Brexit and Pet Travel – URGENT Update for Pet Owners

If his original passport was issued in the UK, then yes, they are correct, as the UK Pet Passport is no longer accepted by the EU.

It depends on the Portuguese authorities – and on what countries you will pass through. From everything I’m hearing, these passports are accepted by some EU border forces, but others (apparently most of the French ports are rejecting them). The latest rulings I’ve heard are that if your primary residence is in the UK, this route should not be used – but as I say, different countries seem to be approaching this differently.

Once her rabies vaccination has had the required 21 days to “take”, she will have to travel on an Animal Health Certificate, issued by an official vet in your practice, no more than 10 days before travel.

It may depend on where you’re going – worth having a chat with your vet about that one, because I can’t find a simple answer! Certainly your passport will no longer be valid if it’s a UK one and signed in the UK, though, so you will need an AHC.

Unfortunately, a UK vet is not permitted to enter the rabies vaccination details into an EU passport – only an EU official veterinarian is permitted to do so.
You can read the details here: http://apha.defra.gov.uk/External_OV_Instructions/Export_Instructions/Certification_Procedures/Small_Animal_Exports/index.htm

To come into the UK, that should be fine.

The tests will need to be conducted by an Official Veterinarian (OV) or the equivalent where you are, and tested in an accredited laboratory. Unfortunately, I can’t give you any further advice on that – your local OV will be able to advise you best!

Probably not – the UK is now List 2 meaning that blood tests aren’t needed, but AHCs are. See the new blog here:
https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2020/12/14/brexit-and-pet-passports-whats-happening-december-2020-update/

The answer is that we don’t really know for sure. However, almost certainly it will require a certified rabies serology (under the 3 month rule, and possibly carried out in an EU rather than UK lab, depending on the political situation), and a health certificate before travelling.

Approximately 11-17% of dogs do not seroconvert after a primary course of only 1 vaccine. Most of these dogs will develop antibodies after subsequent boosters, but not all. In addition, some dogs are genetically incapable of mounting an antibody response to rabies antigen – we call these genetic non-responders. Dogs that are related are more likely to have the same genetic code, so if your two are related, this may be the issue. Alternatively, it might just be the matter that the boosters now are 3 years apart – this appears to be less able to prime the immune response than two close together (as the old system required before the rules were relaxed). Yes, it’s rare – but it does happen and you’ve just been really unlucky! The good news is that you now know they have no detectable protection against rabies (protection is very highly correlated with antibody titre for this virus), so you can take appropriate steps – because previously it is likely they were not protected, even though both you and your vet thought they were.

As far as I know, if it’s any less than 3 months exactly, there is a good chance that permission to enter would be denied.

3 months from the date the sample was taken – there’s really good official advice here.

Thank you for your prompt comprehensive response

It all depends what happens, of course! However, the UK government has said that they will honour Pet Passports whatever arrangements are made with the EU, so coming back into the UK shouldn’t be a problem. If a deal is agreed, then there will probably be a transition period of 1-3 years in which the regulations stay the same as they are now.
If the UK leaves without a deal (and remember, it is still possible that this could happen sooner than 31st January) then in theory at least it will be illegal to cross any border into any EU member state without a health certificate and a rabies titre demonstrating that your dogs are immune to rabies (if they failed the test, then in all probability they have no immunity to the virus). It could also be argued that in some EU member states it is illegal to have the dog in the country at all without this paperwork, even if you entered legally at the time; at which point it will depend on how strictly the officials in each country choose to enforce this law and what sanctions they can apply. I’m afraid for that one, you will have to contact the animal health authorities in each country (Portugal, Spain and France) to ask what their position would be in each case.
Hope that helps!

