UK PETS Scheme - sending your pet cat or dog to the United Kingdom

The Pet Travel Scheme started 31 January 2001 and allows cats and dogs to enter the UK from New Zealand without the period of quarantine that was previously required. From 1 October 2004, the certification for these pets must meet EU Regulation 998/2003.

Please note that animals not eligible for importation under the PETS scheme may still be imported into the United Kingdom. However they will require an import license and 6 months quarantine upon arrival in the UK. Animals that are required to enter quarantine might then be able to obtain early release if they can be shown to fully comply with the necessary PETS requirements at a later date. Further information about quarantine in the UK and obtaining an import licence can be found on the UK DEFRA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm 

To travel to the UK from New Zealand under the PETS scheme, the pet must:

1. Be fitted with a microchip
2. Be vaccinated against rabies
3. Be blood tested to show a satisfactory level of protection against rabies
4. Be treated against ticks and a type of tapeworm by a local veterinarian
5. Be issued with a official MAF export certificate
6. Be issued with an Animal Welfare Export Certificate
7. The certificate must be accompanied by the relevant documentation.

The first three items and the tick and tapeworm treatment certificate can be attended to by your veterinarian, but the official UK MAF export certificate and the animal welfare export certificate must be issued by an official government veterinarian.

The whole process will take a minimum of about 7 months, as the blood test for the level of rabies protection must be taken at least 6 months prior to entry into the UK.

The transport arrangements must be considered carefully before the pet goes overseas. Pets must be transported in welfare-friendly crates. The specifications for these crates can be obtained from MAF by contacting an official government veterinarian. An Animal Welfare Export Certificate will be issued at the time of the final PETS certification by the official government veterinarian, providing the crate meets the international (IATA) regulations for the transport of dogs and cats.

• (IATA) regulations for the transportation of live animals

It is often easiest for owners to use the services of a registered pet transporter who can attend to all the details of the travel arrangements and obtaining the official certification.

The airline and route must be approved by DEFRA (formerly the UK MAFF).

If they fly on an airline that is not approved, dogs and cats that otherwise meet the PETS requirements can go into quarantine for early release. DEFRA have said that the time in quarantine is expected to be about two working days. But in order to do this, you must have first obtained an import licence and made the arrangements to go into quarantine. We recommend that you visit the DEFRA web site to obtain the application form for the import licence, information about the quarantine facilities and full details of the process. Quarantine kennels in the UK can also help you to arrange getting an Import Permit

Pets from New Zealand under the PETS scheme no longer have to travel directly to England, they are able to travel to or via any other PETS country or countries. They must still enter the UK with an approved transport company on an authorised route.

Please note that the following dog breeds are illegal in the UK and cannot be imported: Pit Bull Terriers, Japanese Tosas, Dogo Argentinos and Fila Brazilieros.

Microchipping

A microchip (a permanent number radio frequency identification device) must be implanted in the pet to identify it. The microchip must be fitted before the pet is vaccinated. DEFRA does not specify a particular type or brand of microchip to be used, but recommends that it conforms to ISO (International Standards Organisation) standard 11784 or to Annex A of ISO standard 11785. Ask your veterinarian to ensure the microchip meets the ISO standards. It is advisable that your veterinarian confirm that the microchip has been inserted and that the microchip number is correct by reading after insertion.

If the microchip does not meet either of these standards, it may not be able to be read when the pet is checked for travel. In that case, owners would be expected to provide their own reader to enable the microchip to be read successfully.

The microchip must be read when the pet is vaccinated for rabies, when it is blood sampled, when the treatment against ticks and tapeworm is given and when the certification is issued.

Vaccination

Once the pet is microchipped it can be vaccinated against rabies using an inactivated vaccine. The pet must be at least 3 months old before it is vaccinated.

The microchip number must be recorded on the vaccination card at the time of vaccination. If the microchip is implanted at a time after the vaccination date, the vaccination will have to be repeated.

The following details must be recorded on the vaccination card:

1. The pet’s date of birth/age (if known)
2. The microchip number (and date of insertion if known)
3. The location of the microchip
4. The date of vaccination
5. The vaccine product name
6. The batch number and expiry date
7. The date the booster vaccination is due

If the pet is to travel further under the PETS Scheme in the future, the booster vaccinations will have to be given according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. If the booster is given on time, the blood testing does not need to be repeated after the booster vaccinations.

Blood testing

After the pet has been vaccinated, it must have a blood test to make sure that the vaccine has given sufficient protection against rabies. The veterinarian will take a sample of blood and send it to a laboratory for testing.

The best time for a blood sample to be taken is about 30 days after the rabies vaccination.

Your veterinarian will take a blood sample of 2-5mL to prove the development of immunity against rabies.

Make sure that the veterinarian gives you a signed record of the date the blood sample was taken because this date is important to show that the blood sample was taken at least 6 months prior to the pet's export to the UK.

The blood test must be done at a laboratory recognised by DEFRA. The Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) is now approved for conducting this test. Blood tests performed by laboratories that are not recognised by DEFRA will not be acceptable.

MAF recommends the blood sample is forwarded to the MAF Animal Health Laboratory, Investigation and Diagnostic Centre – Wallaceville (IDC) who are experienced in preparing the blood sample, packaging it correctly and sending it to the approved testing laboratory with the appropriate permits.

