UK residents warned over EU pet passports for France travel

Several readers have queried advice on the Brittany Ferries website stating that EU pet passports issued by French vets before April 22 may still be used by UK residents.

They report confusion around the rules, which were tightened this spring.

The company’s English-language ‘Taking your pet abroad’ section states: “Further to the recent APHA communications regarding changes to pet passports, EU authorities have confirmed that EU pet passports issued to British residents before 22 April 2026 remain valid for travel into the EU and can still be used.”

Several readers also say such passports have continued to be accepted by the company and we have not heard of people encountering problems from doing so.

However, other ferry companies are more cautious. 

DFDS links to UK government guidance which states: “If you live in England, Scotland or Wales you should not use a pet passport (even if it was issued in the EU). If you use a pet passport, your pet may be refused entry into the EU.”

P&O states: “We will continue to accept valid EU pet passports, but be aware that due to the EU policy changing, you could be challenged by French authorities if you are a GB resident.”

We note that ferry firms have limited means of establishing whether a passport holder is habitually resident in France.

DFDS told us, for example, it would not allow someone to travel with an EU pet passport showing an address in Great Britain.

That said, such passports would more usually show the address of a French holiday home.

Experience also suggests it is uncommon for questions to be asked on arrival in France.

The issue initially arose after APHA, a UK plant and animal health body, told UK vets that EU pet passports issued to GB residents would “no longer be a valid document for travelling with pets from GB to the EU”.

New rules

The APHA release related to new EU rules on pet movements that came into force on April 22. These included a provision stating that EU pet passports must be “issued in a member state where the pet owner resides habitually”.

Mixed messages surrounded this topic, however the European Commission told us in May that it made no difference when the passport was issued. 

We asked again whether anything had changed and received the following reply: “I confirm again the information that we sent to you before, and confirm your original understanding is correct.

“Pets travelling from a non-EU country to the EU or Northern Ireland must be accompanied by an animal health certificate [AHC] issued by a vet in the country of departure.

“This has applied also to Great Britain as of January 1, 2021, meaning EU pet passports issued to a pet owner resident in Great Britain are no longer valid since that date.

“Therefore, the rules apply both to previously issued pet passports held by residents of the UK, and new pet passports.

“To summarise, the type of documentation that a pet owner will need to travel with their pet depends on where they are resident.

"For example, a UK citizen resident in France will need an EU pet passport, while a Dutch citizen resident in the UK will need an AHC.” 

AHCs cost from €100-€300 per return trip (a reader has recommended Easy Pet Travel in Ashford in Kent which charges £99, or a £69 discount for returning customers).

The rules are different for Northern Ireland residents, who may still receive EU pet passports under special post-Brexit rules.

The UK will still accept EU pet passports for entry to the UK, regardless of the holder’s place of residence.

We asked Brittany Ferries if it wished to comment on the statement on its website and were told to ask France’s agriculture ministry. 

The ministry, in turn, stated: “Passports issued before April 22, 2026 remain valid, even for people who are not permanent EU residents. This usage is therefore in conformity with the rules.”

Thus there is a conflict of views, though we do not know which ‘EU authorities’ are referred to on the BF site.

This conflict may stem from differing interpre­tations of the EU regulation in force since April 22, which says EU vets should only issue pet passports to habitual residents of the issuing country. 

It also states that documents issued before this date remain valid documents, but does not clearly address the continued use of these by those who are not ‘habitual residents’. 

The regulation’s non-binding preamble, meanwhile, asserts that it was always ‘implied’ that pet passports should be used by EU residents.

As a result, travellers wishing to follow the UK government’s and European Commission’s guidelines may wish to obtain an AHC, however, travelling with an otherwise valid EU pet passport may be accepted by ferry operators and appears unlikely to be questioned in France.