What is the cost of UK pet certificates for travel to France?
The cost differs depending on the vet practice and number of animals
Animal Health Certificates are needed for dogs, cats and ferrets.
Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock
Pet owners who are resident in the UK and have second homes in France are bracing themselves for new EU rules that will make EU pet passports invalid.
The new rules, which were set to come into force on Wednesday, April 22, will require pet owners to have an Animal Health Certificate from a UK vet before travelling with their animals to France.
Readers and UK vets have told The Connexion they have received very little information about the new rules.
And there has been mixed messaging from transport providers and officials.
So how much should pet owners expect to pay for an Animal Health Certificate in the UK? Does the cost differ depending on how many pets you have? And is it more expensive for dogs than cats or ferrets?
What is an Animal Health Certificate?
An Animal Health Certificate is a document issued by an official veterinarian in the UK, and is required for transport of all non-commercial animals into the EU. (You can check a list of ‘official vets’ that offer export documents and Animal Health Certificates here, but it only includes vets that have asked to be added, so is not an exhaustive list.)
It applies to dogs, cats and ferrets and up to five animals can be added to one certificate.
Pet owners can enter the EU up to 10 days after the certificate is issued, and it lasts for six months once they are abroad.
To obtain an Animal Health Certificate, pets must either have an up-to-date rabies vaccination, or only need booster doses to keep the vaccination up to date, according to the UK government.
Owners must present proof of their pet’s microchipping date and their vaccination history when applying for the certificate.
A new Animal Health Certificate is needed for every trip from the UK to France, according to the UK government.
How much does an Animal Health Certificate cost?
There is no fixed price for an Animal Health Certificate in the UK so vet practices can decide how much they charge.
We contacted several vets across the UK and prices ranged from £110 to £384 for a certificate for one pet.
Prices were the same whether the Animal Health Certificate was for a dog, cat or ferret, but it cost extra to add additional pets onto the same certificate (costs varied depending on the vet, from £30 up to hundreds of pounds when it involved several extra animals.)
Connexion reader Ian Gibb, from Banbury in Oxfordshire, found out about the changes on April 22 by reading The Connexion.
He and his wife have had a second home in Saint-Maixent-l’École in the Deux-Sèvres department for 16 years but post-Brexit, can only visit for 90/180 days a year. They have used the EU pet passport for the last six years.
His wife rang around four local vets in north Oxfordshire, and prices for an Animal Health Certificate ranged from £279 to £450 for two dogs.
A local vet suggested a less costly option; an online vet based in his area, so Mr Gibb has arranged an Animal Health Certificate with PawsPort for £128 for his two pets.
The process cannot be done fully remotely, however. Online vets can start the process of issuing an Animal Health Certificate online, but a vet must physically scan the pet’s microchip before he or she issues the certificate.
How to save on an Animal Health Certificate in the UK
Through our online research we found many low-cost options, which suggests it is worth comparing prices when looking for an Animal Health Certificate.
Vet Bogdan Draniceru, based in Ivybridge, Devon, was inspired to set up AHC Prime, a more flexible, at-home Animal Health Certificate Service, when he noticed vets were charging over £300 for the documentation.
He offers Animal Health Certificates for £110 for one pet, and an extra £30 for each additional pet added to the certificate.
He had received no official information about the April 22 changes or how they might impact pet owners.
“We don’t know yet, we’ve had no information from the government,” he told The Connexion, but added he had no plans to raise prices for Animal Health Certificates.
When researching lower-cost, online options, always make sure the person providing the certificate is an official veterinarian registered in the UK, who can issue Animal Health Certificates.
Are guide dogs exempt from Animal Health Certificates?
Guide dogs are not exempt from needing Animal Health Certificates, which UK guide dog associations have argued is unfair because the animals are essential to their owners’ lives.
“The updated EU rules on pet travel underline the importance of the UK rejoining the Pet Passport scheme,” a Guide Dogs spokesperson told The Connexion, adding the charity had welcomed last year’s announcement that the UK and EU had agreed in principle to the UK rejoining the scheme.
She said people who use guide dogs had been heavily impacted by needing to obtain the certificate.
“The cost and complexity of obtaining an Animal Health Certificate for every journey has prevented many guide dog owners from being able to work, attend important events and travel independently.
“We now need to see the UK–EU agreement finalised and implemented as quickly as possible, so that travel for guide dog owners is made simpler, more affordable and more accessible.”
