New Rules for Travelling to the EU with Pets: News Digest

From tomorrow, new rules surrounding travelling with pets in the EU will come into effect, individuals will be notified if they are affected by a large-scale data breach from a cyberattack, and the swimming pool tax drops for the first time in 10 years. Here are the headlines from French newspapers this week.

New Rules for Travelling to the EU with Pets 

From tomorrow (22 April 2026), new EU rules mean UK residents can no longer use EU-issued pet passports to travel with dogs, cats, or ferrets from Great Britain to France and other EU countries. Instead, pet owners must obtain an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) from a vet for each trip, which is valid only for a single journey and must be renewed every time they travel. 

The change reflects EU regulations that restrict pet passports to EU residents, making travel more administrative and potentially more expensive for UK pet owners, while rules for returning to Great Britain remain unchanged.

Mass Data Leak from Cyberattack on ANTS

A cyberattack on France’s official document agency, Agence Nationale des Titres Sécurisés (ANTS), has led to a breach of personal data from its online portal used for services like passports, ID cards, and driving licences. Hackers accessed information, including names, email addresses, and dates of birth from user accounts, though authorities said the data does not allow direct access to accounts or sensitive supporting documents. 

The number of people affected has not been announced, but individuals will be contacted if impacted and are advised to be alert to phishing scams. The department has strengthened its security since the attack and filed a criminal complaint.

Swimming Pool Tax Lowered for First Time in a Decade

France’s tax on new swimming pools, taxe d’aménagement, will be reduced in 2026 for the first time in almost ten years, dropping the rate by about 4.2% to €251 per square metre. The change reflects a fall in construction costs, but homeowners building pools larger than 10m² must still declare them within 90 days of completion or risk penalties. Local authorities can also apply their own additional charges and warn that undeclared pools are increasingly likely to be found using satellite imaging and AI.