How to travel with pets?
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Many of us consider that going on a family vacation includes our pet. Often, we imagine a quiet vacation, in an environment where we feel calm and at ease, and where our pet can also enjoy. Vacations can be quiet, but preparing them can be very complicated.
Whether you are traveling for vacation, or if you are leaving indefinitely for a change of residence, it is essential to comply with the regulations on the export of pets.
The regulations to follow will always depend on our destination. We must understand that each country can set its own requirements to accept the entry of a pet.
The first big difference we find is traveling between countries in the European Union or if we are traveling outside the EU. Traveling outside the EU involves more paperwork and complications, and above all, you have to take into account the requirements to return. You can find out how to leave and enter the European Union with pets here.
To travel within the European Union, what do we need?
- That the animal is identified with a microchip: Remember to check beforehand that its reading is correct and that the associated data to contact you are up to date
- That it is vaccinated against rabies: It must have been correctly vaccinated against rabies on a date after the implantation of the microchip and that this vaccine is valid. If you have recently received the vaccine, it is necessary that 3 weeks have passed before traveling. For this reason, the minimum age of a pet to travel is 15 weeks (12 weeks is the age at which it can be vaccinated against rabies and 3 weeks more for immunity to be established). Exceptionally, some countries allow the entry of animals under 12 weeks of age without being vaccinated, you can consult the list
here. - That it has a European passport: The pet passport is a booklet where the details of the animal and the owner are also certified, the vaccinations and other treatments that have been administered to the animal are also certified.
- That it is dewormed against Echinococcus: Some countries (that its reading is correct and that the associated data to contact you are up to date) also require that the animal has been dewormed against Echinococcus between 1 and 5 days before crossing its border.
You can consult all these requirements
Alert! Are you traveling to the United Kingdom? What about Brexit?
Currently, you can travel to the United Kingdom only meeting the necessary requirements to travel within the European Union (and the treatment against Echinococcus that we have described in the previous section but at the time of "Brexit" becoming effective), the United Kingdom will be considered a third country and it will be necessary to comply with the legal requirements to import an animal from a third country in order to return. The requirement that can lead to the most headaches is to have the results of the rabies antibody assessment to be able to return. For this reason, many British tourists who have come to spend their holidays in our lands have taken this test as a precaution, fearing that the "Bréxit" may occur during their holidays and that this could alter their return to the country (we remind you that it may lead to an unforeseen delay of 3 months!).
Traveling by car? Read our tips >here.