Cathy Baxter – Kyashii Orientals
Do you travel abroad with your cat or are you thinking of importing a cat into the UK?
From 1st January 2012 entry requirements for bringing cats (dogs and ferrets) into the UK changed as the UK brought its rules into line with the European Union. As part of these changes quarantine is no longer required for cats from the EU and approved non-EU countries provided they meet certain pre-entry requirements. Quarantine arrangements will remain in place for animals that do not meet the new entry requirements. Therefore if you wish to return to the UK with your cat after a trip abroad, or intend to import a cat into the UK for the first time, you need to be aware of the changes to the UK pet entry rules.
The 27 countries of the EU are as follows:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
The approved non-EU countries are:
- Andorra
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Argentina
- Aruba
- Ascension Island
- Australia
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Bermuda
- BES Islands (Bonair, Saint Eustatius and Saba)*
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- British Virgin Islands
- Canada
- Cayman Islands
- Chile
- Croatia
- Curacao*
- Falkland Islands
- Fiji
- French Polynesia
- Guam
- Hawaii
- Hong Kong
- Iceland
- Jamaica*
- Japan
- Liechtenstein
- Malaysia*
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Montserrat
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Russian Federation*
- Saint Maarten*
- San Marino
- Singapore
- St Helena
- St Kitts & Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Pierre & Miquelon
- St Vincent & The Grenadines
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Trinidad and Tobago
- United Arab Emirates*
- USA (mainland)
- Vanuatu
- Vatican
- Wallis & Futuna
*Indicates specific information relating to these countries. Please see the DEFRA website
www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/countries/noneu-countries/ for the latest information.
Owners are responsible for ensuring their cat meets all the rules for entering the UK. It is important therefore to make sure you have had the procedures carried out in the correct order and your cat’s documentation is correctly completed. If you do not, your cat may not be able to enter the country or may have to be licensed into quarantine on arrival. The steps you need to undertake if you are entering the UK from the EU or a listed non-EU country are as follows:
- Step 1 – Have your cat microchipped – before any of the other procedures for travel are carried out, your cat must be fitted with a microchip so it can be properly identified.
- Step 2 – Have your cat vaccinated– after the microchip has been fitted your cat must be vaccinated against rabies. There is no exemption to this requirement, even if your cat has a current rabies vaccination. Rabies boosters must be kept up to date. The length of the waiting period before entry to the UK is 21 days after the first vaccination date. A waiting period is not required for subsequent entries into the UK, provided rabies boosters are kept up to date. If the vaccination is in two parts the 21 day wait will be from the date of the second vaccination.
- Step 3 – Get pet travel documentation– for animals being prepared in an EU country, you should get an EU pet passport. If you are preparing your animal in a non-EU listed country or territory you will need to obtain an official third country veterinary certificate (apart from Croatia, Gibraltar, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland who also issue pet passports).
- Step 4 – Tapeworm treatment – is required for dogs only and does not apply to cats. The requirement is that before entering the UK, all dogs (including assistance dogs) must be treated for tapeworm. The treatment must be administered by a vet not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours (1-5 days) before its scheduled arrival time in the UK. There is no mandatory requirement for tick treatment. No treatment is required for dogs entering the UK from Finland, Ireland or Malta.
- Step 5 – Arrange for your cat to travel with an approved transport company on an authorised route – your cat must enter the UK from a listed country or territory travelling with an approved transport company on an authorised route.
If you are entering the UK from the Republic of Ireland there are some new considerations. Under the EU pet movement system, all cats (dogs and ferrets) moving between EU Member States must meet the same animal health rules as above. Therefore from 1st January 2012 the requirement is that all cats travelling from the Republic of Ireland to the UK should be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and accompanied by a pet passport. As both the Republic of Ireland and the UK have had no indigenous rabies for many decades, compliance checks on cats travelling between the two countries will not be applied. Cat owners entering the UK with their cats from the Republic of Ireland should therefore not experience any change in practical terms. There are no requirements for pets travelling directly between the UK and either the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
If you are entering the UK from unlisted non-EU countries there is an additional step involving a blood test that you must undertake in order for your cat to be allowed entry into the UK:
- Step 1 – Have your cat microchipped – before any of the other procedures for pet travel are carried out, your cat must be fitted with a microchip so it can be properly identified.
- Step 2 – Have your cat vaccinated – after the microchip has been fitted your cat must be vaccinated against rabies. There is no exemption to this requirement, even if your cat has a current rabies vaccination. Rabies boosters must be kept up to date.
- Step 3 – Arrange a blood test – after your cat has been vaccinated, it must be blood tested to make sure the vaccine has given it a satisfactory level of protection against rabies. The blood sample must be taken at least 30 days after vaccination. The length of the waiting period before entry to the UK is three calendar months from the date your vet took the blood sample which led to a satisfactory test result. The three month waiting period will not apply if your cat was vaccinated and blood tested in the EU and issued with an EU pet passport before it went to an unlisted country.
- Step 4 – Get pet travel documentation – you will need to obtain an official third country veterinary certificate.
- Step 5 – Tapeworm treatment– is required for dogs only and does not apply to cats. The requirement is that before entering the UK, all dogs (including assistance dogs) must be treated for tapeworm. The treatment must be administered by a vet not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours (1-5 days) before its scheduled arrival time in the UK. There is no mandatory requirement for tick treatment.
- Step 6 – Arrange for your cat to travel with an approved transport company on an authorised route – your cat must enter the UK with an approved transport company on an authorised route.
The number of cats that can be moved between EU Member States, including into and out of the UK, is limited to five per person unless you are taking part in a competition, show or sporting event. If so, these animals will require a new type of health certificate issued by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency. Applications for the certificate should be made at least 10 working days prior to the date of travel. Each cat you are taking to Europe will still need a completed and valid pet passport. The health certificate issued by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency is not evidence your cats meets the Pet Travel Scheme rules, which will still apply.
Further information about the Pet Travel Scheme can be obtained from DEFRA or found on the DEFRA website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/