Yes, you can bring your dog, cat or ferret to the UK without having to quarantine it. You just have to follow some important rules.
CHANGES AFTER THE BREXIT TERM
DATA LINE: JANUARY 10, 2019 – While you will still be allowed to bring your pet to the UK after the Brexit deadline – March 29, 2019 – how you do so will depend on factors that have yet to be decided. Whether the UK leaves the EU with an agreed deal (soft Brexit), no deal (hard Brexit) or even if we actually leave at all remains up in the air. If you are bringing a pet to the UK or the EU from abroad, the same rules as outlined below will apply. However, if you are trying to travel between the UK and the EU with a pet, new conditions may be imposed. The UK government advises you to start making your arrangements at least 4 months before your trip and to stay up-to-date with the changing rules here.
Many people still think that if they bring their pets with them to the UK, they will have to put them in a quarantine kennel for six months. Old ideas die hard. It’s actually a lot easier and kinder on pets and their owners these days.
The pet travel scheme, known as PETS, has been in place in the UK for over 15 years. It is a system that allows Pet to travel to the United Kingdom. Dogs, cats and even ferrets can enter or re-enter the UK from qualifying EU countries and non-EU ‘listed’ countries. Countries included include non-EU countries in Europe and elsewhere. Pet travel from the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand are included.
In a change from the old quarantine regulations, pets that comply with PETS rules for EU countries can enter the UK without quarantine from almost anywhere in the world. There are only a few exceptions and additional waiting periods.
What Pet Owners Should Do
Preparing your animal for pet travel under the PETS scheme is not complicated, but you should plan ahead and make the process work in advance, at least four months if you are traveling from outside the EU. Here is what is required:
- Get your pet microchipped – this can be done by your vet and it is not painful for the animal. It should be established first, before inoculation. If your dog has been inoculated for rabies before being microchipped, he will have to do it again.
- Rabies Vaccination – Vaccinate your pet against rabies after it has been microchipped. There is no exemption from this requirement, even if the animal had already been vaccinated.
- Blood test for pets entering from outside the EU : After a 30-day waiting period, your veterinarian should evaluate your animal to ensure that the rabies vaccine has managed to provide sufficient protection. Dogs and cats that enter and are vaccinated within EU or non-EU countries do not need to have a blood test.
- The 3 weeks / 3 months rule The first time your pet is prepared to travel under the PETS system, it must wait three weeks before it can travel and return to the UK if it is coming to the UK from an EU or EU country. ready. . The day of the vaccination counts as day 0 and you must wait another 21 days.
If traveling to the UK from a non-EU country, your pet should have a blood test 30 days after vaccination (with the day of vaccination counting as day 0) and then wait another three months after the test. valid blood before the animal can enter the UK.
- PETS Documents Once your animal has passed all required waiting periods and a valid blood test has been performed, if necessary, the veterinarian will issue PETS documentation. In EU countries, this will be an EU PETS passport. If traveling to the UK from a non-EU country, your veterinarian must complete a Model Third Country Official Veterinary Certificate which you can download from the PETS website. No other certificate will be accepted. You must also sign a statement that you do not intend to sell or transfer ownership of the animal. Download the declaration form here.
- Tapeworm treatment Just before entering the UK, your dog should be treated for tapeworm. This must be done no more than 120 hours (5 days) before entering the UK and no less than 24 hours. This treatment must be performed by a licensed veterinarian each time your pet enters the UK. If your dog does not receive this treatment for the required period, it can be denied entry and quarantined for 4 months. Dogs entering the UK from Finland, Ireland, Malta and Norway do not have to be treated for tapeworms.
Once you have met all the requirements, your animal will be able to travel to the UK as long as the rabies vaccinations are kept up to date.
There are some exceptions. Pets coming to the UK from Jamaica must be prepared to travel under PETS requirements in a different country, outside of Jamaica. Special additional requirements apply to cats coming to the UK from Australia and to dogs and cats coming from Peninsular Malaysia. Find those requirements here.
What else do I need to know?
Only certain carriers are authorized to transport pets under the PETS system. Before making your travel arrangements, check the list of licensed carriers for UK air, rail and sea travel. Authorized routes and transportation companies may change or may only operate certain times of the year, so check before you travel. If you do not arrive by an approved route, your pet may be denied entry and placed in the 4-month quarantine.