Tigger Club News
By Animals - For Animals
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Getting a European pet passport
Repawter: Elaine
(Doris’ human)

Doris, our dog, has been travelling to Europe with us for the last 5 years. We have relatives, both British and French, living in France and Doris is very much part of our family visits. Until Brexit changed the landscape this was extremely easy, proof of rabies and a passport was all Doris needed. This year, after the lockdowns, was the first year that her European Pet Passport was invalid, it still remains a 'receipt' of her rabies history but it's worthless to travel. 

You now have to obtain an Animal Health Certificate, the government suggests it should cost around £130.... In Brighton we were charged £250 by our vet and when I tried to shop around other vets refused to take Doris on as passports were 'too time consuming'. So £250 and 17 pages later, yes a 17 page document, and we were off. The new pet passport control at Le Shuttle was very easy but they barely looked at the expensive 17 page certificate. So whilst in France we decided to ask a local vet about a French Passport. Obviously having French speakers helped as I am ashamedly useless. Doris has now got a French Passport and is registered in France. The whole process took around a month to sort and you need a French address but for 20 Euros it's a bargain. This was the process should any other UK dogs fancy being dual nationality!

1 First you need to register your dog with www.i-cad.fr the French version of DEFRA. The one page form is called 'Certificat Provisoire D'Indentification' This is obtained from a French vet who signs their section and you fill in the rest. You will need a permanent French address, so friend, family, holiday home but your dog is still described as British and the microchip remains British. iCAD call our pets 'travelling companions'.

2 You post the completed form to iCAD with a cheque for 9 euros and photocopies of vaccination proof. Then wait around 10 days for confirmation.

3 If confirmed (apparently not always the case) iCAD will send you an email with a registration number and a letter of proof to the French address. 

4 You go back to the French vet (or your friend/family can) and the French vet enters this registration number on their iCAD portal. They can then issue you with a French passport which takes about 10 minutes.

5 So Doris is now dual nationality. Her French vet and the French government have her registered under a French address but with a UK chip and UK owner's details. Her UK vet has her registered as British, with our home address, just with a French passport. 

6 The only point going forward is that rabies vaccines can only done in France, by a French vet, on the French passport but if you plan around that it's actually about half the price of the UK. A farce really, I can travel to a French vet for cheaper than seeing mine around the corner!   

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