Taking pets back into UK

[Knaus680]

Morning everyone

We have a 7 month old rescue puppy from Portugal, and she will [hopefully] have her passport by next April. We know the formal legislation about taking pets back to the UK, but would love to hear how it is really done. Is it true that they are not allowed to stay in the van no matter how short a ferry crossing? Do they have to go in a crate? Do you have to pay extra for them? etc etc etc

Thanks, Knaus

 

[moandick]

Pets Passport

Hi Knaus

Haven't yet travelled with our cat because we are awaiting the 6 month period to expire but I include a message from one of the members of the Big Pitch Guide - Alan (AWR):

Concerning an (English speaking) French Vet near to Site number 1 in the European Guide - La Bien Assise - with room to park an RV, if required, in the market square in Ardres.

Clinique Vets du Camp du Drap d'Or
47r Commdt Queval
62610
Ardres

Telephone: 0033 321 354003

When exiting the UK, the HM Customs were not interested in checking the 'dog' paperwork, etc. other than giving us a 'doggy tag' to display in the windscreen indicating that we had a dog on board.

On return from Calais we drove through the first booth and presented our tickets as normal (again the Customs were not interested in the dog). At the second booth a portable scanning machine was handed through the sidewindow so that we could scan the dog for his microchip. This done, we handed back the scanner together with our pet passport which was then checked by Customs and handed back with another 'doggy tag' to display in the windscreen. Easy as that!

Sorry, I can't tell you more about the actual trip, but as I said we haven't done it yet.

Dick

 

[zaskar]

............. Is it true that they are not allowed to stay in the van no matter how short a ferry crossing? Do they have to go in a crate? Do you have to pay extra for them? etc etc etc
Thanks, Knaus

Don't know who told you that lot mate, but it's news to me! We've been taking cats to France in our RV for 7 years now, both ferry and tunnel, and never had to crate em up.
We prefer the tunnel every time now cos for 1, we've both got lousy sea legs and for another, we can put our feet up in the rig when on the train and be with our Dougal right through the crossing...........not that he seems to care, he's always asleep but then I suppose there isn't much view down there!

When using the tunnel, there's nothing to do outbound, you just inform the lovely lass on the toll booth that you have an animal on board.
Inbound,
First, find a vet and campsite in close proximity so that you can get your pet jabbed up within 24 and 48 hours of returning.
At Calais, you come off the Autoroute (free) into the Eurotunnel complex, and as you approach the toll booth to return, you will see an overhead sign showing a paw print in purple and yellow directing you to the right. You will find a single storey office building with a small car park infront. Note that for motorhomes, this carpark can be VERY busy a peak periods and awkward to manouvre. Thankfully, I'm always late night or VERY early morning which is just as well with a 34 footer!
Take your pet into the office where a pretty young lady doing her best impression of an officious Caravan Club Warden Trout will scan the neck of your pet for the microchip and take great pleasure in watching you sweat whilst she confims the number in the blue pet pasport at least 3 times! Woe betide you if even a decimal point is in the wrong place!!!!!!!!.....so check it carefully BEFORE you go and again whilst in the French vets. Once she's had her pound of flesh off you, you can smile sweetly and mutter your best Au revoir and be on your way. Cost for our Persian this year was £30 return (robbing gits!) and £35 to be jabbed up at the vet. By the way, the tick injection is now no longer an injection. They have a peal and apply liquid pouch, similar to "Frontline".

 

[Road Runner]

We finally decided to have our dogs done where we were staying (Bordeaux in this case) and saved a fortune.

By the ferry ports been charged a 100 Euros per dog (But they are Great Danes) and need more medications (worming tablets and frontline) but planned our journey home this time to be at the port and ready to cross in between th 24/48 hour slot allowed and was charged only 42 Euros per dog nr Bordeaux so always try to have them seen away from the ports as it's a licence to steal money near them

It's not scary at all after you've doned it once in fact simple and you'll wonder why you stressed (we all do)

BTW:- re the 24 to 48 hour slot check on bank holidays in the country you travelling from we got caught out once in Franceoh:

 

[sammclouis]

we have got to get millie done....for next year,i know it takes 6months initially so the time is now...:Cool:
thought about bringing her back into the uk....but looks easy really....

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[Knaus680]

Thanks for the replies and tips everyone. Would still be interested in more info if anyone has any. Do all ferry companies allow pets? Thanks again.

 

[Road Runner]

Ferries YES (Dover - Calais in vehicle) longer trips in ferry kennel


Eurotunnel in vehicle with you as you travel tegether

 

[Sapphires mum]

Morning everyone

We have a 7 month old rescue puppy from Portugal, and she will [hopefully] have her passport by next April. We know the formal legislation about taking pets back to the UK, but would love to hear how it is really done. Is it true that they are not allowed to stay in the van no matter how short a ferry crossing? Do they have to go in a crate? Do you have to pay extra for them? etc etc etc

Thanks, Knaus

I am taking my Standard poodle to France and need a vet near Montsalvy any help gratefully received
Sapphires mum

 

[ellen]

Hi there, weve been taking our little dog back and forth to France with no problems for two years. Shes just come back from her 6th trip. The vet at Ardres is excellent, English speaking, good parking, not too expensive. You need to see the vet not less than 24hrs and not more than 48hrs before you board your ferry to return. We use Dogs Away on the net to book our appointments, it costs but its peace of mind, and when youve done it a couple of times, you can ring the vet and book yoursef. We generally pay about £30 per return crossing from Dover, all of the major companies allow them. She stays in the motorhome. She is never checked going out, but is always checked comming back. We also always use a Scalibor collar to help protect her from sandflies, bought from our own vet before we go. Weve paid between 28 and 40 euros for the vet check. They worm them, we always ask for the tablet not the injection, and pop a first line tick treatment between her shoulders, they fill in the passport end thats it.

