UK-resident pet owners with French second-homes who have EU pet passports are being warned of new EU rules coming in force from Wednesday April 22 that make such passports invalid.
This is liable to affect any such owners, who, post-Brexit, have been using French pet passports for regular UK-France travel with their pets. This enables them to make significant savings on the usual rule that travellers from the UK must obtain an ‘Animal Health Certificate’ (AHC) - costing over £100 - from a UK vet for each trip.
Prior to Brexit, visitors to France from the UK could use UK-issued EU pet passports, but these ceased to be valid after the UK left the EU, from January 1, 2021.
After Brexit, the question of whether such owners could obtain and/or continue to use French EU pet passports was a grey area, with many French vets stating willingness to issue them. When The Connexion sought clarification from the UK and French authorities in spring 2021, it was deemed possible if the pet’s rabies jabs were completed in the EU and, when asked, EU sources did not point to clear rules stating that this was unacceptable.
EU pet passports have required the pet owner to have a French address, but typically vets have not asked for proof, or a pledge, of the address given being the person’s main or habitual residence.
Having said this, French pet passports may only be issued to animals registered on France’s I-CAD pet database and its rules have stated since 2022 pets must be staying in France more than three consecutive months to be registered, making this unsuitable for most second-home owners on short stays.
This left question marks over the position for second-home owners bringing their pets for stays of up to six months on a temporary long-stay visa, which many make use of post-Brexit to allow them to stay for more than the standard visa-free 90 days maximum in any 180-day period.
It also left uncertainty in respect of owners who obtained such passports prior to 2022, or who obtained passports in cases where these requirements were not clarified or checked by French vets (who are also responsible for arranging I-CAD registration of animals arriving from abroad).
What has changed?
Some readers report receiving emails from UK-based vets warning of UK government advice that EU pet passports will not be accepted for travel from the UK to the EU from April 22.
One reader forwarded an email from ‘The Travelling Pet’, a UK service run by a registered UK official veterinarian (private practice vets who perform work on behalf of the UK government, including issuing AHCs), that states that it had been thought that passports issued prior to this date might continue to be acceptable, but this is no longer certain.
“No one knows what will happen on Wednesday, except to say APHA (the UK’s Animal and Plant Health Agency) have advised that UK-resident owners should travel with an Animal Health Certificate as they won’t allow EU passports,” the email says.
If possible, it is therefore advisable to obtain an AHC if you can, so as to “not risk possibly being turned away”, the vet said.
This would not affect those travelling from the EU to the UK on their pet passports, the email clarified.
What is this due to?
An APHA briefing note for official vets, dated April 17, alerts to changes to pet travel rules.
It says: “From 22 April, 2026 new EU rules will apply to the non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets entering the EU from third countries such as Great Britain.”
It adds: “An EU pet passport, issued to or held by a pet owner who is resident in GB, will no longer be a valid document for travelling with pets from GB to the EU.
“This applies to EU pet passports issued in an EU member state or Northern Ireland, including those issued before 22 April 2026.
“EU pet passports may only be issued to owners whose main residence is within the EU.
“GB residents travelling to the EU with a pet dog, cat or ferret will need to obtain an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) for travel from 22 April 2026.
“There are no changes to GB entry requirements.”
What are the ‘new EU rules’?
Updated rules on the movement of dogs, cats and ferrets are included in a January 2026 EU regulation which is coming into force on April 22.
The regulation states in its preamble that EU pet passports were created to facilitate movement of pets from one EU state to another, and that this “implies” that the pet passport was “only intended to be issued to pet dogs, pet cats or pet ferrets kept in the member state where their pet owners reside habitually and have their main residence”.
As such, the regulation spells this out, stating at article 11 that pet passports must have been “issued in a member state where the pet owner resides habitually”.
What could change
Moving forward, UK residents may find that their transport provider queries their EU pet passport prior to boarding planes, trains, ferries etc.
It is also possible that French border control could also raise questions about the use of the pet passport, notably by those arriving for short stays (as opposed, eg. to those with long-stay visas and/or residency cards).
It is thus advisable – and is also the UK government advice – to obtain an AHC instead of using a French pet passport if your main home is not in France.
We do not know at this stage how strictly the rules are likely to be enforced, especially for people with temporary long-stay visas (whose main, habitual residence remains in the UK but who are permitted to stay in France for an extended period).
However, both the UK and EU rules are, as cited above, explicit about the issue of being habitually resident in the EU.
Possible future change
The UK and EU are negotiating for harmonisation of rules on plant and animal health which could lead in due course to the UK once again being able to issue its own pet passports that would be recognised in the EU.
The UK government hopes this agreement can be in force by mid-2027. Further steps would be needed to put the UK on a list of countries able to issue accepted pet passports.
The British Ambassador to France recently confirmed in an interview with The Connexion that the UK is aware of the interest around this topic, and it is among the hoped for changes in due course.
- If you are travelling from the UK to France with a pet on or after Wednesday April 22 please let us know how it goes via feedback@connexionfrance.com
