Bringing your pet on holiday could soon become easier and cheaper with the return of “pet passports” for British travellers under a new EU agreement.
Before Brexit, pet passports for travel to Europe were issued after proof that a pet had been vaccinated against rabies and microchipped, and they were valid for life.
Pet passports usually cost around £100 and were issued by a vet.
In 2021, they were replaced with an Animal Health Certificate (AHC). Vets must issue an AHC within 10 days of entry to the EU or Northern Ireland, and they charge around £200 for the certificate, with a new one required for each journey.
For dogs going to Ireland, Malta, Norway and Finland, and for dogs returning to the UK, tapeworm treatment must be administered between one and five days before travel.
Now, dogs, cats and ferrets could be eligible to re-enter the EU using just a pet passport.
The UK and EU have reached a 200-page draft sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement that includes the return of passports for British pets being taken into the EU.
The deal, reportedly set to be signed at the end of this month, would allow passports for UK pets taken into the EU to resume for the first time since Brexit.
In April, Brussels added extra red tape for pet owners who live in Great Britain and have previously been using an EU pet passport.
The UK government told owners: “EU pet passports may only be issued to owners whose main residence is within the European Union.”
Previously, some British pet owners, particularly those with second homes in France, Spain and Italy, found that they could persuade a local vet to issue an EU pet passport.
The new European law said: “Pet passports are not intended to be issued to pet dogs, pet cats or pet ferrets which are kept by pet owners who have their main residence outside the Union and reside only temporarily or seasonally in the Union.”
The draft SPS text will be presented to EU ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday, and is expected to be ratified at the EU-UK summit on 20 November.
Read more: Tougher rules on pet passports means ‘EU citizen’ loophole for cats and dogs ends
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