There are two main reasons why a dog might not respond to a vaccine. Firstly, if their immune system needs a second dose to trigger a full protective response; and secondly, if they are a “congenital non-responder” – i.e. they are genetically unable (for various reasons) to generate antibodies against the particular virus. If the latter is the case, then sadly your dogs will not be able to travel in the case of a “no-deal” Brexit – in fact, personally I would be wondering if it is appropriate to take them to a rabies endemic country at all given that it is likely that they have no significant protection against the virus.
In many cases, however, dogs will respond to a second stimulus (i.e. a booster) – congenital nonresponders are probably a very small percentage of the canine population.
This brings us to the issue of cost. There are two components to this. Firstly, it depends how much the specific lab is charging. There are only a few labs in the UK licensed to perform the rabies titres for regulatory purposes, and they aren’t cheap. Secondly, different vets may charge different markup prices. It isn’t really appropriate to compare with practices in Ireland, as the fee structure and regulatory systems are somewhat different there. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you whether those are cheap prices or not – as a vet I am prohibited by the Competition Commission from asking other vets what they charge in case we set up a cartel…
I think your best bet is to tell your vet the cheaper prices you’ve found and ask whether they can match them, and if not, why that is. It may be that they don’t know that there’s a cheaper laboratory available!

At the moment, there’s no really well established market for canine EU health certificates, so I don’t think the price has settled down! Unfortunately, it’s also illegal for vets to discuss what they charge among themselves (it would be in breach of a Competition Commission ruling) so I can’t go and ask around. It might be worth contacting a couple of other local practices and asking them directly so that you have more information?

At the moment, yes – but if there’s a no-deal Brexit, then you will need them if you want to bring the dog(s) to visit the UK and then take them back to Spain.

No problem! As things stand, the trip to Brittany in late June/July won’t be a problem – the UK will still be a member of the EU, so the Pet Passports will stand. If you wanted to travel soon after October, then it would be worth doing a titre test 30 days after vaccination (or at least when you get home from Brittany – it can’t be done less than 30 days after the vaccine). It’s worth remembering that probably about 90% of dogs are solidly protected after a single vaccine, so whether you choose to get a titre test done if not needed is up to you – 9/10 odds are pretty good! My concerns are more with those people who, following a test, KNOW that their dog isn’t producing enough antibodies against rabies. While it is possible that some of those animals are indeed capable of resisting the virus, it is likely that many are not, and at that point I think it would be foolish not to revaccinate.
Hope that makes sense!

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, then you will need a blood test to enter the EU. If a deal is done, it is likely that the current pet passport regulations will continue to apply, meaning that a positive blood test is not necessary – although if your dog fails, we and the APHA would very strongly recommend that you give them a booster to improve their protection.

Dear Tony, I have just had a reply from APHA, and they confirm that a failed serology test does not invalidate the passport under the current rules, because “It is not necessarily accurate to state that a failed titre test means an animal is unprotected” – it’s probably true but not certainly. They do, however, advise that any animal that has failed the test should receive a booster vaccination “for the personal health of the animal”.
I hope that helps!

I’ve been trying to get a definite answer to that question myself – so far without success! I am currently waiting for a reply from the APHA, and when I have their response, I will publish it on here for everyone to see.

David

If they fail a test, then they have no immunity against rabies – so whatever the law says, you would be very unwise to take them into a rabies endemic area like the mainland EU, as they will have no protection against the virus. One of the biggest concerns regarding zoonotic disease in this country is a dog coming in on a Pet Passport (so not checked) but who is incubating the infection. Once in the UK it could rapidly spread into wildlife reservoirs, and into people – the owners and the vets treating the dog are at the highest risk of infection.
This isn’t just a box-ticking exercise – rabies vaccination is genuinely important, as animals in the UK are a naive population with no natural resistance to infection.
Regarding the legalities, a failed rabies test will be recorded by the laboratory and the practice, and would normally be listed in the passport, as the vet cannot lawfully certify the dog fit to travel once that’s happened.

At the moment, it seems that a “no-deal” Brexit – i.e. one in which the Pet Passport system would no longer be honoured – can only occur if the negotiations fail and the UK leaves in October. Until then, in all probability, either the UK stays within the EU, or we leave with a deal which would cover Pet Passports. Overall, I think it is unlikely that a no-deal will occur in this timeframe.
However, if it does happen, the steps in the blog above or on the DEFRA website will allow you to travel freely – including the health certificates and rabies blood tests. Impoundment of pets is unlikely if you can meet the EU’s entry requirements; meanwhile, the UK government has said it will honour the Pet Passport system in the short term whatever happens with Brexit, so if your dog has a valid passport, he should have no problems getting back into the UK.
I hope this helps!

