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"Mixed" country passport


Megan le Fey
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I wonder if anyone else has a dog with a passport issued in one country - in our case, France - with vaccinations done in another. Utopie's passport was issued here in France and her blood test was done here.  She subsequently had a couple of yearly boosters also here in France.  Late in 2007 we went to UK for a few months and her booster fell due during that period.  We had it done there and the vet told us cheerfully that the new jab was much better than the French ones as it was valid for 3 years.  A few days ago someone suggested to us that a 3 year vaccine may not be regarded as valid in a French issued passport and that we should be sticking to the annual routine and have another booster done.  Sadly, we had missed her due date for the booster by a few days which would mean another blood test.  Apart from the six months wait the tests are not cheap and with the present exchange rate on our pensions we are, like many of you, trying to keep the expenditure down, however, I cannot imagine anything more horrific than perhaps having to return to UK and getting to the tunnel and being told that she cannot go.

Has anyone else been in this position and actually used the "mixed up" passport successfully?  I would really be grateful for any input.  My husband has Alzheimer's and so we may find ourselves having to return to UK unexpectedly and so, of course,  Utopie must be able to come with us.

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For entry to the UK I think your booster would be valid for three years. The important issue is the date of validity, and this was entered by your vet in the UK.

I would not like to comment on the question of validity in France, but is it compulsory to have your pet vaccinated against rabies? Judging from some of the posts that I have read it seems not.
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Thank you very much Robbie for your reply.  I had been hoping that there was someone out there who had actually (and successfully [:D])used a French passport with a UK 3 year validity rabies jab on it.  You would think that it would be valid for entry to UK but it is not a thing you need to be wrong about as you are about to board the train through the tunnel.  I think I will try DEFRA again just to be certain.  I haven't found anything on the web yet, either whether the "mixed" passport is OK, or whether one is obliged to vaccinate against rabies in France - of course I  have always done so.  You certainly have to have the vaccination in order to import a dog to France- we have imported one from UK last year and one from South Africa about 6 years ago.

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It is as well to check Anne but I would have thought in any case since it is the UK authorities that require the valid rabies jab and it is valid in the UK there will be no problems.

 

We also have dual entries but becuase it is Germany and France the issue does not arise for us.

 

Let us know what DEFRA say, because I am sure there will be others later who will benefit

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I would not contact DEFRA because most of the time you will get someone who isn't totally au fait with the system. 

I had problems twelve months after my dog's original vaccination.  I got a reminder from my vet to say he needed a booster, despite the due date in his passport* being for two years.  The argument was that France demanded a yearly vaccination and I would not be admitted.  I contacted DEFRA, who at first agreed with my vet.  After  protracted discussions they were unable to give me a definitive answer.  I then wrote to the EC and their first reply was ambiguous.  I persisted and they then agreed that the date in the Pet's Passport was the valid time for a booster.

Although your Pet's Passport was issued in France, nonetheless it is an EU document and identical to ones issued throughout Europe.  I doubt that the French will be concerned about your dog's frequency of boosters, and the main thing is that you are allowed into the UK without your pet going into quarantine.  If the passport is still valid then I would not worry about it.  The date of the booster is the important thing.

 

* At that time it wasn't the passport but the piece of paper signifying he was vaccinated etc.

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[quote user="Robbie34"]

I would not contact DEFRA because most of the time you will get someone who isn't totally au fait with the system. 

[/quote]

Yes I know what you mean.  Last year, for a different dog, I needed to know if the 21 days which had to elapse between the vaccination and the day of travel to bring the dog to France included the first and last days, or either, and my vet enquired for me.  The reply was inconclusive so I enquired myself and got a "don't know".  Although I was asking DEFRA about entry to France, they are the ones (as far as I know) who check the passport before you board.  Eventually I 'phoned the relevant French department who said that they "thought" it would be OK to count one of the days as part of the 21.  I risked it and nobody even looked at the passport.  What has been worrying me about perhaps having to take Utopie to UK is that it is on the French side that the passport is checked and I fear that they may apply the French rule about annual boosters.

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I suspect that your French issued passport with a UK rabies jab valid for three years will be valid.

The difficulty may arise if you take your dog to your vet in Frence for its booster at the end of the three years. The French vet may well say that you will have to start the process again as you did not get yearly boosters as per the French guidelines.

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Entry to the UK has nothing to do with the timescale for boosters in France.  The people who check the Pet's Passport at the ferry port are the check in operators.  All they are concerned with is that the Flea and Tick procedures are correct; the Passport is for the dog entering the UK; and the Rabies vaccination is up to date.  Indeed, when I was returning to the UK last year they never even checked Charley for his microchip.  That was a first for me.
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[quote user="Boiling a frog"]

I suspect that your French issued passport with a UK rabies jab valid for three years will be valid.

The difficulty may arise if you take your dog to your vet in Frence for its booster at the end of the three years. The French vet may well say that you will have to start the process again as you did not get yearly boosters as per the French guidelines.

[/quote]

I'm not sure that they could legitimately do that.  The dog has been vaccinated in accordance with EU regulations, and has been issued with an EU Pet's Passport and the vaccination was valid for three years.  They could however, give the booster for only twelve months duration.

