European Vets that have issued EU Pet Passports to Brits since Brexit

[Mr David]

It's not illegal - but French vets would appear to have been instructed not to issue PPs to non resident dogs. Its a French regulatory issue, not a legal one. and vets are a regulated profession -

Such intruction is therefore unlawful and NOT enforceable. It is for lawyers and courts to interpret the law and until they say it is unlawful to issue pet passports to non residents then it is NOT a lawful directive.

 

[15edward]

I’d not lay bets on any French vet taking their regulatory body to court to test it though

 

[Aireworth]

Such intruction is therefore unlawful and NOT enforceable. It is for lawyers and courts to interpret the law and until they say it is unlawful to issue pet passports to non residents then it is NOT a lawful directive.

Tosh. The regulator will have a legal right to impose its regulation on the profession.

 

[maz]

Its evidence enough for me.
What are you proposing as an alternative reason for vets not issuing PPs in France? That they were all frightened by a notice on a website?

No. I think it was only after Br*x*t that vets began to even consider whether Pet Passports should ever be issued to non-residents. Suddenly there were Brits (who had loudly proclaimed that they wanted nothing more to do with the EU) wanting EU Pet Passports - how dare they? I can understand vets then wondering whether it should be allowed.

The fact that Americans, Canadians, Australians, etc had been able to obtain EU Pet Passports for years would have escaped most of them. They would have been few in number and probably concentrated in a few main cities. Unfortunately the 'Br*x*t statement' on the I-cad website is badly written and incorrect in detail but, in the absence of anything else, seems to be taken as gospel. The only other official information is the requirements for resident dogs, which many vets then try to apply to non-resident dogs although they have no relevance.

For some vets, no doubt, their own thoughts on what should or shouldn't be allowed after Br*x*t coloured their judgement. Fair enough - I have my own opinion about Br*x*t. However, that doesn't make it illegal to issue EU Pet Passports to non-EU residents. Many people find it easier to say that they are 'not allowed' to do something rather than say they 'don't want to'. Even if they themselves would be happy to issue a Pet Passport, they may feel constrained or even pressurised by the opinions of other vets. This was admitted by a vet in Belgium who stated that even though there was no legal reason for him not to issue a Pet Passport the consensus among the local veterinary community was that they should not.

 

[Aireworth]

I do agree that some vets will be saying they can't do it when they just don't want to do it. But the blanket refusal of French vets is far more likely a rule rather than a concerted opinion of the whole profession. Especially as that's what the French vets seem to say as well. If it had been left to the practising vets, there would still be some in France who would do it. As I understand it, there aren't.

I'm going to (try to) leave it there. All the best

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[maz]

I do agree that some vets will be saying they can't do it when they just don't want to do it. But the blanket refusal of French vets is far more likely a rule rather than a concerted opinion of the whole profession. Especially as that's what the French vets seem to say as well. If it had been left to the practising vets, there would still be some in France who would do it. As I understand it, there aren't.

I'm going to (try to) leave it there. All the best

Actually there are still some French vets who will issue Pet Passports to Brits. I have a list that I have compiled from various Facebook posts, currently standing at 33 of them. A couple have dropped off the list but then others come along to replace them.

 

[ceejayt]

Great. Thanks so much for your help.

So upon getting my dog's pet passport in the EU, I'll also need to get new rabies vaccinations (even though her vaccines are up to date, but have been administered by UK vets) by the EU vet?

Correct

 

[Boaty]

Correct

No NOT correct.
My dog has a French passport issued last year.
Rabies jab of a year previous included by the authorised French vet.
I returned to England and had border control check the passport and confirmed it's validity.
Evidence I am happy with although others may have their own opinion.
Cocktail time in Croatia and sun shining .

 

[Googlebot]

I once tried to argue vet regulations with maz and ended up eating lots of humble pie. They have a very good overview of the regulations and where they apply.

Vets in the UK still haven’t a clue! I asked about a rabies vaccine for mine in January, one vet didn’t even do them, the next one said I had to get a blood test to go to France, I mean, really!

Just because some vets in France refuse to issue them, doesn’t make them right. Some also insist on doing a health check when all you want is for them to chuck a worming tablet down the dogs neck and sign the form to say they have done so. They then charge you much more.

 

[ceejayt]

No NOT correct.
My dog has a French passport issued last year.
Rabies jab of a year previous included by the authorised French vet.
I returned to England and had border control check the passport and confirmed it's validity.
Evidence I am happy with although others may have their own opinion.
Cocktail time in Croatia and sun shining .

The point is the vaccination must be done in EU not uk. As yours is

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[Boaty]

The point is the vaccination must be done in EU not uk. As yours is

Sorry but again not correct and not what I stated.
Rabies jab by a Scottish vet and on the AHC to travel to France. Also recorded on dogs vaccine record with chip details.

 

[ceejayt]

Sorry but again not correct and not what I stated.
Rabies jab by a Scottish vet and on the AHC to travel to France. Also recorded on dogs vaccine record with chip details.

