Pets require a passport when they travel from one country
to another. The passport has official information about the
animal in picture. Pet Travel Scheme or PETS, is a scheme which
allows the easy obtainment of the pet passport with out going
through quarantine. The animal can easily travel between member
countries. Even the issue of passport is expedited through this
scheme. They issue passport for even transport of pets. Some of
the member countries are countries of the European Union along
with the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has been famous for
rabies control in the past and that is the reason why they
require six month quarantine period for imported animals. PETS’
scheme was introduced on October 1st, 2001. The scheme has also
been rolled out in countries like the United States, New
Zealand, Australia, and Canada. Pets travelling to countries
other than the member countries require a valid passport and
rabies vaccination.
The pet passport has multiple forms which are in a small blur
booklet or on pink A4 sheet. The passport contains the tattoo
number of the animal or a microchip. A certification too is
included, which has information about the rabies vaccination,
which is signed by a veterinary surgeon that is officially
approved. People usually confuse the passport with a purple
colored small folder which is a folder that has records of the
pet’s complete vaccination history.
Some countries accept this passport alone and others ask for
supporting documentations relating to the procedure that needs
to be followed. All the documents are checked at the time of
boarding and upon arrival, too. The pet can only be taken as
cargo or excess baggage and not as a checked baggage.
There are different requirements for different countries. The
rules also differ for import and export of the pets. But there
are certain specifications which are common. The pet should have
a microchip implant beneath the skin. The chip should be
according to the ISOP specification. Also, there should be a
rabies vaccination certification. And there should be a proof
that the vaccination is working, this can be done by taking a
blood serology test, which shows that the pet is presently
rabies free.
Some countries demand that the pet should be treated for fleas,
tapeworms, and ticks. It should be done within forty eight
hours. The government certifications are documents which have
information about the export of the animal. A letter should also
be taken from the vet from whom they confirm the pet’s fitness
for travelling. Each individual carrier also has their set of
regulations about the export and import of the animal.
Before travelling, the owner should thoroughly research the
regulations of the arrival and departure points. The
destination’s government website should be checked out because
some countries ask for separate certificates for proof, to see
whether the pet meets their requirements or not. The county’s
consulate should also be contacted for details about the formal
procedures. The travel crate should also be approved prior to
the travel. The crate should have the appropriate food and water
containers.
The owner can apply for the pet’s passport soon after it gets
the vaccination certificate. If the rabies vaccination is out of
date, the new vaccination must be given, but this will delay the
passport procedure. In some cases, booster vaccination can also
be given. While travelling, the pet shouldn’t be sedated,
because heights can have an adverse affect on medication. Even
most of the carriers do not allow sedated animals. The charges
of every carrier vary on the type and size of the animal. Also,
animals might not be taken by a particular route because of
adverse temperatures as that can risk the health of the animal.
The authorized travel route must be taken, in this case.
If the required documents are missing the pet will be refused
entry o the owner will be asked to put the pet for at least six
months in quarantine.