Second-home owners in France to register travelling pets with I-CAD

Second-home owners looking to save costs on UK ‘Animal Health Certificates’ by using a French pet passport, which is cheaper and can be used many times, face difficulties due to a recent clarification of pet registration rules in France.

I-CAD, an agency of the French Agriculture Ministry, says pets that previously had a (now-invalid) UK-issued EU pet passport must, in order to have a French EU pet passport, have been registered by the owner with I-CAD's French pet register – done via a French vet – and have a French ID card from the service.

It states also that for this to be possible the pet must be due to stay in France for more than three consecutive months, ie. longer than the maximum for UK visitors without a visa.

An I-CAD spokesman said this will now also apply to the issue of new French pet passports to British owners’ animals where they have not had a pet passport before.

He said vets can only register an animal from the UK with I-CAD if the owner confirms that they and the animal will be staying in France longer than three months.

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