Yes and another rabies jab in the EIU for the pet passport plus you are required to potentially still show your AHC on the way back I. Depending on the date of the rabies vaccination. We had this at Eurotunnel Calais

 

[maz]

Yes and another rabies jab in the EIU for the pet passport plus you are required to potentially still show your AHC on the way back I. Depending on the date of the rabies vaccination. We had this at Eurotunnel Calais

As I explained in my reply to sjmackenzie in post #360, you do not necessarily have to have another rabies vaccination given in the EU when the Pet Passport is issued. Rabies vaccination details can be transferred from the AHC, however you do need to know exactly how this should be done so you can check that the vet has done it correctly.

 

[ceejayt]

As I explained in my reply to sjmackenzie in post #360, you do not necessarily have to have another rabies vaccination given in the EU when the Pet Passport is issued. Rabies vaccination details can be transferred from the AHC, however you do need to know exactly how this should be done so you can check that the vet has done it correctly.

Personally, I wouldn’t risk it. If it wasn’t accepted then you would be faced with getting another AHCti co e back to the EU again. There is no harm other than a small price in having that vaccination done in the EU and entered in the passport

 

[maz]

Personally, I wouldn’t risk it. If it wasn’t accepted then you would be faced with getting another AHCti co e back to the EU again. There is no harm other than a small price in having that vaccination done in the EU and entered in the passport

Agree that it is safer to just go along with another rabies vaccination, however it is not actually necessary in order to obtain a Pet Passport. Having said that, most EU vets seem to insist on one anyway.

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[Boaty]

Yes and another rabies jab in the EIU for the pet passport plus you are required to potentially still show your AHC on the way back I. Depending on the date of the rabies vaccination. We had this at Eurotunnel Calais

I give up .
Just because you did, does not mean others are required to follow suite.
Maz post above may clarify.
However Maz I think you subjectively generalise too much on the "most EU vets seem to insist.".
The point is the pet owner is free to go elsewhere if unhappy with the service offered or refused.
Goodnight

 

[Riverbankannie]

Anyone still paying £250 for an AHC in the UK just isn't looking. Plenty of one man bands issuing them for around 1/3rd of that.
Any vets still charging £250 for an AHC are doing so for only one reason - they don't want to do them.

I was surprised when my daughter said she was no longer registered to give rabies vaccinations. I know she doesn’t pay the extra fees to be able to do an AHC but I wouldn’t have thought rabies required extra again. People who complain about vet fees don’t really understand the costs in the UK.

 

[Googlebot]

I was surprised when my daughter said she was no longer registered to give rabies vaccinations. I know she doesn’t pay the extra fees to be able to do an AHC but I wouldn’t have thought rabies required extra again. People who complain about vet fees don’t really understand the costs in the UK.

My local vets for pets that we use was the one that didn’t give the rabies jab anymore.

All the private investment companies buying up the chains and individual vets aren’t doing the general public any favours, they certainly aren’t paying the vets more either.

Alas another example of corporate greed in the UK.

The belgian vet we used for the passports said it was heading that way in Belgium too. :-(

 

[Zigisla]

Agree that it is safer to just go along with another rabies vaccination, however it is not actually necessary in order to obtain a Pet Passport. Having said that, most EU vets seem to insist on one anyway.

When I used Dr Jaucot to get a PP, she transferred the details on the AHC.
No need for another jab as they had already just had one in the UK.
Once I was asked at PP Eurotunnel whether or not I had French issued PP. Don’t know what that was about.

 

[Cliffyboy16]

When I used Dr Jaucot to get a PP, she transferred the details on the AHC.
No need for another jab as they had already just had one in the UK.
Once I was asked at PP Eurotunnel whether or not I had French issued PP. Don’t know what that was about.

I am having my dog’s pet passport done at Petsworld La Zenia, Spain on Tuesday, they said he will have a rabies booster-my dog had his first rabies jab on 18 March 24? Together with his annual jab & kennel cough vaccination as it’s cheaper in Spain. I use to do this with my previous dog as I regularly use to go abroad.

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[Spara4042]

Great. Thanks so much for your help.

So upon getting my dog's pet passport in the EU, I'll also need to get new rabies vaccinations (even though her vaccines are up to date, but have been administered by UK vets) by the EU vet?

Our dog had a rabies jab two months before we went to Spain but Spanish Vet said she still needed one, administered by him, for her PP.
He explained that it wouldn’t harm her, as they used to administer one a month for 3 months.

Once you have the PP, you will need to ensure that your dog has the next rabies vaccination in the EU before the run out date.

 

[Woodburner]

This is fantastic help. Thanks for your post. Sorry for follow up Q's but just getting my head round this thread.

1. Now you have the Belgian pet passport, you don't need the AHC each time you re-enter the EU?
2. Do you still need to get worming done for each return to the UK?

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. We've been on the road in Ireland for three weeks so I haven't been following MHF too rigorously! To answer your questions.

1: Now our cat, Ned, has an EU pet passport (issued in Belgiumas per the vet details in my post) he does NOT need an AHC each time we travel to the EU. His passport grants him access to the EU and return in to the UK. This is the case for any animal that has an EU pet passport. This is the biggest saving as AHCs are between £60-130+ depending on who's issuing them.
2: As Ned is a cat, the worming requirement does not apply, but for dogs, they still need to have worming treatment before returning to the UK.

