France

France is one of the most popular holiday and relocation destinations for people from the UK. With figures indicating that around 13 million people visit per year and up to 400,000 have permanently relocated, it is no surprise that a pet travel specialist is often a high-priority search for many.

Since our inception back in 1997, we have helped countless people with their pet travel to France requirements and helped make it easier than ever to facilitate pet relocation.

With a fully transparent service, we can take care of all your pet travel to France needs meaning you can take care of packing your goods, selling the house, and getting your move across the channel put into place. Should there be any questions regarding shipping your goods, our sister company can advise on the easiest way to have your personal effects shipping booked in.

Our bespoke approach to pet travel means that we can help you with the transportation of pretty much any pet. Cats and dogs, snakes, spiders, and all that is in between can easily be moved from the UK to France without difficulty, whether by air land or sea. A free pet travel quote will show you just how much you can save too!

Since Brexit, rules for pet travel to France have changed a little, so to ensure you not only have your pet safely transported, but you can also ensure it is transported with all regulations adhered to as well by booking with PBS Pet Travel.

If you are planning to relocate to France and have pets in tow, the rules have changed a little since the UK exited the EU.

Rules can often change, but at PBS Pet Travel, we are always on hand to give you the most up-to-date information to ensure you can have your pet moved from the UK to France after Brexit with no difficulty.

Current rules for pet travel to France from the UK after Brexit mean that should you wish to bring a dog, cat, or ferret to France, you will need to ensure the following are all completed.

Please note that these rules for pet travel to France from the UK also cover guide or assistance dogs.

• A microchip should be carried by each dog, cat or ferret you wish to transport to France from the UK. If your pet isn’t already microchipped, this should be the first thing you do.
• A rabies vaccination must also be up to date. Current rules state that your pet must have had the vaccination within the past year and at least 21 days before you are due to arrive in France.
• An Animal Health certificate (AHC) is required if you wish to take your pet outside of the UK and into France. However, if you already hold a pet passport that was issued in an EU country or Northern Ireland, you will not require the AHC.
• Tapeworm treatment is a requirement for dogs only and necessary if you are returning to the UK.

Your animal health certificate or pet passport must show certain information – which we cover further down the page – for it to be valid and also have been issued within a certain timeframe for it to remain valid for your travel to France from the UK. Should you be making more than one trip, you will need a new Animal Health Certificate granted for each visit.

Should you own something a little more exotic, pet travel to France is still possible and in fact can be significantly easier than if you have a dog, cat or ferret.

We love to help get your fish, reptiles, rodents and more to your destination safely and with routes of travel possibly by air, land or sea, pet transport to France is easy with the team at PBS Pet Travel. Our free quote can go some way to showing that your move will not only be smooth and hassle-free but cost-effective too regardless of pet!

At present, there are no specific restrictions on the movement of what we could call exotic pets. It would still be wise to have a health certificate granted by your vet though to ensure you are fully covered once you arrive in the country.

Should you be looking to bring birds into France from the UK though, you will need to be aware of a few additional rules. Currently, you can bring five birds with you to France as long as it is not to sell, rehome or transfer the ownership of them.

For all birds you plan to bring from the UK to France you will need:

• A health certificate
• A stay in quarantine for 30 days before your move to France
• An Avian Influenza vaccination at least 60 days before travel
• A negative H5N1 PCR test result

There are a select number of dogs that appear on the banned dogs UK list and in France it is much the same.  You will not be able to take a Mastiff or a Boerbull breed or any of their crosses into France and other dogs will require pedigree certification.

Should you own a Staffordshire Terrier, a Tosa, a Rottweiler, or an American Staffordshire Terrier you will only be able to have them enter France from the UK if they have pedigree certification. You must also have liability insurance. It doesn’t end there though, the local town council of the area you relocate to in France will also need to approve your dog and you will need it to remain leashed and muzzled when out in public. You could also find that your dog is put through behavioural evaluations.

The requirements for France pet travel have been outlined above but to ensure you are fully compliant and not at risk of having your animal confiscated, or your entry to the country blocked, there are a few specific things you need to do.

Animal health certificate for entry to France

You must take your pet to the vet to have this certificate granted and it will need to be issued in the 10 days before you enter France. Although, should your pet not have an up-to-date rabies vaccination you must wait 21 days after the vaccination before you can get an animal health certificate.

It will need to be signed by what is known as an official veterinarian (OV). You can ask your vet if they are eligible to issue an animal health certificate, if they are not, ask if they can advise you of one that can.

