff.gsi.gov.uk) or fax (00 44 207 904 6834).
Otherwise you can call the Embassy’s Consular Section on 01 44 51 31 40, or fax the Agriculture Section on 01 44 51 34 85.
You can obtain information about quarantine, which will still exist for animals not meeting the conditions of the Pet
Travel Scheme, by sending a stamped addressed envelope (A4 size), to your nearest Consulate-General.
At the end of this section, you will find some useful vocabulary translated into French.
Summary of the Pet Travel Scheme for travellers entering the UK from France.
The following carriers have been authorised to operate the Scheme...
- Brittany Ferries
- Eurotunnel Shuttle Service
- P&O European
- P&O Stena
- SeaFrance
- Hoverspeed
- British Midland Airways
- Finnair
- Lufthansa
...on the following routes.
by ferry:
- Calais to Dover
- Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre or St-Malo to Portsmouth
by car:
- Channel Tunnel: Le Shuttle, Coquelles to Folkestone
by air:
- Amsterdam, Helsinki or Frankfurt to London (Heathrow)
- Paris to London (Heathrow) for guide dogs and other assistance dogs only.
More routes are likely to be authorised in future, on demand from carriers.
Your animal must be vaccinated by a vet, with an inactivated rabies vaccine approved by the French authorities. Vaccinations carried out in other countries participating in the Scheme are also valid, but vaccinations carried out in non-participating countries are not.
Your pet must be identified by means of a microchip implanted under the skin by a vet. You are advised to obtain a chip conforming
to ISO standards (standard 11784 or annex A to standard 11785: your vet will be able to confirm this), because the staff carrying out
the checks will have microchip readers capable of reading all ISO standard chips. If your pet has a non-ISO standard chip, you will
have to bring your own microchip reader.
There are two ways of meeting the identification requirements of the Scheme:
(a) Under the standard rules, which have applied to all participating countries since the start of the Scheme, animals must be microchipped before having a rabies vaccination (or, if appropriate, booster) followed by a positive blood test.
(b) A new rule, sometimes called the "French protocol", has been introduced to cater for the situation in France. This took effect on 5 June 2000 and allows animals into the Scheme if their microchip was inserted after the vaccination and blood test. The animal must have been identifiable at the time of the vaccination and blood test by means of an officially-registered tattoo. In these cases the official registration card must show both the tattoo number and the microchip number.
The French authorities expect that pets resident in France will follow the "French protocol", though they will still make certificates available for those who have already begun to follow the original rules.
After the rabies vaccination (or booster), the animal must undergo a test to confirm the presence of the rabies antibody in its blood. Your vet will advise you on when the blood sample should be taken (normally about 30 days after vaccination; a sample taken too soon could risk showing an inadequate antibody level). The blood test need only be done once in the life of the animal, provided thereafter that you always have booster vaccinations carried out before the previous vaccination has expired. The blood sample must be analysed at a laboratory approved by MAFF (your vet should have a list, which is also on the MAFF website). Animals may not enter the UK until six months after the date on which the blood sample was taken.
Your animal must be treated against ticks and worms 24-48 hours before departure for the UK. This treatment can be carried out, and the certificate signed, by any veterinary surgeon. The treatment must be repeated each time the animal enters the UK. These rules are designed to protect the UK against serious, often fatal, human illnesses which ticks and worms can carry, and they will therefore be strictly applied. Animals which have not been treated in strict accordance with the rules are liable to be refused entry into the UK. Moreover it is in your own interest to comply with the rules since it is pet owners and their families, who are in closest contact with their animals, who would be at the greatest risk.