Doing the booster early is very unlikely to be a problem – side effects are very rare, and until recently it was normal practice to give 2 injections, 4 weeks apart as the initial course anyway.
If he has an up to date vaccine, and is in accordance with the Pet Passport rules, then re-entry into the UK won’t be a problem, and assuming that you’re travelling and returning before Brexit (whenever that ends up being!), there shouldn’t be a problem getting into France. The only thing to bear in mind is the 21 day wait after vaccination – your vet is quite right because vaccinations from Eastern Europe that don’t have a manufacturer’s name included may be a “red flag” to a customs official. If possible, get the vaccine done, then travel 21 days later, and under the current Pet Passport regulations, there shouldn’t be a problem. You can read all of the regulations here: https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/rabies-vaccination-boosters-and-blood-tests

Getting back into the UK shouldn’t be a problem – the regulations aren’t changing, at least not in the short term. However, we do not know exactly how the French authorities intend to enforce the regulations. I suspect that entering legally on an EU passport before the 11pm deadline and then returning to the UK on that same passport will be OK, but unfortunately, no-one knows for sure. Could you perhaps contact the animal health authorities in the Department which you are visiting, and the port from which you will be leaving France, to check whether they are intending to do spot checks on dogs in the event of a no-deal?

DEFRA rules yes – the problem is that the EU have said that if the UK leave without a deal, they will not continue to honour those rules. So while they will still be allowed back into the UK, your dog will not be permitted to enter the EU.
This is nothing to do with vets making money, this is all to do with changes in treaty law. If you follow the link in the post, you’ll see the most up to date DEFRA guidance.

If it was a booster, not a first vaccine, there is a very good chance that she will have a high enough antibody level – probably over 90%, based on what little published research there is.

That’s interesting! I think you can do a blood test whenever you like – if he passed a blood test in 2010, hopefully he should pass one now; if not, he’ll need a booster anyway. Perhaps best talk to your vet about this one though!

We included leeway for error, e.g. ferry delays etc – however, it looks like the extension will probably go through, at least for a couple of weeks.

They will issue it on the day of travel – however, certainly as everyone is getting used to the new procedures, it would be wise to get in touch with them a week or two in advance so they can make sure they do have all the right paperwork to hand!

I really don’t know! However, I would doubt it, because you would still be bringing a dog into the EU from a third-party state, and I would imagine that the EU border officials would want to see rabies blood tests certified in the passport before allowing re-entry. This is because, in EU law (although not of course in reality), as soon as the UK leaves the EU without a deal, rabies instantly becomes endemic here and any animal travelling from the UK to the EU could be carrying the infection. I have just heard that some EU states are saying that if the passport is issued in their country and the rabies blood test takes place within their own borders, the 3 month wait may not be necessary – however, I would advise you to check with the relevant authorities in that country before assuming this is necessarily so.

No, the exact cost will depend on the lab that runs the test and what they set the price at. Your vets will also charge for the blood sample, handling and packaging (which is much more complicated than most people think, oddly!) and certification of the result. Best to talk to your vets – they may offer a fixed-price package, or an itemised one, but most of the cost will be for the lab to process and test the blood sample.

Quarantine on the UK side is not going to be reintroduced; however, we do not yet know how the French officials will interpret the regulations. They may institute quarantine procedures – which yes, you would have to pay for – or simply refuse entry meaning that your puppy would have to be returned to the UK, with or without you.
However, this is all assuming that the UK does leave the EU on 29th March without a deal, and this is looking increasingly unlikely.

We’re seeing a lot of dogs failing the blood test since the rabies initial vaccine programme rules were relaxed a few years ago – some studies suggest as many as 11-17% of dogs, so you’re not alone!
However, a failed blood test means that they don’t have any antibodies (so almost certainly aren’t immune) to rabies, and so you must proceed as if they weren’t vaccinated at all. This means revaccinate, blood test after 30 days, then entry into the EU from a third party state 3 months after the blood test. As a result, I think you will struggle to make a June deadline. However, all this is assuming we leave before June, and assuming we do so on a “no-deal” basis, which does look much less likely now.

