Pets can go abroad to various countries and return without going through six months of quarantine. In order to do this they need a ‘passport’ which involves identification by micro-chipping and rabies vaccination. A blood test to ensure the vaccination has been effective is no longer compulsory although owners may want to still have this done for peace of mind to ensure your pet is protected.

After this you can be issued with the passport and go abroad but must wait 3 weeks before you return to the UK. Alternatively you can wait the 3 weeks at home and then go. We recommend comprehensive parasite control protocols to help prevent various diseases which may be a risk to your pet while abroad. You will need to have certified treatment for tape worms, carried out by a vet 24-120 hours before you return. We also recommend you continue to treat your pet against ticks while abroad and repeat this treatment 24-48 hours before you return to ensure no exotic ticks are brought back to the UK.

The pet passport system can be quite complicated and changes frequently so we would advise a consultation with a vet to discuss everything in detail.

Please contact the surgery for more information or go to www.defra.gov.uk for information about pet passports and small animal export.

	PETS Info (PDF)
	Bringing Pets to the UK (PDF)
	Pets Update 2012 (please refer to pages 8 & 9) (PDF)
	PETS Diseases (PDF)