Pet Travel Update: New Certificates and Regulations for Pet Travel to The European Union
-New certificates are now available for:1. The non-commercial movement of five or less dogs, cats or ferrets.
2. The commercial import of dogs, cats, ferrets or non-commercial movements of more than five dogs, cats or ferrets into the EU.
(Note that the old certificates can be used until Feb. 29, 2012, and after that only the new ones will be accepted. It is recommended that the old certificates are used until then, as the new process has yet to be completely smoothed out and as of yet there are no bilingual certificates avaliable for the new version.
-The new health certificates are good for 10 days from the date of issue (signed by an accredited veterinarian) until the date of entry into the EU. Exception: certificates for the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta and Finland are good for five days from the date of issue (because of the tapeworm treatment requirement). As long as pets enter the EU within the 10 (or five) days, they can travel within the EU for up to four months on the same certificate.
-The certificate should be filled out in block letters and signed with a different color ink (i.e. do not sign it in black ink). The USDA-accredited veterinarian should sign the certificate in the last box, and the USDA endorses the blank space below the vet's signature.
-Rabies titers are no longer required for entry into any EU Member State.
-Dogs exported to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta and Finland must now be treated for tapeworm (Echinococcus) within a period of not more than 120 hours (five days) and not less than 24 hours before the time of scheduled entry into the EU. This treatment must be completed and noted on the health certificate prior to the endorsement by the USDA.
-Tapeworm treatment is no longer required for non-commercial pet dogs exported to Sweden and tick treatment is no longer required for entry into any EU member state.
The certificates are available here. Please contact PetRelocation.com if you have any questions about these changes!