On October 1,
2001,
EU and other countries
introduced the option for
domestic animal owners to apply for Pet passports under the
Pets Travel Scheme (PETS for short), for pets returning from abroad to
the
United Kingdom. This replaced the old system of 6 months compulsory
quarantine
for all domestic pets.
Under the scheme, the pets
need to be
injected with a
microchip implant that meets
ISOP specification before being vaccinated, and certified
rabies free through a blood
test that is taken one month after the
vaccine has been given.
If the blood test is negative the vaccination and sample must be re-applied. The
animal is permitted to
enter the UK 6 months later without quarantine as long as it has been treated
for ticks,
fleas and
tapeworms between 24
and 48 hours before boarding the transport that will return the pet to the UK.
The pet passport is a pink A4 sheet which contains the microchip number and
certification that the dog has a
rabies vaccination, and needs to be signed by a
veterinary surgeon
who has LVI status. The passport is not to be confused with the much smaller
purple folder routinely issued by vets which records the complete vaccination
history of the pet.
The Pet passport alone be used to enter the UK, but it will not suffice to
enter many countries. For instance
Guatemala, like
almost every country, demands that all
imported pets have a rabies
vaccination, but will not accept the Pet passport as proof of said vaccination.
They need to see the proof of
the rabies in the purple folder.
The pet passport was originally suggested by the
Official Monster Raving Loony Party.