What Is Required To Get an EU Pet Passport in France?
The Requirements to get an EU Pet Passport in France are:
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- Your passport
- French address
- French Phone Number
- Health Certificate showing your pet’s current rabies vaccine and microchip information.
Why Get an EU Pet Passport
If you plan to travel around Europe with your pet to both European Union and non-European Union countries, an EU Pet Passport is an important document to have.
Cheap and Easy Way Move In and Out of EU with Pet
We moved from Austin, Texas, to live as nomads and travel full-time in Europe. We typically spend about a month in each destination before moving on to another. We are American passport holders and have not applied for long-term visas in Europe. We can travel visa-free with our 90-day Schengen visa. The 90-day Schengen visa allows us to stay in the Schengen for 90 days and then requires that we leave the Schengen for 90 days. This movement in and out of the Schengen requires us to move in and out of the European Union.
When you move in and out of the European Union with your pet, you must carry either (1) an EU Pet Passport issued by a current EU country – the United Kingdom EU Pet Passport is no longer valid, or (2) an International Health Certificate. An International Health Certificate is expensive and only lasts four months. So, it is a costly document you must frequently get from your veterinarian.
An EU Pet Passport is not expensive, and if you ensure that your rabies vaccine never expires, it is valid for the pet’s life. Now, if you don’t pay close attention to your rabies expiration date and let it lapse for just one or two days, your EU Pet Passport is no longer valid, and you must get a new one.
Given our frequent movement around Europe, we had to get our French Bulldog, Gus, an EU Pet Passport.
Two-Part Process To Get An EU Pet Passport in France
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food in France is responsible for administering the rules relating to EU Pet Passports. They follow the European Parliament’s regulation regarding the non-commercial movement of pets.
Based on our experience, getting an EU Pet Passport in France is a two-part process and can be done by any private veterinarian office.
How to Get an EU Pet Passport in France: Step One
Your pet’s microchip must be registered in the French I-CAD database. The cost for registration was $15. To do this, you must have a passport, French address, French phone number, and microchip information (this is found on your International Health Certificate).
Because it does not require a visit with the doctor, the veterinarian’s office we went to in France did not require a formal appointment to get the microchip registered. Even though you probably won’t need an appointment, make sure you call your veterinary office in advance and confirm their requirements.
You will bring your pet to the vet, where their microchip will be scanned and recorded on the I-CAD registration form.
When completing the I-CAD registration form, be sure to include your email address. If an email is provided, I-CAD will send you both an email and a mailed confirmation. You will need the I-CAD confirmation to show your veterinary office that the registration is complete. The vet does not receive notice of registration from I-CAD. This is only sent by I-CAD to you.
Receiving mail can be challenging in Europe, especially if you travel and live in an Airbnb. Our I-CAD email confirmation helped move the process forward and allowed us to move to step two quickly.
The vet will give you a copy of the completed I-CAD registration form. Make sure it has been accurately completed.
It takes 1-2 weeks for I-CAD to register the microchip and send you a confirmation email. Once you receive the I-CAD confirmation email, you can call your vet to set an appointment for the EU Pet Passport.
Update: We were not required to show proof of France residency to get an EU Pet Passport in France. But, we received feedback that some vets require it. Be sure to contact the veterinary office in advance. You should confirm that they speak English if you don’t speak French (the vet office we used only had one English speaking employee) and that they don’t require proof of residency (if you are not a resident).
How to Get an EU Pet Passport in France: Step Two
You will return to the vet’s office for EU Pet Passport issuance. This cost was $15.
Ask your vet if they require your pet’s presence. Gus was required to be there for the first visit to scan his microchip but was not involved in the issuance of the passport and ended up being there only for moral support. But every vet is different and yours might require a quick exam.
You will present your I-CAD email microchip registration confirmation, an international health certificate (which has your rabies information), and I-CAD registration form (which has your France phone number and France address). They will use all this information to complete the EU Pet Passport.
We also provided a passport photo of Gus. If you can get one, I recommend it. It isn’t required but can’t hurt. We got Gus’s passport photo made at a CVS in the United States before we arrived in Europe. The CVS lady didn’t want to do it, but I insisted.
The vet will issue you your EU Pet Passport, and you will be ready to travel Europe with your best friend.
