Dogs to the UK – Pet Travel Regulations

THE UK PET TRAVEL SCHEME (PETS)
1 Regarding the movement of pets (dogs, cats and ferrets) into the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme.
2 The Pet Travel Scheme aims to prevent rabies, certain tick-borne diseases and tapeworm from entering the UK via pet movements. Before pets can enter the UK under the Scheme they must meet certain animal health requirements which are laid down in EU law (EC Regulation 998/2003). All pets entering the UK are checked to make sure that they meet those requirements, and any that fail to comply must be placed in quarantine until they do.
3 From 1 January 2012, the rules for pets entering the UK will change as the UK aligns its Pets Travel Scheme with the EU-wide pet movement system. Annex I summarises the current UK entry rules and how they will change for imports of pets from the EU, listed and unlisted third (i.e. non-EU) countries from 1 January 2012.
4 Currently all pets entering the UK from unlisted third countries (i.e. those countries not listed in Annex II, for example China and Sri Lanka) must enter quarantine for 6 months when they arrive in the UK. From 1 January 2012, pets from those countries will be allowed to enter the UK without quarantine as long as they meet the EU entry requirements. The requirements for pets entering the UK from the EU or other ‘listed’ third countries (see Annex II) will also change, e.g. the waiting period before entry will be considerably shorter and a post-vaccination blood test will no longer be required.
5 A pet entering quarantine between 3 July and 31 December 2011 under the existing UK quarantine rules may be eligible for release from 1 January 2012 and before its six month quarantine period has elapsed if it meets the EU entry rules. This will require the pet to have been microchipped, then vaccinated against rabies and possibly blood tested depending on which country it arrives from. Further information on how this may work in practice is attached at Annex III. We are currently discussing the requirements for retaining our existing tapeworm treatment controls with the European Commission.
6 Under the changed rules, we will continue to check pets arriving into the UK. If a pet fails to meet the entry requirements the owner is likely to want to place their pet
in quarantine rather than have it re-exported or destroyed. Quarantine provides a highly valuable service in accommodating pets until they fully meet the entry rules. Although the mandatory requirement to quarantine pets from certain countries will cease from 1 January 2012, we believe the private quarantine sector will still retain a vital role in dealing with non-compliant animals entering the UK.
7 For some owners, voluntary quarantine may remain the preferred option for bringing their pets into the UK. We intend to maintain this option from 1 January 2012, where for example, they need to bring their pets into the UK at short notice. However, pet owners who choose to voluntarily place their pets into quarantine from that date will need to ensure their pets are treated in quarantine (microchip, vaccination, and possibly a blood test, depending on where they have come from) in order to meet the EU entry requirements before they can be released. We expect the voluntary placement of pets into quarantine will continue to be an important function for the quarantine sector.

Strategic Animal Health Policy
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs