UK-resident pet owners with French second-homes are being warned that the pet passport they have relied on for regular travel may no longer be accepted from Wednesday, April 22. The pet passport change affects those travelling from Great Britain to the EU with an EU pet passport, and the warning is focused on owners who live in Great Britain but have used French-issued documents for cross-Channel trips. Officials say the safer option is to travel with an Animal Health Certificate if there is any doubt.
What changes on Wednesday, April 22
The new position is clear in the warnings circulating to pet owners: if a traveller’s main residence is in Great Britain, an EU pet passport will not be valid for travel from the UK to the EU. That means the pet passport route that some owners used after Brexit is now in jeopardy for this group.
The shift matters because the pet passport system had allowed some owners to avoid the usual requirement to get an Animal Health Certificate from a UK vet for each trip. That certificate can cost over £100, so the pet passport change has immediate financial consequences as well as travel implications.
One UK veterinary service warned in an email that no one knows exactly what will happen on Wednesday, except that the Animal and Plant Health Agency has advised UK-resident owners to travel with an Animal Health Certificate because EU passports will not be accepted. The same warning said that, if possible, owners should obtain an AHC to avoid being turned away.
Why the pet passport issue matters now
The pet passport question has been uncertain since Brexit. Before January 1, 2021, UK-issued EU pet passports were valid for travel to France. After the UK left the EU, those passports stopped being valid, but some owners later used French pet passports for repeat travel.
That practice was always tied to a grey area. French pet passports are meant for pets registered on France’s I-CAD database, and the rules have stated since 2022 that pets must be staying in France for more than three consecutive months to be registered. That makes the pet passport route difficult for many second-home owners who only stay for shorter periods.
Official warning and immediate reaction
A briefing note dated April 17 for official vets alerted to changes to pet travel rules. In parallel, a UK veterinary provider told clients that if their main residence is in Great Britain, they should not rely on an EU pet passport for EU travel and should instead carry an Animal Health Certificate.
Vet Pete Andrew of Wright & Morten in Macclesfield said there are no details on how the change will be enforced and added that “the picture is not at all clear. ” He also said it was “especially frustrating” that the change is being implemented with just a few days’ notice.
Wright & Morten Vets said it can issue Animal Health Certificates at its Macclesfield, Wilmslow and Congleton branches and has reduced the price of those certificates in response to the change. The practice also reminded owners that AHCs must be issued within 10 days of travel to the EU.
Quick context for travellers
The warning does not affect pet travel from the EU to the UK on pet passports. It also does not change the broader reality that pet travel paperwork remains tightly linked to residence status, timing and border checks.
For owners with a pet passport and an imminent trip, the immediate message is to check the current rules, confirm whether the document will be accepted, and prepare for an Animal Health Certificate if needed. For now, the pet passport issue is the central risk for UK-resident owners heading to the EU.
What happens next
Attention now turns to how the change will be applied from Wednesday, April 22, and whether border controls and travel providers treat the new position consistently. For UK-resident owners, the safest short-term step is to assume the pet passport may not be enough and to arrange the right paperwork in time.
