How to Get an EU Pet Passport for Your Dog or Cat in France

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How to Get an EU Pet Passport for Your Dog or Cat in France

If you are a pet owner in France, your pet is entitled to an EU pet passport. This document serves not only as your pet’s health and vaccination record, but it will enable you to travel hassle-free between countries of the EU, as well as the UK.

To Obtain an EU Pet Passport, Your Pet Must Be:

  • Microchipped with an ISO standard microchip, prior to rabies vaccination (tattoos carried out before July 3, 2011, are also accepted, providing that it remains clearly legible)
  • Vaccinated against rabies with an approved vaccine (Note that your pet must be microchipped before being vaccinated).

The passport is activated for travel 21 days after the rabies vaccine has been administered and remains active as long as the vaccines are kept up to date.

Pet passports cost €15 and is issued by your French vet. Note that while an EU Pet Passport is required for your pet to travel within the EU and to the UK, it is not obligatory if you don’t intend to travel with your pet.

Importing a Dog or Cat to France: Registering for an EU Pet Passport

If you move to France with your pet from a non-EU country such as the UK or the US, your pet will also be able to obtain an EU passport, providing they meet the requirements. This also applies to pets who have a UK-EU Pet Passport issued before January 1st, 2021 (Brexit) – these passports are now invalid for travel, although they are still permitted as proof of vaccination (see the official word on this here).

Your pet must be:

  • Microchipped with an ISO standard microchip, prior to rabies vaccination (tattoos carried out before July 3, 2011, are also accepted, providing that it remains clearly legible)
  • Vaccinated against rabies with an approved vaccine (Note that your pet must be microchipped before being vaccinated).
  • Registered on the Fichier national d’identification des carnivores domestiques(I-CAD) (France’s national pet register).

Pet passports are issued by your French vet, who is responsible for checking the animal’s registration with I-CAD and vaccination record.

Registering your pet with I-CAD

In order for a pet of non-EU origins to enter the French system and receive a French EU Pet Passport, the pet must be registered in the Fichier national d’identification des carnivores domestiques (I-CAD) (France’s national pet register). This registration can be done by a vet, but only if the animal is staying in France longer than three consecutive months. The official rules state that a dog or cat must be registered with the I-CAD within eight days of arriving in France (if you are importing the dog to France – this isn’t required for travel and short-stay purposes), so it’s a good idea to book your vet appointment as soon as possible if you are looking to stay.

You will need to present the same documentation required for moving to France with your pet to your vet, so make sure you keep hold of all the relevant documents, including your Rabies antibody titration test (if required). You should also bring with you proof of your residence in France or intention to stay in the country for longer than three months (for example, your long-stay visa or carte de sejour).

Your vet will fill in the provisional certificate of identification during import or intra-Community trade form, and you will need to pay the registration fee of €9.23 to ICAD.

*IMPORTANT* Your pet’s previous vaccinations will not be listed on their new EU Pet Passport, so it is important that you hold on to their vaccine card or UK Pet Passport (if applicable). Remember that you MUST present proof of rabies vaccination for travel, so if your pet’s current rabies vaccination is not listed in their new Pet Passport, you will need to present both documents at the border.

See the official rules for bringing a dog or cat from abroad into France here.

Validity of Your Pet’s EU Passport

Your pet passport has an expiry date, which is linked to the rabies vaccination. If the date of rabies vaccination is missed – even by one day – then the pet passport is invalidated and only becomes active three weeks after the rabies revaccination date.

Travelling to the UK with an EU Pet Passport After Brexit

Post-Brexit, the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) is still valid for travel to the UK. Pets with a valid EU pet passport can enter the UK without passing through quarantine, provided the following requirements are met.

  • Cats and ferrets can return to the UK with no veterinary treatment or health check.
  • Dogs can enter the UK provided that 24-120 hours (1-5 days) prior to check-in for the return journey, a vet treats your pet against tapeworm (with a product containing praziquantel), signing and stamping the passport appropriately.
  • Your pet must not have been outside any of the qualifying PETS countries in the three months before it enters the UK. If it has then other regulations apply – see the defra website for details.

When Travelling to the UK, you must:

  • Confirm the identity of your pet by scanning with a microchip reader.
  • Present a valid EU pet passport, showing that your pet has successfully been vaccinated for rabies, including any relevant boosters.
  • Present proof of treatment for tapeworm issued within 24 hours and 120 hours (five days) of travel. If you do not have the correct documentation or the 24-120 hour limit is not respected, your pet will not be allowed back into the UK without going through quarantine or re-treating against tapeworm.

