Pet travel after Brexit: taking a dog to the EU could cost £300 a time
If you are thinking about taking your dog elsewhere in Europe this year, then brace yourself for an expensive and time-consuming headache.
Pet owners say they are having to fork out hundreds of pounds for the necessary paperwork after post-Brexit rule changes.
Pet passports issued in Great Britain are no longer valid for travel to EU countries (you can still use a pet passport issued in an EU country, Northern Ireland or a few other places but check it will be accepted before you travel).
Now, before a pet dog – or cat or ferret – can travel to the EU or Northern Ireland, its owner has to obtain an animal health certificate (AHC) for it.
To get the certificate, the pet must be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies. A rabies jab typically costs about £50 but some vets charge as much as £80.
You must take your pet to your vet to get an AHC and – crucially – do this no more than 10 days before you travel.
Make three trips to the EU with your pet and you could face paying almost £1,000 for the certificates that are now required, although prices vary hugely.
Even if you are not going away until July or August, now is the time to act because some vets are already heavily booked up for this summer. If vet practices end up having to turn people away, it could threaten a pet version of the UK’s passport delay chaos.
The coronavirus pandemic triggered an explosion in pet ownership levels but surveys have indicated that the majority of dog owners are unsure of the rules concerning taking their animal to the EU.
Mairead McErlean was this week told it would cost £220 to get an AHC for her English bulldog, Pepper, plus another £65 for the rabies jab needed to get the certificate, and £15 for the worming treatment required for her trip –
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