Samples are batched and sent from the IDC on a weekly basis. Your veterinarian should send the sample by courier. It should be chilled and securely wrapped to ensure it doesn't get broken.

Samples must be accompanied by the correct/original submission form. The correct form can be obtained from the IDC by phoning 04 894 5600, but your veterinarian may already have the form. One submission form is required per animal and must be signed by the submitting veterinarian.

Only the IDC has the required permit to enable them to send biological samples into Australia.

In addition to the veterinary and administration fees required for the services of your veterinarian, the charges involved (excluding GST) are $172.10 per sample for the approved Australian laboratory's testing charges and sample processing costs in New Zealand. The courier fee per despatch is $146.00. This cost is normally split between more than one submitter as there are often several samples in one despatch. The courier used has to have the ability to send chilled samples and proven reliability for this type of package.

The results take about 6 weeks and are sent to the submitting veterinarian with a copy to the IDC. The IDC also fax a copy of the results to the submitting veterinarian to ensure they are received.

The blood antibody level must be 0.5 IU/ml or greater to pass the test. A proportion of vaccinated animals may not show this level and in these cases the pet will need to be vaccinated again and the process of blood testing repeated. The results of testing so far indicate that about 1 in 8 animals do not reach the 0.5 IU/ml protection level required. To increase the chance your pet reaches the required level, you may wish to consider getting your pet vaccinated twice before it is blood tested. You should discuss this with your veterinarian.

Once the blood test shows a satisfactory level of protection, six months must elapse between the date the blood was taken for testing and the date the official MAF export certificate is signed by the official government veterinarian.

Animals that do not have the full 6 month period post antibody titre may still be imported into the UK and spend the remainder of their 6-month wait in quarantine. Pet owners should contact 00 44 20 7904 6222 for further information.

Treatments against ticks and tapeworm by local veterinarian

Between 24 and 48 hours before export, the pet must be treated against ticks and a tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis) by your local veterinarian.

The pet will be treated with a worming product containing praziquantel for the tapeworm requirements, and a flea and tick product containing fipronil (‘Frontline’) for the tick requirements.

The veterinarian will sign and complete a document that will allow the Official Veterinarians to certify that the dog/cat has been treated against ectoparasites and endoparasites). This document is available from the Official Veterinarians (see below for contact details).

PETS Certification

Once six months has elapsed from the time the blood sample was taken for the successful test result and the dog/cat has had the treatments against tick and fleas, the official government veterinarian can complete the official MAF export certification (the official assurance) at any mutually convenient time prior to export. An appointment is essential to ensure the official veterinarian is available for the certification.

The NZFSA (New Zealand Food Safety Authority) Verification Agency veterinarians are now responsible for ensuring the official assurance programme is available to exporters nation-wide. Therefore, exporter’s first point of contact for authorised person services should now be:

Official Assurance Programme
C/- NZFSA veterinarians
Post: PO Box 53030, Auckland Airport
Courier: 3 Airpark Drive, Airport Oaks, Auckland Airport
Phone: 09-257-0616
Fax: 09-257-0631
Email: mqsakav@maf.govt.nz (begin subject with OAP)

• List of Official Veterinarians

The official government veterinarian will require you to provide the following at the time of certification:

• proof of microchip identification verified by the veterinarian inserting the microchip
• the original vaccination record showing the rabies vaccination details, including microchip identification provided by the vet vaccinating the animal;
• a record, signed by your veterinarian, of the date the blood sample was taken;
• the original laboratory result of the blood test from the DEFRA approved laboratory.

NOTE: This certificate is only valid for 4 months after the official government veterinarian has signed the certificate or until the rabies vaccination expires (whichever is sooner).

Animal Welfare Export Certificate

The official government veterinarian will also issue an Animal Welfare Export Certificate at the time of export, providing the crate the pet will be transported in meets the international (IATA) regulations for the transport of cats and dogs and the animal is healthy and fit to travel.

The crate requirements can be obtained from the official government veterinarians.

The IATA web site for live animal travel can be found at: http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/live_animals/pets.htm.

This web site provides excellent information about ensuring the safety and comfort of your pet during its flight to the UK.

The certificate must be accompanied by the relevant documentation.

The MAF export certificate must be accompanied by the pet’s original or certified copies of the rabies vaccination record and blood test results which show the microchip number.

PETS certificates issued before 1 October 2004

The pet can travel to the UK with a PETS certificate as long as it was issued before 1 October 2004 and is still valid. If this is the case, a new PETS certificate (EU regulation 998/2003 compliant) will be issued based on the old certificate and the appropriate flea and tick treatment documentation from your local veterinarian.

Pets issued with a EU Pet Passport

The pet can also travel accompanied by a new EU Pet Passport, issued in the EU, in compliance with the UK requirements (therefore microchip, rabies vaccination, rabies serology showing the correct titre and 6 months waiting period, and anti-parasite treatment). The tick and tape worm treatment certification is also contained within the passport.

More information

You can get more information about this scheme by contacting DEFRA:
Telephone: +44 (0) 870 241 1710
Fax: +44 (0) 207 904 6834

Pet Travel Scheme
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Area 201
1a Page Street,
London
SW1P 4PQ

E-mail: pets@ahvg.maff.gsi.gov.uk
Web site: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm

Other contact details:

• MAF veterinarians at Auckland airport: 09 257 0616 (telephone) or 09 257 0631 (fax)
• IATA web site, live animal transport: http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/live_animals/pets.htm