Unfortunately, I can’t advise you on how the politics will play out (I wish!), but I think the worst case scenario for you would be assuming something will happen, and then the talks fall through and your dog can’t go with you. You could leave the bloods until mid April, and see what happens, but I don’t think there are any guarantees at the moment.

Dear Kerry,

Thanks for the message! It’s a complex issue, and the trouble is that we do not know for certain how every country will enforce the regulations in the event of a no-deal Brexit. It will also depend on whether the UK becomes a Listed third state (given the degree of existing harmonisation of regulations) or a non-Listed state. If the former, the regulations will not change dramatically, but if the latter, the existing Pet Passport scheme seems unlikely to be accepted by the EU-27 (although the UK intends to continue to honour it).
In theory, even travelling on an EU Pet Passport, you do need a blood test, but as you say, there are some reports that the 3 month wait may not be enforced. I’ve not seen anything official to that end, so I would suggest you contact the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (https://www.bmel.de/DE/Tier/HausUndZootiere/HausUndZootiere_node.html) to see if Germany is intending to allow this.
Regarding the tapeworm treatment, it appears at the moment that fresh Echinococcus multilocularis treatment will be needed before entering Ireland (despite the fact that the UK is free of this parasite), in addition to the treatment required by the UK when coming from Germany (which is not free of it). However, as the UK is not intending to alter its import regulations at this point, tapeworm treatment when travelling from Ireland to the UK will probably not be required.
I hope that helps… at the moment we’re in the situation where although we know what the regulations state, it isn’t clear how it is going to be interpreted and enforced.

If they fail the blood test, then we must assume that they have no significant immunity against rabies. A booster vaccination is needed, then another blood test 30 days later.

To enter the UK, probably not, as the Government has said that the import regs will not be changing (although you might need a Health Certificate for the ferry or Eurotunnel). At the moment, you would just need an up to date rabies vaccine, so it seems likely that that will stay the same in the short term. Of course, to go back to Portugal, or any other EU state, you would need the blood test.

Legally, you cannot insist that your vet carries out a diagnostic procedure; however, if you say you definitely want it, then I doubt they will actually refuse! You might find it interesting to know that some studies suggest that somewhere between 11% and 17% of dogs do not mount a long-lasting immune response to a single rabies vaccination – which is why I actually think the blood testing rules change (while really annoying!) is actually a really good thing.

That’s fine! As far as we know at the moment, the non-commercial import (i.e. the dog is already a pet, travelling with you), the regulations for entering the UK will not change. However, if it is a commercial import (the dog is being sent to you for sale), then the quarantine laws may apply. I hope that makes sense! If in doubt, contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency for advice.

Getting into the UK isn’t going to change, whatever happens with Brexit, because the Government has said that they intend to recognise Pet Passports as valid. The trouble is, we do not know how the French authorities will interpret the regulations. I would expect that only a Health Certificate will be needed to re-enter France, if the dog is on a French passport, but I do not know for certain. Your best bet might be to ask the local authorities at the expected ports of entry what their plans are, because we simply do not know yet!

At this point, I’m afraid to say that we don’t know exactly how it’s going to pan out! It is likely that an Irish issued Pet-Passport will still be honoured as now; however, as far as we know, there will still be the requirement for a (one off) blood test, and a health certificate whenever you leave the UK to reenter the EU.

This is the problem – we do not know how the French authorities will choose to interpret the regulations! Strictly speaking, if they have a blood test certified on the passport, and their vaccines are in date since then, there shouldn’t be a problem. However, I would recommend getting a Health Certificate signed before travelling anyway, at which point you should be compliant with all EU regulations.
Of course, it will depend how this is interpreted, but I think that is likely to be sufficient. For more information, I’d advise you to contact the French authorities in the department in which you will be staying, plus at the ports of entry and departure. Hopefully, they will be able to give you more specific advice as to how they intend to enforce the regulations.

