New Pet Passport Woes

It is a while now (4 months) since they brought in the New Pet Passport but it continues to cause people all kinds of issues. One issue is the same as the old style passports: people continually blame the vets for any mistakes, whichI am sorry but I totally can’t accept. If YOU take a passport to the vets to get it completed then YOU are responsible for ensuring that it is completed correctly. I mean, it is YOUR dog that is being passported and (in all probability) YOUR dog which wont be able to travel if the passport is incorrect.

TIP: complete the passport at home, in pencil, with the dates that you require the vet to complete and then ensure that they do them correctly before they laminate the passport.

The main issues centre around the need for three dates on the rabies page: the date that the vaccination is administered, the date the vaccination becomes ‘live’ i.e. 21 days after the administered date with the date it was administered counted as Day 0, and the third date being the vaccination renewal date.

It is VITAL that all three dates are correct. The common errors are:

1. The second date, the active from date, is left blank.
2. The second date is filled in one month NOT 21 days after the administered date.
3. The second date is filled in 20 days NOT 21 days after the administered date as they forget that the 21 days count starts the day AFTER the vaccine is administered.
4. The vets aren’t stamping the passport but instead are just writing in their details (OK for TRACES but wont get through pet passport inspection)
5. The vets aren’t laminating this section of the passport.

Worming still remains an issue for many with the most common issue being the omission of the TIME that the vet administers the treatment and of course it must be the vet that stamps and signs the passport.

And don’t forget the Clinical Examination, which now requires that the vet clearly states their address as well as stamping the passport.

Finally laminating: it is mandatory that the required sections are laminated: the chip details and date, the issuing of the passport page (which MUST be fully completed) and the rabies vaccination details.

As ever, if you are in any doubt please feel free to check with us first before visiting your vet and to email through the passport to be checked before a transport.