You will need two certificates:
(a) "Pet Travel Scheme" certificate. This certificate confirms that you have met the rules of the Scheme as regards microchipping, rabies vaccination and blood testing. British residents can obtain it in the UK before they leave. If you need to obtain it in France, it must be signed by a veterinary surgeon who holds a mandat sanitaire from the French authorities. In most veterinary practices in France at least one of the vets holds a mandat sanitaire; alternatively a list should be on display in every town hall (mairie). Two versions of the certificate exist, corresponding to the two ways of meeting the Pet Travel Scheme rules (see section 2 above). If your animal qualifies under the original rules rather than the "French protocol", you should make this clear to your vet so as to be sure that you are given the correct version. The certificate will be valid from 6 months after the date of the blood sample (see section 4) until the next booster vaccination is due. A renewal certificate can be issued after each booster. Provided the booster takes place before the expiry date of the previous vaccination, the renewal certificate will be valid immediately and there will be no need to repeat the blood test.
(b) Certificate of anti-parasite (tick and worm) treatment. This certificate can be signed by any veterinary surgeon. It must confirm the date and time of the treatment.
Obtaining the certificates. In France your vet will need to obtain the certificates from the veterinary authorities (the Syndicat National des Vétérinaires d’Exercice Libéral or SNVEL). You must have the official certificates; unofficial documents will not be accepted even if they carry all the necessary information and have been signed by a vet. The certificate of anti-parasite treatment is normally available on the spot, but the Pet Travel Scheme certificate can take several days to be delivered to your vet and you are advised therefore to order it a week in advance. Information on the procedure for getting a certificate is available from the SNVEL on 04 72 31 03 72.
In addition to the two certificates, you will need to fill in a "declaration of residence" confirming that your pet has not been outside the countries qualifying for the Scheme in the last 6 months. There is no involvement of a veterinary surgeon for this form; it is simply signed on the day of travel by the person accompanying the pet. You can either pick up the form when you check in for your journey, or obtain it in advance (but remember- do not sign it until the day of travel) from a British Consulate-General.
When you travel, the carrier will check the two certificates and the declaration of residence, and the microchip number
of the animal. For reasons of security, you may be asked to read the microchip yourself. For ISO standard chips (see section 2)
the carrier will provide a microchip reader; if your pet has a non-standard chip, you will have to provide your own reader.
Although they will not normally be checked, you are advised also to carry with you any other documents relating to your pet
(identity card, certificate of rabies vaccination, blood test results etc.) in case of any difficulty.
If you are undertaking a return trip with your pet into France, you will need to make sure that you meet the French
government’s conditions for the import of cats or dogs before you begin the UK-to-France leg of the journey. The French
authorities have recently agreed to accept dogs and cats covered by a Pet Travel Scheme certificate with no additional
certification provided, if it is a certificate issued outside France, that you also have a copy in French. To obtain a
French copy of a UK Certificate, or for the most up-to-date position, contact a local Animal Health Office of the British
Ministry of Agriculture (a list is on their website: www.maff.gov.uk ). You could also consult the French Ministère de
l’Agriculture et de la Pêche (website address) or the French Embassy in London.
- Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,
France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Iceland,
Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco,
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San-Marino,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican.
The list is expected to be extended over time, in particular with the addition of a number of rabies-free islands.
It is normal practice in France for dogs and cats to be identified by a tattoo number which is registered on a national database. A French vet is therefore likely to ask whether an animal has been tattooed, for instance when carrying out the anti-parasite treatment. If your animal is not resident in France, and does not therefore have to be tattooed under French law, then you should make this clear to the vet.
In the UK the following breeds of dog are banned: Pitbull Terrier; Japanese Tosa; Dogo Argentino; Dogo Braziliero; and cross breeds involving those breeds. Under French law, Pitbulls, Boerbulls and unregistered Tosas may not be brought into France (they are defined as dogs resembling Staffordshire terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Mastiffs or Tosas, but not registered with a breed society). A second category of dogs must be kept muzzled and on a lead in public places: Staffordshire terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Tosas and Rottweilers (all of which, except Rottweilers, must be registered with a breed society).
If you are taking your pet to France for the first time, you should take advice from your vet about any special considerations, particularly relating to the climate.
