In the event of a withdrawal agreement, a transitional period until 31 December 2020 will ensure the same travel conditions as at present. In there is no withdrawal agreement, the transport of domestic pet carnivores (dogs, cats, ferrets) will require additional formalities and controls that you must anticipate.

In the absence of ratification of the withdrawal agreement, British travellers carrying dogs, cats or ferrets from the United Kingdom to the EU territory must comply with all the following health conditions defined by the Regulation of 12 June 2013:

• ensure that pets are marked: electronic microchip implanted under the skin or clearly legible tattoo done before July 3, 2011.
• ensure that pets have been vaccinated against rabies and that the vaccine is still valid.
• ensure that pets have undergone a laboratory examination on blood samples to verify the effectiveness of rabies vaccination. Serum titration should be performed at least 30 days after rabies vaccination and at least 3 months before the date of travel. The laboratory examination must be carried out in an approved laboratory in the European Union, a list of which is available on the Europa website. The test result must be greater than or equal to 0.5Ul/ml. The result of the serum titration is valid for the entire life of the animal, i.e. it should only be carried out once, provided that the vaccination against rabies is kept valid (vaccination reminders carried out within the required time limits).
• ensure that they are in possession of a health certificate, for each pet, issued by an official veterinarian established in the United Kingdom. The health certificate must be accompanied by proof of vaccination against rabies, a copy of the result of the serum titration indicating the date of the laboratory examination and a document attesting to the marking of the pet animal. The health certificate is valid for a period of 10 days from the date of issue and must be presented at border controls during this period. The health certificate is valid on the territory of the EU for a period of four months.

For more information, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food has published an information note on the importation of pets from third countries. The European Commission has published a preparation notice for the transport of pets in the event of a no deal. 

In the absence of ratification of the withdrawal agreement, the UK Government has specified the health conditions for the introduction of dogs, cats and ferrets from the EU into the United Kingdom. It is the responsibility of each traveller to ensure that all these health conditions are met, as an information page on the official government website has been set up for this purpose.

• British travellers returning to the United Kingdom will have to be in possession of the health certificate and all the documents presented when they enter the European Union.

• French travellers and British nationals living in France will be able to use a European passport for their pets. For passports issued in the United Kingdom, the UK Government website indicates that only those issued before the withdrawal date will be accepted. Travellers must comply with all the conditions defined by the Regulation of 12 June 2013: marking, rabies vaccine, serum titration and identification document. For travellers carrying dogs, treatment against flatworms is mandatory and must be carried out within a maximum of five days and a minimum of 24 hours before transport to the United Kingdom.