Pet Passports

These days, taking your pet on holiday with you is much easier, especially if you’re travelling within Europe, Canada, the US and a selection of other listed countries.

Everything you need to know about taking your pet on holiday.

Your pet needs an ISO standard identification microchip. This can be done any time before a rabies vaccination or even on the same day, but it must be before the vaccination.
Rabies vaccination. The microchip will be read immediately before vaccination so that it’s all recorded. A rabies vaccination can be carried out once your pet is 3 calendar months old.
Additionally for dogs, before travelling back into Ireland from mainland EU they will need to be seen by a vet 1-5 days prior to re-entry to be given a tapeworm treatment, and this will need to be recorded on their passport. This is to prevent entry of a specific tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis) into Ireland that is widespread in certain parts of Europe and, whilst harmless to dogs, can infect humans causing serious illness and even death. Ireland is free of this disease, and we want to keep it that way!
A passport can usually be issued at the vaccination appointment. But your pet can’t travel until 21 days after the rabies vaccination has been administered.
There is no requirement for tapeworm treatment for dogs travelling between Ireland and the UK as both countries are free of this parasite, but your pet does still need a Pet Passport to go to/from the UK.
To further protect animal and human health and welfare, it is also strongly recommended that your pet be treated for ticks at the same time as the tapeworm treatment.

Travel from Rest of World

The rules for travelling into Ireland (and the rest of the EU) from certain ‘low-risk‘ non-EU countries are the same as above – microchip identification, rabies vaccination at least 21 days prior to entry and tape-worm treatment 1-5 days prior to entry (as well as the recommended tick treatment).

If you want to bring a pet dog or cat into Ireland from any other ‘high-risk’ countries (i.e. all others apart from those on the ‘low-risk‘ list) then your pet will also have to have a blood test done at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination to ensure the vaccine has been effective, and can only travel back to Ireland 3 months after the date of the blood test. Dogs will also require tapeworm treatment as above. Again the most up-to-date information regarding the requirements is available on the Department of Agriculture website.

Travel to Rest of World

The general principle is that the importing country sets the rules, so it is best to consult with their embassy or Department of Agriculture for the exact requirements. If for example you wish to bring your pet to Australia you will need to consult with the Australian authorities who will send on all the required information on what you need to arrange and have done prior to travel.

Below are links to the relevant governmental website sections of each country listed:

Diseases Abroad

When you’re abroad, remember that a Pet Passport is designed to protect human health rather than your pet’s. So we recommend taking a few extra steps to guard your pet from any exotic diseases that can be transmitted from animal to animal. We strongly advise tick prevention (Advocate doesn’t prevent ticks) while travelling due to the risk of serious tick-borne disease, such as Babesia and Ehrlichia, which are not currently in this country. Heartworm (treated with Advocate) and Leishmania are present in some parts of Europe. Ask us about disease risks and the best treatments before you travel.

Keeping the passport up to date

Following the first vaccination, the passport will have a ‘valid until’ date. To keep the passport up to date, a rabies booster vaccination must be given on or before that expiry date. We cannot guarantee a rabies vaccination reminder, so please put a note in your diary to have it administered in time. If you miss the revaccination date, even by one day, the 21-day rule will be re-applied before you can travel again. The vaccine we use currently requires boosters at least every 3 years.

Long stays abroad

If a pet stays in another country for more than a certain period of time, it may become subject to that country’s rules. That may mean rabies vaccinations are required more frequently. We recommend registering with a local vet.

Rules for particular breeds

Certain breeds of dog, classed as dangerous dogs, may be forbidden entry to certain countries. For some countries this includes Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Bengal cats require documentation proving that they are status F5 or beyond and a certified pedigree certificate. Speak to one of our team for help with this.

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