Hope that helps.

 

[da1es]

Ive picked up my pet passport today from the vet in maisieres, the rabies jab is obviously dated from today, but no mention of it been a booster, she has also filled in my AHC too, how will the people who check know its a booster or will they expect me to wait the 21 days from vaccination, obviously i can still use my Ahc if its a problem, for future use i assume it would be ok as the 21days had passed
If that makes sense

 

[rb62]

Ive picked up my pet passport today from the vet in maisieres, the rabies jab is obviously dated from today, but no mention of it been a booster, she has also filled in my AHC too, how will the people who check know its a booster or will they expect me to wait the 21 days from vaccination, obviously i can still use my Ahc if its a problem, for future use i assume it would be ok as the 21days had passed
If that makes sense

The date of the previous rabies jab should be on the AHC.

 

[maz]

Ive picked up my pet passport today from the vet in maisieres, the rabies jab is obviously dated from today, but no mention of it been a booster, she has also filled in my AHC too, how will the people who check know its a booster or will they expect me to wait the 21 days from vaccination, obviously i can still use my Ahc if its a problem, for future use i assume it would be ok as the 21days had passed
If that makes sense

There are spaces alongside the rabies jab for 3 dates - the second one is the 'valid from' date. If it is the same as the vaccination date or has been left blank, then it indicates that it is regarded as a booster and you can use the Pet Passport straightaway. If the second date is 21 days from the vaccination date, then it is regarded as an initial vaccination - even though it is obviously a booster from the AHC.

I would save a worming space in the Pet Passport and use the AHC to return to the U.K. anyway.

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[da1es]

There are spaces alongside the rabies jab for 3 dates - the second one is the 'valid from' date. If it is the same as the vaccination date or has been left blank, then it indicates that it is regarded as a booster and you can use the Pet Passport straightaway. If the second date is 21 days from the vaccination date, then it is regarded as an initial vaccination - even though it is obviously a booster from the AHC.

I would save a worming space in the Pet Passport and use the AHC to return to the U.K. anyway.

Thanks Maz, was hoping you replied too, both dates are the same so im assuming all is ok
The worming stamp has already been put in the passport too
Fingers crossed all ok

 

[maz]

Thanks Maz, was hoping you replied too, both dates are the same so im assuming all is ok
The worming stamp has already been put in the passport too
Fingers crossed all ok

Should be fine. Well done!

 

[Pantouffle]

Another vote for Dierenarts Vets in Brugge. Dr Lieve De Ryke is the vet. She owns the practice and she was absolutely fantastic with our cat, Ned last Autumn. She also speaks perfect English. In October 2023, she did a 3 year rabies jab for Ned, then issued his passport using our UK address. No issues at all with that. We had the passport checked by the officials at the French Eurotunnel port on our return trip from Brugge (even though Ned was still covered by the AHC for that trip) just to be sure all was OK and they confirmed all was good with the passport. We have since used the passport on a trip to France and Spain in March and again, all was good. We went out via Eurotunnel and back via Britanny Ferries from Bilbao and neither pet passport inspectors raised any concerns whatsoever with his passport. We simply scanned his chip, showed the passport and went straight through. We will schedule another trip to Brugge in October 2026 for his booster; a great excuse to go to Brugge again! As others have commented, there is ample room to park a motorhome in a layby just around the corner from the vet in a residential area. It's then a five minute walk to the vet. Address is Barrierestraat 10, 8200 St Michiels, Brugge. Tel: 050 392679. Ned looked quite shocked to be told he was now a Belgian National.



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Please can anyone give me details of where the motorhome sized lay-by near Dr Lieve de Rycke’s vet practice in Bruges is? Trying to make plans to go there on our way back to UK. Thanks.

 

[Aireworth]

Sorry can't help with the layby, but we were there on Monday and parked on the street about 30 yards past the practice. There's a bit at the side of the road that (from my poor interpretation of Dutch) is restricted for buses from 8-9 and 2.30 to 4.30 (or some such) - which I took to mean it was for school buses. Can't see the sign on street view but on the satellite of google maps its next to the trees just past the practice. She does say there's an off road parking place next door to the practice - but I wouldn't like to try to get my smallish MH in there.
All went according to plan, PP now in possession, made the appointment etc all by email. Obviously knows what she's doing, was filling in the forms as she was talking to us!

 

[Pantouffle]

Sorry can't help with the layby, but we were there on Monday and parked on the street about 30 yards past the practice. There's a bit at the side of the road that (from my poor interpretation of Dutch) is restricted for buses from 8-9 and 2.30 to 4.30 (or some such) - which I took to mean it was for school buses. Can't see the sign on street view but on the satellite of google maps its next to the trees just past the practice. She does say there's an off road parking place next door to the practice - but I wouldn't like to try to get my smallish MH in there.
All went according to plan, PP now in possession, made the appointment etc all by email. Obviously knows what she's doing, was filling in the forms as she was talking to us!

Thank you lots for this. Will look on street view etc. Glad she is good. Our UK vet says he can’t wait to get over to Europe to get his dogs PP!!

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