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Do you have a pet? Here is your full guide on pet immigration in France

Updated: Jan 18


With the help of our comprehensive guide on bringing a pet into France, you can ensure that the trip will be as stress-free as possible for your animal companion.

There are severe regulations that must be followed to import a pet into France, although the nation is pet-friendly. You must verify the most recent French legislation if you want to bring a pet with you to France. Be sure that you have the appropriate documentation for France as well as any other countries that you will be traveling through. Be informed that these may vary from nation to country based on where you are moving your pet from and it is important to do your research before making the move. When you decide to relocate to France with your pet, the following information will be helpful to you as a general guide.

Assurland

Bringing your canine or feline companion with you to France? Compare the various pet insurance plans available on Assurland to ensure that you have no gaps in coverage. The insurance companies that cover cats and dogs are compared on the French comparison website, so you can be certain that your four-legged companions will be safe in their new abode. Assurland can help you choose the plan that best suits your needs.

Pet immigration regulations for France

The European Pet Passport system, which is intended for use with domesticated animals, might be of assistance to owners of pets who want to travel throughout Europe. The Pet Passport is a booklet that has all of the vital information about your pet and is designed to be carried with them at all times. It consists of an identification number as well as evidence of having received all necessary immunizations. The passport will continue to be valid for your animal companion for their whole lifetime.

A licensed veterinarian is the only person who can issue an EU pet passport, and it is the veterinarian's responsibility to ensure that all vaccinations are up to date. In addition, the veterinarian is responsible for ensuring that the pet has a microchip, has received the appropriate rabies vaccine, and has had a blood test to confirm that the vaccine is present in the pet's system. If your animal was vaccinated before it was equipped with a microchip, it will need to be vaccinated once again once the microchip is implanted. This is because the vaccination may have worn off. In addition, you need to provide your microchip scanner if the microchip implanted in your pet does not comply with ISO 11784/11785 standards. The European Union Pet Passport serves as a health certificate.

A blood titer test is required to be performed one month after rabies vaccination and again three months before departure for any pet traveling to France from a country with a high rabies prevalence rate.

Relocation restrictions imposed on pets

Pets (only dogs and cats) less than three months old that have not been vaccinated and that are allowed into the EU face further restrictions. Certain types of canines that are known to be violent are not allowed inside.

As a result of avian flu concerns, transporting birds to France is subject to a different set of laws. The number of birds that may be brought into the nation is limited to a maximum of five. You have the option of either putting the birds through a 30-day quarantine before exporting them or putting them through a 30-day quarantine after they have been imported. If you have the bird vaccinated against avian flu, the vaccination must have been administered at least sixty days before the bird is imported. Alternately, the bird may be kept in isolation for ten days before departure and put through an avian flu test after it has been kept isolated for at least three days. It is necessary to have a professional veterinarian check that these requirements have been met.

You are required to get a certificate that verifies the animal's excellent health to own various kinds of animals, such as rabbits, rats, or reptiles. Horses are required to have passports of their own. The individual or business that is responsible for shipping the animals is required to possess an export license, which they will then need to provide to the transportation provider. The horses need to be implanted with microchips, and similar to the case with other kinds of animals, evidence will be required to demonstrate that they are in excellent health.

Insurance coverage for pets during a move

Insurance for one's pet is also a significant consideration. Because pet insurance may cover a significant portion of the cost of unexpected veterinary expenditures in the event of an accident or sickness, there are various factors to take into account when selecting pet insurance, including the following:

● Does the insurance plan cover all chronic ailments as well as those that are congenital or hereditary?

● Is there a certain amount of time that must pass between treatments for each condition?

● Is there a limit on how much money can be spent on therapy for each condition?

● Exist choices for flexible coverage that may be tailored to properly meet your demands as well as your budget?

● How long has this particular firm been in operation? How would you rate it?

Airline pet container regulations

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is responsible for formulating the regulations that govern the acceptable kinds of containers for cats, dogs, ferrets, and birds that are transported in the cabin or as cargo. These regulations have been largely adopted by the airlines of the globe.

Pets in the cabin

On trips that are less than ten hours long, several airlines let passengers bring their small dogs or cats inside the cabin with them on such flights (except for travel to the UK and Hong Kong). In most cases, the airline will only let one pet travel with each person, with a maximum of two animals allowed within each cabin. The carrier for the animal has to be able to slide beneath the seat in front of you, have a waterproof bottom, and have sufficient ventilation. As long as the carrier is the appropriate size for your animal, the Sherpa, Bergan, and SturdiBag pet carriers are all airline-acceptable options for transporting your pet.

IATA pet cages requirements

Your pet is required to be in a pet box that complies with IATA standards, in addition to meeting certain additional criteria. Although it is generally recommended to have just one animal in each container, the IATA regulations say that two animals of the same species may share a container as long as both animals weigh less than 14 kilograms (30 pounds) and are within the same weight limit.

If you are going to buy a container, check to see if it fulfills at least one of the following requirements:

● The animal or animals must be able to stand, turn around, and lay down comfortably inside the confines of the container.

● The kennel must be constructed out of durable plastic.

● The container has to have a reliable locking mechanism that is spring-loaded and goes all the way around it. The pins need to extend beyond the horizontal extrusions that are located above and below the door.

● Even though this is not something that the IATA mandates, more and more airlines are mandating that the hardware on crates be made of steel rather than plastic. For peace of mind that there won't be any issues, we strongly suggest that you install this hardware on the crate that you use for your pet.

● It is required that water and food bowls be fastened to the inside of the front entrance and that they be able to be refilled from the outside of the container without the need to open the door.

● While traveling internationally, the container must have ventilation on all sides; when traveling inside the country, the minimum required number of sides is three.

● Stickers reading "LIVE ANIMAL" must be affixed on the top and sides of the container in letters that are at least one inch tall.

● NO WHEELS. If the kennel has wheels, they need to be removed or tied down to prevent them from rolling away.

● Your pet's name and the owner's contact information must be written on the container before you may transport it. Putting a tag on the exterior of the crate with information about your pet is the most effective approach to achieving this goal.

● Be careful to secure an additional copy of the health certificate for your pet to the container before placing it inside.

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