On 29 December 2014, the new passport for pets came into effect, enabling owners to travel with their pets easily. The new passport will be useful for all who choose to go on holiday with their pet; it is not applicable for the pet trade.
The aim is a better protection of general public health and that of animals, better controls of non-commercial movements of pets, and fewer bureaucratic hurdles for the owners. A single rule for all of Europe, which does not overrule the passports owners may already have for their pets. For all new passport requests, vets will have to issue the new micro-chipped passport containing the main information on the animal, especially the expiry of the rabies vaccine. Travelling animals must be at least 12 weeks old, so that they can have received the rabies vaccine before their departure. Unfortunately rabies still prevails in several European countries including Croatia, Poland, Greece and Romania, so it is recommended that pets are vaccinated against it at least 21 days before departure.
The pet’s owner must go to the Veterinary Services of the ASL health services bringing:
- the pet
- the certificate of registration in the Canine Registry for dogs and the microchip certificate for cats and ferrets
- the pet’s health book
- the owner’s ID and fiscal code
- an antibody titer if you plan to travel outside of the European Union.
For further information you should contact your vet so that you can travel with your pet with full peace mind!