PETS: How to bring your ferret into or back into the UK without quarantine
Documentation
EU pet passport
Official third country veterinary certificate
Other documentation
Private veterinary health statements
Listed countries
Get an EU pet passport or official veterinary certificate
After the vaccination you must get either an EU pet passport (for ferrets in an EU country) or a third country official veterinary certificate (for ferrets in a non-EU listed country). Gibraltar, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland also issue passports. This will need to show that your pet been microchipped and vaccinated against rabies.
| You are responsible for ensuring that you have the necessary documentation for your pet to enter the UK. Make sure that it is correctly completed and your pet meets all the rules. If you do not, your pet may not be able to enter the country or may have to be licensed into quarantine on arrival. This will mean delay and cost you money. |
EU pet passport
Ferrets meeting the necessary requirements may move between EU Member
States if they are accompanied by an EU pet passport. All these countries
will recognise this document. Gibraltar, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland
also issue pet passports.
The passport must confirm your pet’s microchip number, the date
the microchip was inserted and record the rabies vaccination.
The passport also contains provision for recording the tick
and tapeworm treatment.
How to get a passport
In Great Britain, the passport is issued by a government-authorised vet known as a Local Veterinary Inspector (LVI). If your veterinary practice does not have a resident LVI, your vet may be able to tell you where the nearest one works. Your local Animal Health Office can also provide these details. Defra does not charge vets for the passport.
In other EU countries, a vet in that country will issue the passport.
To obtain a passport, take your ferret and its vaccination record which
must show your pet’s microchip number. Also take evidence of the
date it was microchipped. Make sure that the vet correctly completes sections
I to IV of the passport.
Validity of the passport
Where the 6 month rule applies, the passport will become valid for entry to the UK 6 calendar months from the date that a vet vaccinated your ferret against rabies.
Where the 6 month rule does not apply, the passport will become valid for entry to the UK 21 days from the date of the first rabies vaccination. It will also become valid to enter other EU countries from the UK 21 days from the date of the first rabies vaccination. However, if the vaccine manufacturer’s data sheet requires more than one vaccination to complete the primary vaccination protocol, the 21 day wait applies from the date of the final vaccination of that protocol. Your vet will advise you further.
Passports will remain valid provided pets are revaccinated by the “valid
until” date in section IV.
Replacing the passport
When the passport is full, you should apply to a vet for a new one. In Great Britain, this must be an LVI. Take the full passport and your ferret with you.
If you lose the passport, you may obtain a new one by producing your pet’s vaccination record which must show your pet’s microchip number.
Q&A about the EU pet passport
Third country official veterinary certificate
For ferrets being prepared for PETS in a non-EU listed country you should get a third country official veterinary certificate. This can be issued by a vet in a non-EU listed country. It is headed “Veterinary Certificate for domestic dogs, cats and ferrets entering the European Community for non commercial movements (Regulation (EC) No. 998/2003' (Decision (EC) No. 2004/824)”. The certificate must be a single sheet in English and may also contain a translation in another language. It must be completed in block letters in the language of the EU country of entry or in English.
To obtain the certificate, take your ferret and its vaccination record which must show your pet's microchip number. Also take evidence of the date your pet was microchipped. The documents must show your pet’s microchip number. In addition to the certificate, you must be ready to show the vaccination record when you enter the EU (including the UK) so keep them safe and bring them with you when you travel.
Make sure that the vet completes sections I to IV of the certificate correctly and enters his/her own details in section V. If the vet is not a government-approved vet, the certificate must also be dated and stamped by a vet authorised by the competent authority.
This certificate also contains provision for recording the tick
and tapeworm treatment.
Validity of the certificate
You need to be aware of the following. The certificate will not become valid for entry to the UK for 6 calendar months from the date shown in section V. However, it is only valid for entry to the EU and subsequent travel within the EU for 4 months from the date it was signed or endorsed, or until the “valid until” date shown in Part IV, whichever is earlier. You should therefore delay getting the certificate until a month or two before you travel to ensure that it will still be valid when you enter the UK.
Changing the certificate for a pet passport
If the certificate expires while you are in the EU, and you wish to continue
travelling with your ferret, you will need to get a European
pet passport. In addition to the third country certificate, you must
provide the vet with your pet’s original vaccination record (or
a certified copy) which shows the microchip number. Make sure your pet
is revaccinated against rabies by the “valid until” date in
section IV of the certificate.
Q&A about a third country official
veterinary certificate
Other documents you might need to enter the UK
Transiting an unlisted country
Ferrets which transit an unlisted country when travelling to the UK need a declaration from the transport company to confirm that they remained within the ship or the perimeter of the airport and did not come into contact with other animals during the stopover.Before your ferret can enter the UK it must be treated for ticks and tapeworms.
Your ferret must also enter the UK with an approved transport company on an authorised route.
Private veterinary health statements
While veterinary health statements are not required by Defra for the movement of pet animals, you may find that approved transport companies require veterinary evidence that your pet is healthy and fit to travel before they will allow it to board their aircraft or ship.
You are advised to verify if the transport company requires a private veterinary statement and the form which it should take. This veterinary statement may be provided in one of the following two ways:
1) completion of section IX of the EU Pet Passport by a practising veterinarian confirming that 'the animal is in good health and able to withstand carriage to its destination.' or
2) a private statement from a practising veterinarian stating that:
'On [date], I examined the animal described in EU Pet Passport/third country official veterinary certificate numbered [enter serial number] and found it to be free from clinical signs of infectious or contagious disease, including external parasites, and in my opinion, is fit to travel.'
Page last modified: January 23, 2007