Getting back into the UK won’t be the problem – the UK intends to maintain the current regulations. The trouble is that the Pet Passport will not longer be sufficient to get your pet into the EU without the blood test result, and cannot enter until 3 months after a positive blood test has been certified.

I think it likely you would need to abide by the full regulations because your cat will have left Ireland (a rabies free EU state) and entered the UK (a rabies free non-EU state) before re-entering France (a rabies-endemic EU state) and therefore the EU is worried that the cat might be carrying rabies contracted in the UK as a non-EU state. However, as they’re travelling on an Irish passport, it might be worth checking with the French authorities whether they are intending to enforce the regulations that strictly or not – because if they are, your cat cannot enter France until 3 months after a positive blood test.

To be honest, I don’t know given that they’ll be travelling on a Spanish passport! I think you’d be best off asking the Spanish authorities, because although technically they should need a blood test, it might be that in this particular situation that they decide they don’t need to enforce the regulations that strictly.

There’s not a lot of data on this; however, some papers suggest that it may be up to 11% of dogs are failing to seroconvert after a single vaccination, and some of my colleagues are reporting much higher numbers unofficially. It is a very real risk – although it does seem that the more boosters the dog’s had, the better their chances.
Regarding the timings, the test MUST be no LESS than 30 days after the vaccination, or it is invalid. This is for 2 reasons – firstly, it can take about 2 weeks for the titres to rise following an initial vaccine; but secondly some dogs will mount a weak response (titres rise) but the immune system doesn’t “remember” it properly, and the titres then drop off again within a month. These dogs probably don’t have any real protection against rabies.

Yes, the blood test results will need to be certified with an official stamp – in the UK, most practices have one or more vet who can do this (Official Veterinarians, the same ones who fill in the passport for the rabies vaccines), but I don’t know if that’s the same in Spain.

The health certificate is an official document that an Official Veterinarian (or OV, the same people who sign your pet passport) issues to certify that the pet is free from signs of infectious disease and is fit to travel. While your vet may have their own versions, you can find an exemplar or template here: https://ec.europa.eu/food/sites/food/files/animals/docs/pm_non-com_model-animal-health-cert_en.pdf

In most cats and dogs, the incubation period of the virus is less than 3 months. In the initial phases of infection, the animal may appear normal, but will often have a high rabies titre. The three month wait is to make sure that the titre is due to the vaccine, not actual rabies infection.
This is of course nonsense when applied to animals in the UK (where classical rabies is extinct), but the rules are intended to cover the whole world, including animals coming into the EU from areas where rabies is common.

Strictly speaking, if your dog doesn’t leave the ferry, it’s arguable that they do not need to reenter the EU. However, persuading a customs official of this when you step off a ferry from the UK might not be straightforward! Also, if they have left the ferry, then they definitely will need to abide by all the import regulations.
I think the best option would be to get a blood test taken 3 months in advance (which probably means today!) to demonstrate that they are immune, and arrange for a health certificate to be issued by your vet in Portugal before you travel; that way (assuming they pass the rabies test), there shouldn’t be any problems even if you are deemed to be re-entering the EU.

Entry into the UK won’t be a problem – a single documented rabies vaccination in the correct timeframe will still be accepted, just as it is now, and before March 29th there will be no change, whatever happens. The issue will be returning to Spain from the UK after March 29th if a no-deal Brexit occurs; that’s when you would need a positive blood test and health certificate.

Good point! There’s no change to import rules into the UK in the near future, whatever happens over Brexit, so coming into the UK shouldn’t be any different from now.

Assuming that a withdrawal deal with a transition period is signed, then there’s shouldn’t be a problem.

OK, it will depend on exactly what happens – if a deal is signed or Article 50 is postponed, this doesn’t apply. If, however, a no-deal occurs, then all the regulations about entering the EU will theoretically come into play. This means that any dog or cat entering the EU from a third state must abide by the regulations. So, there must be a positive blood test 3 months before entry, and a health certificate within 10 days of entry. If you get a blood test today, and it is positive, then technically, the earliest you could reenter the EU from the UK would be 29th April – so yes I would advise getting one sooner rather than later!
Of course, we don’t know what will happen – or how the Portuguese authorities will interpret the regulation, and this may be unnecessary – but I think it’s worth being prepared.

