New EU pet journey guidelines: UK residents should acquire Animal Health Certificates

UK-resident pet homeowners with French second-homes who’ve EU pet passports are being warned of recent EU guidelines coming in drive from Wednesday April 22 that make such passports invalid.

This is liable to have an effect on any such homeowners, who, post-Brexit, have been utilizing French pet passports for normal UK-France journey with their pets. This allows them to make important financial savings on the standard rule that travellers from the UK should acquire an ‘Animal Health Certificate’ (AHC) – costing over £100 – from a UK vet for every journey.

Prior to Brexit, guests to France from the UK may use UK-issued EU pet passports, however these ceased to be legitimate after the UK left the EU, from January 1, 2021.

After Brexit, the query of whether or not such homeowners may acquire and/or proceed to make use of French EU pet passports was a gray space, with many French vets stating willingness to difficulty them. When The Connexion sought clarification from the UK and French authorities in spring 2021, it was deemed potential if the pet’s rabies jabs had been accomplished within the EU and, when requested, EU sources didn’t level to clear guidelines stating that this was unacceptable.

EU pet passports have required the pet proprietor to have a French handle, however usually vets haven’t requested for proof, or a pledge, of the handle given being the particular person’s important or recurring residence.

Having stated this, French pet passports could solely be issued to animals registered on France’s I-CAD pet database and its guidelines have acknowledged since 2022 pets should be staying in France greater than three consecutive months to be registered, making this unsuitable for many second-home homeowners on brief stays. 

This left query marks over the place for second-home homeowners bringing their pets for stays of as much as six months on a short lived long-stay visa, which many make use of post-Brexit to permit them to remain for greater than the usual visa-free 90 days most in any 180-day interval.

It additionally left uncertainty in respect of homeowners who obtained such passports previous to 2022, or who obtained passports in circumstances the place these necessities weren’t clarified or checked by French vets (who’re additionally responsible for arranging I-CAD registration of animals arriving from overseas).

What has modified?

Some readers report receiving emails from UK-based vets warning of UK authorities recommendation that EU pet passports is not going to be accepted for journey from the UK to the EU from April 22 until the passport holder has their recurring residence within the EU (often that means they stay there for many of the yr).

One reader forwarded an e mail from ‘The Travelling Pet’, a UK service run by a registered UK official veterinarian (personal apply vets who carry out work on behalf of the UK authorities, together with issuing AHCs), that states that it had been thought that passports issued previous to this date may proceed to be acceptable, however that is now not sure.

“No one knows what will happen on Wednesday, except to say APHA (the UK’s Animal and Plant Health Agency) have advised that UK-resident owners should travel with an Animal Health Certificate as they won’t allow EU passports,” the e-mail says.

If potential, it’s subsequently advisable to acquire an AHC should you can, in order to “not risk possibly being turned away”, the vet stated.

This wouldn’t have an effect on these travelling from the EU to the UK on their pet passports, the e-mail clarified.

What is that this as a result of?

An APHA briefing observe for official vets, dated April 17, alerts to adjustments to pet journey guidelines. We learn the observe hosted on a vet training provider website at improve-ov.com.

It says: “From 22 April, 2026 new EU rules will apply to the non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets entering the EU from third countries such as Great Britain.”

It provides: “An EU pet passport, issued to or held by a pet owner who is resident in GB, will no longer be a valid document for travelling with pets from GB to the EU.

“This applies to EU pet passports issued in an EU member state or Northern Ireland, including those issued before 22 April 2026.

“EU pet passports may only be issued to owners whose main residence is within the EU.

“GB residents travelling to the EU with a pet dog, cat or ferret will need to obtain an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) for travel from 22 April 2026.

“There are no changes to GB entry requirements.”

What are the ‘new EU rules’?

Updated guidelines on the motion of canine, cats and ferrets are included in a January 2026 EU regulation which is coming into force on April 22. 

The regulation states in its preamble that EU pet passports had been created to facilitate motion of pets from one EU state to a different, and that this “implies” that the pet passport was “only intended to be issued to pet dogs, pet cats or pet ferrets kept in the member state where their pet owners reside habitually and have their main residence”.

As such, the regulation spells this out, stating at article 11 that pet passports should have been “issued in a member state where the pet owner resides habitually”.

We have requested the European Commission if it could actually make clear whether or not passports issued previous to the regulation coming into drive are additionally included, as acknowledged within the briefing observe from APHA, which is an company of the UK authorities. 

What may change

Moving ahead, UK residents could discover that their transport supplier queries their EU pet passport previous to boarding planes, trains, ferries and so on.

It can be potential that French border management may additionally elevate questions on the usage of the pet passport, notably by these arriving for brief stays (as opposed, eg. to these with long-stay visas and/or residency playing cards).

It is thus advisable – and can be the recommendation of APHA – that pet homeowners ought to acquire an AHC as an alternative of utilizing a French (or different EU) pet passport if their important house is  within the UK.

We have no idea at this stage how strictly the principles are prone to be enforced, particularly for folks with non permanent long-stay visas (whose important, recurring residence stays within the UK however who’re permitted to remain in France for an prolonged interval).

Possible future change

The UK and EU are negotiating for harmonisation of guidelines on plant and animal well being which could lead on in the end to the UK as soon as once more with the ability to difficulty its personal pet passports that will be recognised within the EU.

The UK authorities hopes this settlement will be in drive by mid-2027. Further steps could be wanted to place the UK on a listing of nations in a position to difficulty accepted pet passports. 

The British Ambassador to France lately confirmed in an interview with The Connexion that the UK is conscious of the curiosity round this matter, and it’s among the many hoped for adjustments in the end. 

• If you might be travelling from the UK to France with a pet on or after Wednesday April 22 please tell us the way it goes through suggestions@connexionfrance.com