Take all your paperwork when crossing the Channel!

[Athene]

Hi all!

I have just been reading the thread about the rabies vacinations and someone there said that you need only take the current animal's passport when entering England. We have proved that this is NOT the case. On a couple of occasions recently the authorities have wanted to see the whole history of rabies injections going back four years ie to the Stone Ages when animals did not travel with passports just a whole daffy of forms! So my advice is take everything you have that relates to your animal.

I was very amused this last time when entering England and whilst going through the immigration checks in Boulogne for our own passports - The cats having been checked and OK-ed in the Vetinary control offices before this - we were asked to show their passports yet again! My dear old British Shorthair cats were most offended that it might be thought that they were cat illegal immigrants!

Another thing is that for the tick treatment, the UK authorities ONLY accept Frontline now. The officials doing the checks said that they had had to send some people, whose vets had used other preparations, to another Vet in Boulogne to re-do this treatment and then they people had had to wait the appropriate time ie between 12 hours and up to 24 hours after the shot to get on another ferry!

Hope this helps!

[Teamedup]

Our vet did say that for the time being we would need some of the old paper work too and that he would continue filling it in for us. And as always I had planned on doing the belt and braces thing and taking everything back with us.

[Deimos]

I believe that French vets have been advised (by the French veterinary authorities) to issue both Pet Passports AND the old French PETS paperwork for people travelling back to the UK. French vets are making a lot of errors in completing the (new) Pet Passports (according to the ferry company I last travelled with anyway). The subject came up as the rejected my own dogs’ Pet Passports due to errors the vet had made on completing them. I was fortunate in that my vet had also issued me with the old French PETS forms which were accepted fine. My experience (and conversations with the ferry company check-in people) was at Christmas so things may have changed since.

In theory you should only require the Pet Passport (which is the idea of the thing). It does not surprise me that some operators are requiring additional paperwork (which tends to defeat the idea of the Pet Passport).

Ian

[Cadeby]

I have travelled the western route ( Caen - Portsmouth ) with my dogs on several occasions using Brittany Ferries and have never been asked for anything other than the new PETS passport. However, I did have to instruct my French vet as to which pages he needed to complete in the passport, and he also issued the normal Rabies Declaration form as he believes this is still required under French law.

I agree, if in doubt, take the lot!!!