NEW EU REGULATIONS CONCERNING TRAVEL IN EUROPE WITH PET ANIMALS

Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 of 26.05.2003:

Beginning July 3, 2004, dogs, cats and ferrets traveling with their owners will have to meet the following requirements:

1. For travel between Member States of the European Union EXCEPT for Sweden, Ireland and the United Kingdom, the abovementioned pets must be:

-	aged over three months except for special derogations,
-	identified either by tattoo or microchip implant,
-	vaccinated against rabies (more than 30 days and less than 12 months),
-	and have a "passport".

The same requirements are valid for non-member countries Andorra, Switzerland, Monaco, Lichtenstein, Saint Martin and the Vatican.

2. For travel from EU Member States to Sweden, Ireland and the United Kingdom, such pet animals must be:

-	aged over three months except for special derogations,
-	identified by microchip (tattoos are accepted in Sweden),
-	vaccinated against rabies (more than 30 days and less than 12 months),
-	have a "passport", have had a blood test at least 30 days previously showing antibody titers for rabies of 0.5 UI/ml or more,
-	and, in particular for Ireland and Great Britain, have been treated against ticks and echinoccus worms.

Norway also has these same regulations.
Also for these countries, quarantine will be required if the animal comes from or transits through a country officially considered as having a high risk of rabies infection (for example countries in Africa).

3. For travel including transit, to and from EU non-member states except those listed in (1) and (2) above, the requirements are:

-	animals aged over three months except for special derogations,
-	identification either by tattoo or microchip implant,
-	vaccination against rabies (more than 30 days and less than 12 months),
-	have a "passport",
-	have had a blood test at least 30 days previously showing antibody titers for rabies of 0.5 UI/ml or more, UNLESS the animal comes from an officially "rabies-free country".

The “passport” will be identical in format in all EU countries and will be delivered by the owner's veterinarian. It will not replace the usual health documents (rabies vaccination certificates and other vaccination or health papers) but will complete them. In English and in the language of the owner's country, the passport will contain all the information required about vaccinates and tests done for traveling between the countries visited. The special antibody titer testing, if needed, will have to be done at least three months before the animal enters the country that requires the testing, but will be valid for the animal's lifetime thereafter provided it receives regular rabies booster shots.

This information will affect travel of sled dog teams to and from non-European Union countries and will be effective before the IFSS World Championship races in Canada in March 2005. Therefore it will be necessary for those planning to participate in races outside the European Union or the countries specifically listed above, to consult their veterinarian and the agricultural ministry services in such countries to be able to prepare in advance to do the testing. The blood testing must be done in specially-approved laboratories and the time needed can take six months or more, so it will be necessary to begin planning for the next race season’s travel NOW. If treatment for ticks or worms is required, this will have to be done with specific products, so check with your veterinarian.

This legislation also naturally concerns “importing” the animals concerned from the various countries.

IMPORTANT: the present document is simply a summary of the presently published official regulations and this legislation can be modified by decree at any time, particularly for the lists of non-EU countries included in the provisions in (1) and (2) above. Owners must always check with their veterinarians or animal health services before traveling or importing these animals. More information is available on: http://europa.eu.int where you will find information in all the languages in the European Union. The regulation you need to look for in the search motor is Regulation N° 998/2003 of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe.