Renewal of pet passport

[wmw]

We have two dogs whose passports are full & need new ones.

Does anybody know whether French vets are able to do the renewal if the passports were originally supplied in the UK?

My understanding is that these passports are a European document as opposed to just UK?

We travel to & from UK several times a year as we have a 'maison secondaire' in France.

[YCCMB]

Things MAY have changed, but AFAIK, the only fundamental difference (or problem) that you may come across is that the French system requires an annual rabies jab, which is more frequent than the UK one. At least, it used to.

I don't think it has any direct bearing on the passport issue, but I assume your dogs' microchips are linked to your UK address. That could be a problem, although I'm not sure how.

I have friends who used to live in France and bought their dog and had it passported there originally, They're now back in the UK, but I think their dog may still have a French passport. If not, they would probably have renewed it in the UK, the reverse situation to yours, so I assume it is do-able.

[Bernice]

[quote user="wmw"]We have two dogs whose passports are full & need new ones.

Does anybody know whether French vets are able to do the renewal if the passports were originally supplied in the UK?

My understanding is that these passports are a European document as opposed to just UK?

We travel to & from UK several times a year as we have a 'maison secondaire' in France.[/quote]

I should check with your vet in the UK.  I believe DEFRA just issue extra pages to insert into the original passport.  This is what happened to some friends of mine when their dog's passport was full.

Your french vet may also be able to obtain "extra" pages. 

Bernice

[napoleon]

Our last dog was on his fourth passport and the renewal each time was simple and free in the UK. Our French vet reminded us that they could issue one if we were caught with a full passport while in France.

We have not come across the "extra pages" possibility.

Alistair

[wmw]

My UK vet said that inserting extra pages was not permissible!

Perhaps I'll ask my French vet about that possibility.

Thanks for replying.

[wmw]

Who is your UK vet?!

Our UK vet charged £30 for our dog's passport renewal and, this time has said it will be £40 (per dog).

Our French vet says they charge €10.

I was told by UK vet that inserting extra pages was not allowed!

Thanks for replying.

[YCCMB]

If you want to be absolutely sure, why not try dropping DEFRA an e-mail (I think there's a link on the website). Last time I had a query, they sent me a very comprehensive answer, and I was able to print it off and carry it with me to show the relevant people, should there have been any dispute or confusion.

[Catalpa]

I agree with Betty (no surprise there [:D]) - speak to or email DEFRA. When we moved over, we continued to use our UK-issued passports and when they were full, our French vet wrote out a new one - no charge - it was done during a normal annual booster / MOT appointment. But we were French resident by then so our situation is not directly comparable to yours, WMW.

The people who have to be content with what is done (whether that be a new, France-issued passport or extra pages) are the ferry / tunnel companies who decide whether to let your pet back into the UK and they are precise in their interpretation of DEFRA's current rules whereas a vet's (nationality irrelevant) interpretation of the rules may not be up-to-date or even accurate.

E2a:

And here's the link to the page on the DEFRA website which gives the contact details for the Pet Travel Scheme helpline.

[wmw]

Thanks for replies...

...I have already emailed Defra but, as yet, have had no reply.

Will await their reply!

[wmw]

I received this reply from DEFRA yesterday.

"Thank you for your email dated 6th April 2014.

Yes it is fine if you have replacement passports issued in France

Please be advised that additional pages may not be attached to the EU pet passport. If an essential section has become filled, (rabies vaccinations or tapeworm treatment), you will need to obtain a re-issue passport. Re-issue passports, like the originals, should be obtained from your vet.

Please note that the other sections of the pet passport are required if you wish to return to GB with your pet from a unlisted non-EU Country.

For your information there will be a couple of minor changes made to the pet passport at the end of this year/ start of 2015 and more sections will be available for tapeworm treatment."