They shouldn’t – nothing should change until 29th March at the earliest, and even then, only if there’s a no-deal Brexit.

That’s a really good question – unfortunately, at the moment, we don’t know for certain. It seems likely that animals would only be checked for their compliance with the import regulations at entry points into the EU; within the EU itself, it shouldn’t be an issue. However, assuming there is a no-deal Brexit, it will be strictly incorrect for an animal to be present inside the EU without the blood test certificate. Ultimately, it will depend on exactly how the Spanish authorities choose to enforce the regulations – I think it is very unlikely that your cat would be looked for, found, inspected, and removed to quarantine after being legally in the country for 3 months, but I cannot say that it’s impossible. Perhaps you could also the local authorities how they are intending to address the issue, if it occurs?
The good news is that no certificate other than a Pet Passport will be required to re-enter the UK, so getting back into the UK shouldn’t be any different to the situation now.

I think that should be fine – coming back into the UK is unlikely to be affected immediately, whatever happens (!).

I’m afraid I don’t know that much about movement between Turkey and the EU… However, the regulations are all detailed here: https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/pet-movement/eu-legislation/non-commercial-non-eu_en
Essentially, the vaccines that have been given need to have been certified by an authorised or official veterinarian (we would call them Official Veterinarians or OVs). In addition, the blood test would have to be conducted by an authorised vet, and run in an EU-certified laboratory.
I hope that helps; for more details, it might be worth contacting the Spanish customs authorities?

Yes, I can’t see any reason why that wouldn’t be acceptable. As long as the test is done in an approved lab, the dogs pass it, and the time periods are right, there shouldn’t be an issue.

Yes, that’s right – under a no-deal scenario, your pet will need to be examined by your vet (or indeed any UK vet with an OV qualification). This is because you need a Health Certificate issued in the 10 days before entering an EU country, to certify that your pet is healthy enough to travel and is not showing signs of any infections or illness that might pose a threat to animal health in your destination country.

Reputable rescue organisations usually use TRACES, the commercial import system, and we don’t yet know exactly how that is going to be affected. However, by and large, the UK government has said that import regulations (i.e. coming into the UK) will not be changing in the short term, so I would expect that in the case of a No Deal Brexit, it will still be possible to do so, but there may well be more paperwork involved.

Once they’re proven to have responded to a vaccine, they don’t need a repeat blood test every time AS LONG AS their vaccines have been kept fully up to date, without any gaps, in the meantime. So I don’t think there should be a problem – however, it would probably be worth double checking that with your vet or with APHA.

Technically yes – strictly speaking, your dog should not be permitted entry until 3 months after the successful blood test (so about 21st April, assuming they pass). Of course, this depends how strictly the French customs authorities choose to enforce the regulations; there are some indications that they might allow a short informal transition period of a few weeks or so for some regulations; however, we do not know that this would happen, and it might not apply to the animal travel regulations.
Hopefully some sort of arrangements will be made before the deadline!

Dear Anne,

At the moment, the situation is very fluid – we don’t know what’s going to happen for sure. From what you’ve said, I THINK, based on what you say, that getting back into the UK shouldn’t be a problem (at least initially, it isn’t expected that the UK’s import laws will change). The biggest problem seems likely to be entering the EU in the first place without the paperwork – in this case, your younger dog would almost certainly have to go into quarantine as they won’t meet the legal requirements for import.
Crossing an intra-EU border in a UK registered car is somewhere in between – it might be an issue, or it might not, as it will depend exactly how strictly the French and Spanish officials decide to enforce the regulations. Whether or not that would be picked up, and if so, how they would respond on the French/Spanish border is the big question – and it’s one I don’t think anyone knows the answer to for certain. Logically, of course, if the dog was legally in the EU the day before Brexit, it doesn’t instantly become a risk the day after, but the import regulations do not seem to take that into account.
Of course, this is all assuming that there is a no-deal Brexit, which of course may not occur; if it does, though, I personally would be cautious about travelling with a dog that doesn’t meet all the EU import regulations. While I think it is unlikely that there would be a problem in the situation you describe, I don’t think we can rule it out.

