blog.gov.jePet owners travelling with their pets to the EU are being reminded to check their EU pet passport or Animal Health Certificate is valid before travelling and to consider what action they may have to take if weather conditions impacts their crossings.
During the winter months, ferries may be cancelled, delayed or even brought forward due to unsafe sea conditions. When this happens it’s important to have a valid tapeworm treatment for your dog, so the timing as to when you get the treatment is important. Cats don’t need tapeworm treatment.
More information: Pet movements
Pet’s passport – check the following:
- In the ownership section, have you signed the pet passport. Passports issued before 29/12/2014 do not require a signature.
- In the microchip section does the microchip predate* the rabies vaccination or has the same date as the rabies vaccination was given.
- In the rabies section is the rabies vaccination valid for the journey.
*If you have a second EU pet passport with the correct microchip date before rabies vaccination this is acceptable.
If the answer to question b) is “no” then you are advised to get an animal health certificate as your pet passport may not be accepted.
If you need an animal health certificate, ensure you contact your veterinary practice in plenty of time to make an appointment.
Failures relating to the tapeworm treatment for dogs when returning to Jersey:
- the tapeworm treatment must be given no less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours prior to arrival in Jersey. If not valid, pet owners will be advised to wait till the treatment is valid and get a later sailing or if over the 120 hours they must get a second treatment and rebook. Pet owners may wish to discuss with their veterinary surgeon about a second treatment but without a valid treatment travel is refused.
- ensure tapeworm has been entered in the correct section of the pet passport. If not travel may be refused.
- if the tapeworm section is full, you must get a new pet passport, it is not acceptable for the vet to enter a tapeworm treatment in another section and travel.
Failures relating to rabies vaccination when returning to Jersey:
- a rabies vaccination administered before the date of microchipping recorded in the pet passport is not valid. If you have a UK or EU pet passport with the correct microchip date, we will accept it or a valid animal health certificate that is not more than 4 months old and has not been used before to return to Jersey is acceptable.
- a rabies vaccination not entered in the pet passport but in a vaccination card, for example; is not acceptable and you will have to go back to a vet to get the rabies vaccination entered in the pet passport or is in an out-of-date animal health certificate*
*An animal health certificate is valid for as long as 4 months or till the rabies vaccination expiries, whichever is the sooner. They are also valid for one round trip only.
If the information on the pet passport or animal health certificate is not correct your pet maybe refuse entry or detained at arrival.