Hope that helps, happy travelling

Ellen:thumb:

 

[millwall]

Morning everyone

We have a 7 month old rescue puppy from Portugal, and she will [hopefully] have her passport by next April. We know the formal legislation about taking pets back to the UK, but would love to hear how it is really done. Is it true that they are not allowed to stay in the van no matter how short a ferry crossing? Do they have to go in a crate? Do you have to pay extra for them? etc etc etc

Thanks, Knaus

Just returned from France & Spain after 5 weeks holiday. No problem at all bringing back our Cocker Spaniel. He had been chipped and his UK passport was in order. Had his chip checked and his tick and flea treatment done by a vet in France 24 hrs before we arrived at Calais. All we had to do was show his passport and they gave my wife the chip reader to read his chip so that they could check the number against his passport. We boarded and he remained in the van. Dogs must remain in the car or motorhome for the journey. We had to pay £15 return ticket for him with Seafrance. It was our first time to take him abroad and it was no problem whatsoever. Jim (Millwall)

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[Teasy2007]

Hi there, weve been taking our little dog back and forth to France with no problems for two years. Shes just come back from her 6th trip. The vet at Ardres is excellent, English speaking, good parking, not too expensive. You need to see the vet not less than 24hrs and not more than 48hrs before you board your ferry to return. We use Dogs Away on the net to book our appointments, it costs but its peace of mind, and when youve done it a couple of times, you can ring the vet and book yoursef.
Ellen:thumb:

Hi, I am interested in this Dogs away, as I have not heard of it before. We are on our second trip to Spain at the moment and need a vet around Evreux or Marbouie , where we are spending the night before we catch the ferry.

Do you know how I can contact a vet in this area as the last think we want to do is waste a couple of days near the port.

We found the whole process very simple last time, the only difficult thing was booking the vet and the campsite fixed us up with one in La Rochelle who was very good indeed. The dogs stay in the motorhome for the dover calais crossing, although when I enquired about the longer crossing to Spain I was told the dogs would have to be in kennels.

Ginny

 

[chrisandtina]

roscoff to plymouth

we took our pet rotti from dover to calais i asked one of the deck hands if i could stay with him, he gave me the o.k. On our return trip from roscoff to plymouth i stayed in the motorhome when everyone went upstairs had no problems.

 

[fyggy]

we went to Norway last year, to a dog show. We took 3 dogs out (brought 5 back). The vet at the show did all the passport work for us and when we got to callais, the nice chap left his office and was invited into the van to do his checks (it was raining outside). No probs at all, oh, and the dogs stayed in the van both ways and also in the van on the crossing between Denmark and Kristiansand

 

[Teasy2007]

we went to Norway last year, to a dog show. We took 3 dogs out (brought 5 back). The vet at the show did all the passport work for us and when we got to callais, the nice chap left his office and was invited into the van to do his checks (it was raining outside). No probs at all, oh, and the dogs stayed in the van both ways and also in the van on the crossing between Denmark and Kristiansand

We have just returned from Spain and wondered if there was an average amount the French vets will charge. I was charged 35 euros consultation charge, per dog when we came back + the worm tablets and frontline, the invoice came to over 107 euros. This seems to be ridiculously high - 70 euros for less than 20 mins!!

If anyone can let me know of a more realistically priced vet, I would appreciate it!

Ginny

 

[mikeT]

Vets in France

Hi Ginny
We also have just returned from Spain and found the average price for vets to be about €35 ( our vet in Bordeaux charged us €32 for a pack of 6 front-line ) Total was for one dog all in € 68.00
We use a vet just off the ring road of Bordeaux this then gives us plenty of time to get to the tunnel I email him for an appointment a few days before we leave.

Regarding finding a vet in the area of France you want try this
Do a Google search Click on Maps from the page that opens type in Vets in France to the search bar in the next page move the map around the the area you require Then add this Name to the vets in France Search Bar and ckick search
A list vets in this area will come up with all there information names Phone Nº and sometimes email address Idid this to find the vet we now use it worked well for us,if you would like any more info send me a pm. but be quick we are off to Spain again early Feb.

Mike

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[moandick]

Hi Ginny

You could, of course, just click on <here>

 

[robandwendy]

Re returning from the continent with pets

We have just returned from France with our border collie Ruby. I found a great English speaking vet at Fontainbleu (south west of Paris) her name is Veronique Chol and the address is 41 Rue Aristide Briand. 77300 Fontainbleu. Tel 01 60 72 65 01. The cost for worming and frontline flea/tick treatment was 29€.
My advice for travel route across the channel is to use the tunnel as you stay in your vehicle with your pet. The whole process couldn't be easier.