Pet Travel after Brexit

If you plan to take your pet overseas shortly after 29th March next year, you will need to plan ahead.

Depending on the outcome of Brexit, the requirements for travelling to Europe with your pet could change drastically. Now ‘could’ is the operative word here, because there’s also the chance that nothing will change whatsoever! It all depends on whether or not the UK becomes a ‘listed’ country…

The potential outcomes are:

The UK becomes a Part 1 listed country

This won’t bring about much change. The pet passport document itself might change but essentially, the process of getting your pet ready to travel to Europe will remain the same – or at least similar to how it is now.

The UK becomes a Part 2 listed country

In this scenario, things will be more or less the same as above but with one addition – your pet will need a Model Health Certificate. This would need to be issued 21 days after their Rabies vaccination and 10 days before your departure, which adds another month to your travel preparation time.

The certificate will need to be issued by an Official Veterinarian (OV). Please note: this status does not apply to all vets; to be fit for travel in Europe in the event of the UK becoming a Part 2 listed country, you’ll need to factor this extra time into your travel preparation and to locate your local OV.

The UK becomes an Unlisted country

This outcome would bring about the biggest change. In the event of the UK becoming an Unlisted country, your pet will need the following to be fit for travel in Europe:

• A blood sample, taken 30 days after their Rabies vaccination
• Documentation to certify that the Rabies vaccination has worked. This would have to be issued by an approved laboratory, 3 months after the date of the blood sample
• A Model Health Certificate, as in outcome 2
• To enter the EU at a designated Travellers’ Point of Entry (TPE) only

In the event of a ‘Hard Brexit’ as it’s otherwise known, the process of getting your pet ready for travel will take around 4 months to complete. Annoyingly, if the UK becomes a Part 1 or 2 listed country, all of the time (and expense) that goes towards preparing for outcome 3 will have been wasted.

If you are travelling soon after March 29th however, it’s probably best to prepare for the worst.

If you are yet to make travel arrangements involving your pet, it might be worth waiting until the outcome of Brexit is revealed. There is more information on the Government’s website and if you have further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to give us a call or to come and see us.

Click here if you need more information on travelling with your pet.