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This is confusing for me as I regularly take my 4 Old English sheepdogs to france at least twice a year , according to my vet the rabies vaccination has to be done every year miss it by one day and the whole process has to start again blood test waiting for results then the 7 months before they can leave the country and return, which did happen to us due to a death in the family one day late , going out isn’t the problem its returning, while stating the vaccine last for two or three years it seems to vary would it be recognised by a vet as ok ours says not.

              John

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[quote user="johnys"]

This is confusing for me as I regularly take my 4 Old English sheepdogs to france at least twice a year , according to my vet the rabies vaccination has to be done every year miss it by one day and the whole process has to start again blood test waiting for results then the 7 months before they can leave the country and return, which did happen to us due to a death in the family one day late , going out isn’t the problem its returning, while stating the vaccine last for two or three years it seems to vary would it be recognised by a vet as ok ours says not.

              John

[/quote]

 

Your vet is wrong or he is using the wrong vaccine.  The Nobivac Rabies vaccine is valid for three years and has been for the past five years at least.  Indeed, Charley's first vaccination in 2001 lasted for two years.  His booster in 2006  is valid until November this year.

Your vet is either not aware of the present situation or he is boosting his income at your expense.

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Our French Vet, who speaks excellent English and deals a lot with Brittish Pet Passport holders, told us that, if a dog is resident in the UK, then it's ok to have the rabies booster done every second year (and could well now be every three years if the product is okayed for that). However, if the dog is resident in France, i.e. remains continuously in France for a certain length of time, which I can't remember offhand (could be 3 or 6 months), then the rabies booster must be done every year for the Pet Passport. By the way, some Vets will "adjust" the date for the booster, on the Pet Passport, if you have missed it by a few days, so it's worth asking!

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[quote user="Megan le Fey"]A few days ago someone suggested to us that a 3 year vaccine may not be regarded as valid in a French issued passport and that we should be sticking to the annual routine and have another booster done.  [/quote]

It may depend on your French vet. Three years ago, we imported two young cats from the UK who had their rabies jabs done (21+ days) prior to travel to France.

Their UK-issued passports confirmed the rabies vaccination as valid for 2 years. One year on, knowing the French requirement for annual boosters, we booked an appointment at our French vets - very knowledgeable French vets as we're in an area with a lot of British residents and holiday-homers so they're dealing with the passport paperwork weekly. They refused to give boosters to the cats before the 2 years were up. I was concerned about this decision and contacted another vet who confirmed the first vet's refusal.  Each vet knew the cats were resident in France, not visitors.

Two years have passed and now they're on they're on annual boosters as per the French regime.

If you know you would be going back via the Tunnel you could contact them and discuss French passport, 3 year vaccination validity.

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  • 5 months later...
I have resurrected this old post as after reading the post from Bones and the subsequent replies  I thought that I really ought to make a firm enquiry to DEFRA  and try for a definite reply so I 'phoned them and then emailed and asked for a written reply.  In case it is of interest to anyone, I have copied my emailed enquiry and their reply below.

My email

Subject: Pets Passport validity

Following our 'phone conversation

this morning I repeat my question regarding the validity of my dog, Utopie's passport.

Utopie's pet passport was obtained

in France where, as you know, the rabies vaccinations are only valid for one

year.  When the time came for her vaccination to be renewed we were

visiting Scotland and she was vaccinated there.  Her new vaccination was

with the Quantum Rabies vaccine and is valid for 3 years, her next renewal

date being 8 January 2011.  I have been advised by both the DEFRA Helpline

and by you that although the passport originated in France, the UK 3

year vaccination is perfectly valid up until its expiry/renewal date and that

she will pass through the passport control without a problem until then

(assuming the other requirements -worming etc. - are properly met).

I should be most grateful if you

would be kind enough to confirm in writing that her French passport with a

3 year UK vaccination will be valid so long as the vaccination is

current.  Sorry to be such a worrier but I would feel so much more

confident if I had something official to wave at the passport inspectors in case

there was a problem.

Thank you very much for your assistance.

Reply from Quarantine/Animal Health Dept

Our Reference AHDWO 20510

Dear Anne

Further to our telephone conversation of today and your subsequent email

received today.

I can

confirm for pets to be eligible for the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) they must have

a valid rabies vaccination. Booster vaccinations are given as per the

manufacturers data sheet provided with the vaccine. This can be between 1 to 3

years depending on the vaccine administered.  Booster vaccinations are

valid for entry to the UK and other EU countries from the date given provided

they are given on time (according to the instructions in the vaccine

manufacturer’s data sheet where the previous vaccination was given). Please

note that it is the "valid until" date written in the passport which

is taken into account when travelling under the Pet Travel Scheme
.  If

the revaccination date is missed the pet will not meet the conditions of the

scheme and will have to be vaccinated and, for entry to the UK, blood tested

again. The 6 month rule will then apply from the date the new blood sample is

taken assuming the blood test result is satisfactory. If your pet always has

the booster on time, it will not need a further blood test, or be subject to a

further 6 months wait, provided your pet does not enter an unlisted country.

Please

note,  in some EU countries annual rabies vaccinations are required if

a pet is resident in that country, but it is the "valid until date"

in the passport that is taken into account when travelling under PETS.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/pets/procedures/support-info/vacci.htm

I hope this has answered your question. Should you require further information

you may wish to:

· Check our website www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm

· Or contact The PETS Helpline on 0870 2411710

· Or send an e-mail to [email protected]

 

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