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Pet Travel & Moving with Animals to France

Information on the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), the European Pet Passport and travelling with your pet to or from France. Information includes moving pets to or from the UK and Ireland, the USA and Canada and other EU and non-EU countries.

In this section:

Moving Pets in the European Union
Moving Pets Between France, the UK and Ireland
Moving Pets to France from Outside the European Union
Pet Carriers To and From France

The European Pet Passport (EU Pet Passport) allows for qualifying domestic animals (dogs, cats and ferrets) to freely cross borders in Europe.

The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) provides for qualifying domestic pets to travel to and from the UK without undergoing quarantine.

Pet travel laws can be affected by exceptional outbreaks of diseases. Recent examples are Avian Influenza (the H5N1 strain of bird flu) and Foot and Mouth disease.

The French Customs Authority provides clear information on the regulations for traveling with domestic mammals, fish, amphibians, birds, rodents and reptiles.

For further information: Click here

Moving Pets in the European Union

The EU Pet Passport is a booklet, identical for all European countries, which contains obligatory information concerning an individual animal: identification number, proof of valid vaccine against the rabies virus. It may contain other non-obligatory information. It is valid for the lifetime of the pet. Each passport is numbered for identification purposes.

Animals travelling within any European Union country need to be accompanied by a Pet Passport. For Ireland, Sweden, Malta and United Kingdom, further rules apply. When crossing the Finnish border animals must, in addition to the passport, also have proof of tapeworm (echinococcosis) treatment. All vets should have the relevant information and be able to prepare a pet for travel.

The EU Pet Passport can also be used when travelling between Europe and the following non-mainland European areas: Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics.

It may also be used when travelling between EU and other countries with the same rabies status. Included are: Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and the Vatican City State.

For information on these places see the EUROPA website

Getting an EU Pet Passport

The passport may only be issued by a licenced vet and it, and vaccinations, should be kept current by the vet.

Before issuing it, the vet will confirm that the animal:

Is identified by a microchip in the neck
Has valid vaccines against rabies
Has had a blood test to confirm the vaccine is in the system

Following these steps the vet can issue a certificate of health - the Pet Passport.

Arriving in France

A non-commercial importer may bring up to five pets into France.

Pet owners must carry a valid EU Pet Passport for each pet when travelling with their animals to France.

If the rabies vaccination was the animal's first vaccine then it must wait for 21 days before entering the country. There is no time delay with booster injections, providing there is proof that the booster was administered before the last vaccine had expired.

A dog, cat or ferret must be over three months old to enter French territory. However an animal under three months of age may enter if it has had the complete rabies innoculation.

Rabbits and rodents may travel without a passport but should be declared at the border.

The French Ministry of Agriculture has more information (in French).

For more information from the French government: Click here (PDF in French)

Bringing birds to France

The EC regulations regarding the movements of pet birds have been modified in response to the avian influenza alert (bird flu), and these rules apply at least until the end of 2010. Each family is allowed to bring maximum five birds into France. One of the following conditions must apply:

There has been a 30 day pre-export quarantine
There has been a 30 day quarantine after import
The bird has been vaccinated and re-vaccinated at least once against avian influenza, with the H5 vaccine. The bird must have been vaccinated within the last six months and not later than 60 days prior to dispatch from the third country
Isolation of the bird for at least 10 days before departure and, after at least three days of isolation, a test to detect the H5N1 antigen or genome

Compliance with the above conditions must be verified in a certificate by an official veterinarian.

Bringing other pet animals to France

Small pet animals such as rabbits and reptiles need a veterinary certificate to state that the animal is in good health, not showing any signs of illness. At the most five animals may be brought in.

Moving Pets Between France, the UK and Ireland

The application of the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) allows animals to travel between France, the UK and Ireland...

Dogs, cats and ferrets may travel between UK and Ireland, and Europe without quarantine, provided some (stringent) requirements are met. The system allowing travel is called the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS).

DEFRA, the UK Department for Environment Food and Rural affairs, has comprehensive and up-to-date information on the website. It can also provide an information pack on request.

DEFRA website: Pet Travel Scheme (PETS)
Pet Travel Scheme
Tel: +44 870 241 1710
e-mail
Open: Mondays to Fridays 08:00-18:00 UK time

Entering the UK, Ireland, Malta or Sweden

As of 1 January 2012, the rules regarding moving pet animals to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden and Malta have been harmonised with the rest of the EU. A blood test after the rabies vaccination is no longer necessary and the waiting time before entry is shortened from six months to 21 days. Tick treatment is not obligatory.

Dogs must be treated against tapeworm no less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours (five days) before arriving in the UK. This treatment must be recorded in the pet passport by a veterinary surgeon. Dogs arriving from Malta, Ireland or Finland do not need to be treated against tapeworm.

For more information about tapeworm treatment: Click here

The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has comprehensive information on the new policy:

For more information from DEFRA regarding the new rules: Click here
For the leaflet Bringing pets into the UK after 1 January 2012: Click here (PDF)

For information from Sweden and Ireland’s governments:

For information on the rules that apply for Ireland: Click here
For information on the rules that apply for Sweden: Click here

Further information from:

Irish Department of Agriculture website
British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, DEFRA website

Bringing horses to France

Horses may move across EU borders providing they have a valid Horse Passport.

This is fairly straightforward for ponies and horses moving to France if the animal has a passport issued by an organisation approved under the EU legislation (in the UK or elsewhere in the EU).

For more information on how to get a horse passport when in UK: Click here
Information on when a passport is needed: Click here

Before departure, certain documents must be in order: a valid passport and an export licence. The ferry company will need to see these documents at embarkation. In the case of smaller ponies, an owner may be required to prove that they are worth more than a certain value, due to the ban on live exports for meat.

According to EU legislation, all foals born after 1 July 2008 must be micro chipped for identification purposes before they are six months old. This requirement is not retroactive and therefore does not apply to horses born before this date.

Moving Pets to France from Outside the European Union

If taking the pet to a country outside the EU consult the Embassy or consulate to check the local regulations.

An animal entering France or an EU Country from a non-EU country that has the same rabies controls need merely prove that the anti-rabies booster vaccinations are valid and up-to-date.

For a list of complying countries see EUROPA website

Animals from countries not included on the list need to have complete anti-rabies treatment. The French Embassy in the home country should be consulted.

Moving Pets to France from the United States or Canada

Animals from the USA and Canada may enter France if they have:

A valid Veterinary Certificate (stating owners details, a description of the animal, details of identification and vaccinations)
Valid rabies vaccines
A tattoo (only accepted in the EU until 3 July 2011) or a microchip (compatible with standard ISO 11784 or annex A ISO standard 11785)

The cage or carrier must be labelled with the owners name, and their (or a nominated person's) address and contact numbers in France.

Once in France, a French vet can issue an EU Pet Passport allowing travel within Europe.

The website of the French embassy in the United States provides information: Click here
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency website has further information: Click here

Pet Carriers To and From France

It is essential to ensure that the pet is eligible to travel not only to or from France but also any other countries it may pass through.

The animal will have to travel in an approved container. It must be big enough for the animal to stand sit and turn during the journey. The container must allow adequate ventilation.

If the journey is longer than a few hours, food and drink may need to be supplied.

IATA (the International Air Transport Association) provides detailed information on shipping cats and dogs: Click here
For pet container requirements: Click here (PDF)

Several train companies, sea ferries and airlines carry caged animals across borders (normally a pet travelling by air will be in the hold). Consult the carrier for details.