Take your microchipping date and the vaccination history of your pet with you. All of this will be logged in the AHC to ensure a smooth entry to France.

Once granted, your certificate will be valid for 10 days for entry into France and 4 months for either onward travel within the EU or your return to the UK.

Rabies vaccination for travel to France

To get the above AHC granted you will need your dog, cat or ferret to have had its rabies vaccinations. Without this proof, you will not be granted access to the country. Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old before receiving any vaccination and can only travel 21 days after the vaccination has been administered. There is no wait after booster vaccinations as long as the period of vaccinations has not been broken.

Tapeworm treatments for travel to France

Should your trip to France not be for relocation but for a holiday or short-term stay you will need your dog to have this treatment before returning to the UK. This treatment should be carried out between 5 days and 24 hours before you return to the UK. If you do not have this treatment administered, you could see your dog put in quarantine for 4 months! So, depending on the length of your stay, this could mean you can have the treatment carried out in the UK or France.

Entry to France with pets

Once you arrive in France, you will need to ensure that you and your pet enter through a designated traveler’s point of entry. You may see these referred to as TPE. These are your ports, such as Calais for example. Check with us if where you are heading to in France is listed as a TPE for you and your pet.

Since Brexit, there have been a few changes, not just for pets entering France from the UK but also for pets entering the UK from France.

Should you be heading to the UK from France with your pets, either returning from a visit across the channel or relocating to the UK from France. You will need to make sure of the following:

• Your pet is microchipped
• You have an EU pet passport or an animal health certificate
• A valid rabies vaccination but not a blood test.
• A recent tapeworm treatment (dogs only)

In addition, you will only be able to enter the UK from France with a pet if you use an approved route. These can change from time to time but at PBS Pet Travel we hold all the up-to-date information so you can rest assured that we can guide you on the best and safest route for the entry of your pet into the UK from France.

Finally, you must complete a declaration that the animal you are bringing into the UK from France is not being bought into the UK for commercial reasons.

Should you miss out any of the steps above, your pet could be put into a 4-month quarantine or even refused entry if you reached the UK by sea.

In some cases, you may have to follow what are known as Balai rules. This is for animals that are not covered by only the requirements listed above.  You will need to follow the Balai rules if you do plan to sell or rehome the animal, your pet is arriving more than 5 days before or after you arrive in the UK from France, or you plan to bring more than 5 animals into the country but are not entering them into competitions, training or events.

Should you be unsure if Balai rules apply to your pet, Contact us at PBS Pet Travel, we will be able to advise you on all you need to know.

Air travel is the fastest and perhaps most expensive way to get your pet transported and with PBS Pet Travel you can ensure they reach their destination in a timely and efficient manner whilst you handle the rest of your relocation plans.

Since our inception, we have built up significant relationships with both carriers and the airports allowing for a smooth and stress-free movement of your pet from the UK to France and from France to the UK. Our team care greatly about an animal’s welfare so will only use trusted carriers to enable the safe relocation of your canine companions, furry friends, or amazing arachnids.

With full guidance from loading to landing, let PBS Pet Travel help get you the best possible pet flights today!

At PBS Pet Travel, we never want you to feel that you need to put in more effort than needed to get your pet with you. You already have plenty to do with your move to France. That is why we can take care of it all. With a pet courier service that enables the transport of your pet from the airport or seaport direct to your door, we can safely collect your pet and have it carefully transported to your chosen destination. Road travel for your pets is the perfect way to get your pet to your new home should you live in a more remore area of France. Quick, efficient, safe and reliable, it guarantees the arrival of your pet in a truly cost-effective way.

A journey across the channel to France via the sea is slower than air but does provide you with a saving. With plenty of ferry ports in both France and the UK suitable for pet entry, ferry pet travel is often seen as a hugely beneficial way to get your animal abroad. We can even collect at the port and with our pet courier service have the animal delivered directly to your door.

Should you be considering a sea crossing for your animals, reach out to PBS Pet Travel, just like with airlines and airports, the relationships we have built promise a reliable, cost-effective and safe way of taking pets abroad.

If you are relocating to France or moving to the UK from France, contact PBS Pet Travel today to get a fully managed service that can have your pet transported safely, quickly and efficiently. We can even help with the paperwork and legalities surrounding the transportation of your pet! With an easy-to-use booking process and a jargon-free terminology, our team can give you full peace of mind that your pet is in the best of hands and will be looked after every step of the way.