Can non-residents in Spain get EU passports for their pets?

The BBC recently reported that a Worcestershire couple found a great way of getting around the problem of travelling to the EU regularly with their dog by getting EU passport to save money on travel costs.

According to the British government website, Britons have to get an animal health certificate or ACH from their vet if they want to travel to an EU country with their pet.

It is valid for four months for re-entry to Great Britain, but you will need to get a new ACH each time you travel to the EU, this can get quite complicated and costly if you travel here several times a year.

The average cost of a standard ACH is around £99, quite a lot if you’re travelling with your pet more than once a year. This could easily add up to just under £400 if you travel here four times per year.

The Worcestershire couple told the BBC that the paperwork alone in the UK had risen from £170 to £280 for a return trip for their dog, not including fares.

To get around this, many others are claiming that it’s possible to get an EU pet passport too, and there are several blog posts online written by people who have done it.

An EU pet passport costs around €85 and is valid for life as long as your pet's health information and vaccines remains in date. You will simply have to pay each time you get your pet revaccinated.

So, if it’s far less hassle and cheaper why wouldn’t you get one?

Firstly, it’s a bit of a grey area if it’s actually legal for a pet normally living and registered in the UK or other non-EU country to get an EU pet passport.

According to the EU “The European pet passport (for dogs, cats and ferrets) is only issued to pet owners who are resident in the EU”.

Therefore, if you and your pet are resident elsewhere, you shouldn’t really be getting one.

READ ALSO: Which cities in Spain have the most pet-friendly public transport?

According to those who have been issued the passports though, there are many vets within the EU, including in Spain, who will gladly issue the passport for you without much hassle.

To get an EU pet passport all you need is your pet’s microchip or tattoo code as well as any up to date animal health records such as rabies vaccination certificate etc, your contact details and of the vet who issued the passport.

Technically you could get all of these quite easily and so some vets will be happy to provide you with one or may even suggest you get one if you take your pet into a vet while in Spain or another EU country.

One potential problem could be rabies vaccines because in the UK they’re valid for three years while in Spain and the EU they’re only valid for one year. This means you would have to update them more regularly if you had an EU pet passport.

READ ALSO: What are the rules on taking your pets on holiday in Spain?

As mentioned above though, it’s not technically the correct thing to do as you and your pet are not residents of the EU, so some countries are clamping down on this practice.

For example, French vets now require pet owners to have a French address and have to have been registered in the French animal I-CAD register for more than three months.

This means it’s not really possible to get one from France anymore if you’re a non-resident.

There have been rumours and reports that the Netherlands and Ireland have also been cracking down on those trying to get EU pet passports, so you may find it tricky.

What about Spain?

If you Google getting an EU pet passport in Spain as a non-resident you will find a handful places offering that service, so it seems that it is possible, but there is no official wording on this from the authorities.

The Spanish government website states that in those cases where there is no European pet passport, the animals must be accompanied by: - An animal health certificate, which must be signed by an official veterinarian of the third country, and presented in Spanish - A declaration, both in accordance with EU models, and

- A Certified copy of the identification and vaccination data of the animal/animals.