David

Strictly speaking yes – Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013 makes it a legal requirement for dogs cats and ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies before being moved from one EU member state to another in almost all circumstances. You can read the full text here. If you’re not sure whether this applies to your pet or not, I suggest you speak to your vet and to the official veterinary agency in the country your cat is moving to, as well as any EU states you will be passing through en route.

Hi Jill,

At the moment, it looks likely that there wouldn’t be an issue with that (as long as you weren’t crossing any borders within the EU). However, it would depend on exactly how the French government implements the regulations in the event of a “no-deal” Brexit – it isn’t impossible that there would be restrictions placed on any UK dogs present within the EU without a rabies blood test before arrival. I think it’s unlikely, but it is a possibility.

Hi Tess,

At the moment, it doesn’t look like there will be any changes in the regulations covering dogs coming into the UK – it’s more an issue of travelling from the UK to the EU, and the UK government has so far said that even in the event of a “no-deal” there won’t be any changes to the import requirements.
In the longer term, I would hope that more stringent health checks will be enforced on imported dogs – just as the reputable and responsible rescue organisations are doing already, but on a compulsory rather than optional basis.

At the moment, it looks like probably not; however, there is a good chance that they will be unable to cross any EU borders without it. So if you were, for example, going to France on 27th March, there shouldn’t be a problem, but if you then wanted to go from France to Spain on 30th, there might be. We do not yet know how this will be applied, unfortunately – it depends to a certain extent on how each EU state chooses to implement the regulations. Personally, I think that if you know you’re going to be in an EU member state after 29th March, then getting the blood test done and certified is probably the safest option to avoid problems.

That’s probably the case yes, as long as your vaccination hasn’t lapsed and the titre test was run in an EU accredited lab (which I think they all were, but it’s worth double checking!). It might also be worth double checking the booster dates to make sure there aren’t any small gaps in rabies vaccine coverage that don’t matter now, but might invalidate the 2011 blood test. Your vet will be able to check your pet’s passport to make sure.

I understand your concern! However, the guidelines we’ve had state that “A successful blood test is only required for first time travel to an EU country. This is provided that your pet’s rabies vaccinations are kept up to date with boosters before the expiry date of the previous vaccination.” In other words, once you’ve proved that your dog (or cat, or ferret) had mounted a protective immune response to the vaccine (i.e. has reached 0.5IU/ml), another booster is not required before an subsequent travel, until the usual booster date arrives. Likewise, as long as the vaccination doesn’t lapse, a second blood test is not required. I’m sorry if the blog didn’t make that clear – I’ll add it in now!

As you say, this is all speculative – it would only apply in a no-deal Brexit AND if no agreement on Listed Country status were reached. You are right that it’s medically unnecessary – however, we feel people should be aware of the advice coming out of DEFRA in case they do need to travel and want peace of mind that their plans won’t be interrupted. David Harris MRCVS.

Dear Kevin, if the U.K. becomes an unlisted third country, I suspect that the regulations would apply to the Channel Islands as well – but this is, I think, still unconfirmed because of the unique legal status the Channel Islands have. David Harris MRCVS.

Dear Roland, we do not yet know for certain – however, it seems likely that a U.K. lab would be acceptable in the short term at least, as at the time the test was run (prior to March 2019), the lab would have been EU accredited. David Harris MRCVS.

Dear Anne, I think it’s unlikely to make a difference, as it’s the act of crossing the border into the EU that might become a problem. The question would be whether the appropriate paperwork has been filled in in the passport, rather than where the passport was originally issued. David Harris MRCVS.

Hi Yan, very good question. The answer is if there is a no deal Brexit then this advice would also apply to Southern Ireland, if you want to be absolutely sure you can travel with your pet after March it is best to see your vet before 28th November.