UK Pet Passports After Brexit

While pets living in the EU may still use an EU Pet Passport to enter the UK after Brexit, UK pets are now no longer able to use the Pet Passport Scheme. This means that UK-issued Pet Passports are no longer valid, and vets in the UK can no longer issue EU Pet Passports. Read our guide to Travelling to France with Your Pet Post-Brexit for more on this.

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Comments

  • Stuart Jellings
    2024-07-21 09:54:36
    Stuart Jellings
    Hi. My dog has an EU passport and we plan to keep it up to date by having rabies booster undertaken in france. Our eu pet passport has the two home addresses already taken up by the two rescue centres our dog was in. Brittany Ferries are accepting alteration for uk to France trip but have told me I will need to obtain new eu pet passport in france for return journey. Will I be able to do this at vets a couple of days before sailing back? Thanks

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  •  Francoise Morley
    2024-06-15 11:59:00
    Francoise Morley
    I am French with an EU passport, I live in the UK but travel all the time to France where my Family live. I have just bought a puppy from France (aware of all vaccinations required “rabies, boosters etc….) I have no restrictions for myself as I can stay in France as long as I like. I would like to obtain a Pet French passport with my Family’s address ..is it possible My dog was born 11/04/2024 and still in France as I am picking him up on the 16/08/2024 and returning on 27/08/2024 My dog would have spent more than 90 days in France… Thank you Kinds regards Francoise Morley

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  •  Nathalie Bustamant
    2024-05-25 07:10:24
    Nathalie Bustamant
    Hello, I'm dealing with a lot of anxiety this time around. I'm flying to the EU from the US with my dog (Male 3 yrs) for the second time. This time around, however, I'm planning to fly into Paris, stay there for one night to have a day to see a vet who can provide us with his EU pet passport then from there start the trip where we'll be heading to Switzerland. Nervous to arrive and to find out that they cannot give me the passport since I will not be staying for more than 3 months. From the videos I have seen on youtube of people who go to Paris and obtain these passports, there is never a mention of whether or not they had to provide any documents disclosing that they will be in the country for more than three months. In my case, I'd only be there for exactly 10 days. The only reason I'm going to France again is for the passport and I'm unsure if ill be able to obtain it and have it ruin my whole trip. My worst fear is having to lose any reservations i'll be making to stay in Switzerland ect. HELP!!!!

    REPLY

    • Zoë Smith
      2024-05-28 09:15:14
      Zoë Smith
      Hi Nathalie, EU pet passports are designed for pets that are resident in the EU, not travellers, hence the three-month rule and the requirement to be registered with I-CAD. To travel to/within the EU from the US, your pet will need up to date vaccines (including rabies) and an Animal Health Certificate. Kind regards, Zoe

      REPLY

  •  Karen Stewart
    2024-04-24 06:01:36
    Karen Stewart
    Hi,my dog has a French passport, when his next rabies shot is due does it have to be done in france?

    REPLY

  •  kayi
    2023-09-19 03:07:34
    kayi
    Hi I will be visiting Paris and want to get a EU passport for my dog as I will be traveling a lot with him from the US to Europe do I have to be a local resident to get it as I asked other countries within the EU and they all need to be local resident in order to get it I'm just a visitor from the US

    REPLY

  •  Lee overton
    2023-04-19 05:51:38
    Lee overton
    Hi my wife will bring her dogs from Russia to France and then to uk , she will live with me in Uk. How does she get eu pet passport in France

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    • Zoë Smith
      2023-04-19 21:10:12
      Zoë Smith
      Hi Lee, If your dog is living in the UK, I'm afraid he/she will not be eligible for an EU Pet Passport. Best regards, Zoe

      REPLY

  • mkmb2006
    2016-01-14 21:35:17
    mkmb2006
    How do I find out about bringing my pet from the US to France?

    REPLY

    • Sylvia Davis
      2016-01-15 08:42:32
      Sylvia Davis
      Hi Mkmb2006, thanks for your question. Here is a link to the information currently offered by the French Embassy in the US, listing the requirements to bring your pet to France: http://www.ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article783 Hope that helps!

      REPLY