Pet Travel Scheme
Pet Travel Scheme for European Union Countries
Dogs and Cats
Full information on the PETS Scheme (Dogs & Cats) can be found by clicking on the PETS INFORMATION PACK link below. This contains comprehensive guidance and should answer all questions about the taking of cats and dogs into the United Kingdom. Please take time to read the information in full.
If, having read the complete pack, you still have any questions, please contact the PETS Helpline at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in London:
Tel: +44 (0)870 241 1710 (Mon to Fri 9:30am to 6pm, German Time)
Fax: +44 (0)20 7904 6206
Email: pets.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk (please include your address and phone number in the email).
Please note that the British Embassy does not have any information, pertaining to cats and dogs, other than the material in the PETS Information pack.
PETS Information Pack (pdf document)
European Regulation 998/2003 took effect on 3 July 2004. It sets out the rules for pet animals travelling between European Union (EU) countries and into the EU from other countries.
To enter the UK from Germany without quarantine dogs (including assistance animals) and cats must, in this order, be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies, successfully blood tested and issued with an EU pet passport. Animals may not enter the UK for 6 calendar months from the date that the blood sample is taken that gives a satisfactory test result.
24 to 48 hours before being checked-in to enter the UK, dogs and cats must be treated against ticks and tapeworms. That treatment must be recorded in the passport.
Please read above mentioned Information Pack. Dogs and cats must not have been outside the EU or non-EU listed countries in the six months before entering the UK.
Pets may only enter the UK with approved transport companies on authorised routes.
Dangerous Dogs
It is illegal to possess certain types of dogs in the UK. It is important to note the word "type", as none of the prohibited dogs are recognised breeds in Great Britain. The terms of section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA) make it clear that it applies not only to "pure" Pit Bull Terriers but also to any dog of the type known as the Pit Bull Terrier.
Whether section 1 of the DDA applies to any particular cross will depend on whether the resulting dog is of the prohibited type - that is to say, whether it has the physical and behavioural characteristics of the prohibited type. Remember that the characteristics are essential in deciding whether or not the dog is prohibited. Not all Pit Bull Terriers will be described as a Pit Bull Terrier by their owner. Some owners may deliberately misrepresent the breed of their dog using terms such as American Staffordshire Terriers (Am Staffs or ASTs), American Bulldogs and the Presa Canaria.
Other names used to describe the Pit Bull Terrier types may be Irish Staffordshire Bull Terriers (not to be confused with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier bred in Ireland), Old Fashioned Staffords or Traditional Staffords. There are likely to be other names being used by people breeding fighting dogs.
If a person arriving in the UK produces paperwork that purports to prove that the dog is not a prohibited type it is necessary for the authorities to be cautious. Paperwork accompanying the dog should be detailed and comprehensive. Owners should be aware that if the dog displays the defining characteristics that are represented in the prohibited types the dog could be seized and its fate decided by the courts irrespective of the paperwork. It is therefore necessary to be very cautious when buying a dog that is not Kennel Club registered particularly if you are considering bringing a dog to the UK from overseas.
If there is any doubt as to whether the dog in question could be considered to be of the prohibited type, the advice is NOT to bring it into the UK.
Excerpt from the DEFRA publication Types of dogs prohibited in Great Britain
For more detailed information please click here for the full Pdf document. http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/domestic/ddogsleaflet.pdf
Ferrets
European Regulation 998/2003 took effect on 3 July 2004. It sets out the rules for pet animals travelling between European Union (EU) countries and into the EU from other countries.
To enter the UK direct from Germany, ferrets must first be microchipped, then vaccinated against rabies and issued with a passport. There is no 6 months wait. However, if they travel via a non-EU listed country they may not enter the UK for 6 calendar months from the date of the rabies vaccination.
24 to 48 hours before being checked-in to enter the UK ferrets must be treated against ticks and tapeworms. That treatment must be recorded in the passport.
Ferrets must not have been outside the EU or non-EU listed countries in the six months before entering the UK. For details click here (pdf-file).
Ferrets may only enter the UK with approved transport companies on authorised routes.
Pet Rabbits and Rodents
From 3 July 2004 the following will apply:
- When imported into the UK from another EU country or from Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland or the Vatican there will be no rabies requirements. This means that currently there are no requirements for these animals when entering the UK from these countries. The EU may impose conditions on the movement of these animals at a later date.
- Animals from these countries will be able to enter the UK on any route at any point of entry.
- Animals in quarantine in the UK which came from any of these countries will become eligible for early release.
- When imported into the UK from any other country, animals must be licensed into quarantine for 6 months. The EU may revise this requirement at a later date.
Please note that this regulation can change at any time. Please also check the DEFRA-website.
Horses
Please see information in German.
Birds
Birds don't fall under the pet travel scheme.
Please read:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/int-trde/imports/iins/birds/a11.htm#conditions
Other Information
For information on travelling to Ireland with your pet please contact the Irish Tourist Board in Frankfurt at the following address:
Irish Tourist Board
Gutleutstraße 32
60329 Frankfurt am Main
Tel: 069 923 185 50
Fax: 069 923 185 88
Government of Jersey
Informationen zum Pet Travel Scheme auf www.gov.je
For Guernsey
Commerce and Employment Department
Raymond Falla House
P.O. Box 459
Longue Rue
St. Martin
Guernsey Gy1 6AF
Tel: +44 (0) 1481 234567
Fax: +44 (0) 1481 235015
If you have any detailed questions on the scheme please do not hesitate to contact:
DEFRA PETS Helpline:
Tel: +44 (0)870 241 1710 (Mon to Fri 9:30am to 6pm, German Time)
Fax: +44 (0)20 7904 6206
Email: pets.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk (please include your address and phone number in the email)
