Today, in order to cross the state border, not only a person needs a foreign passport, but also his pet. If you intend to travel with your pet, prepare a passport for him in advance. Moreover, if for some animals (for example, for parrots, turtles, snakes or rodents) it is very difficult to obtain a passport, then for cats and dogs documents are made very quickly. The main thing is to carefully prepare and make the animal all the necessary procedures.
What is a veterinary passport of international standard
Naturally, a passport for an animal is not an identification card, it is a document that will tell the customs service everything about the health of your pet.
Therefore, in the veterinary passport for a cat and a dog, it is mandatory to enter data on vaccinations carried out, on deworming and chipping of the animal, including the following information:
- The name of the animal, its date of birth and gender.
- Breed and special marks.
- Chip number and hallmarks, if any.
- Vaccination dates and vaccine names.
- Photo of an animal.
- Data on the processing of parasites.
- Information about the reproduction or its absence (in the case of castration or sterilization).
Also in the veterinary passport for dogs and cats are entered the data of the owner of the animal - his full name, date of birth, address and telephone number.
What is a passport for?
This document will tell the border control staff if the pet is vaccinated, if it is a carrier of any disease. This is important, since any state protects its citizens from infections common to animals and humans (for example, from rabies), and from diseases that your pet can transmit to local dogs and cats.
The owner also needs a passport - if the animal is lost or stolen, only the passport will help you prove that you are its owner. This is especially true for thoroughbred, expensive exhibition or rare animal breeds, which often become victims of fraudsters and robbers.
What is needed for a passport
The first thing you need to do is chip the animal, as some countries pay special attention to the fact that the chip must be done before vaccination. Although in many clinics both chipping and vaccinations can be done in one go. Moreover, the chip must comply with the international standard ISO.
Then give the dog or cat all the necessary vaccinations. The main ones are from rabies, parvovirus and 2 plague vaccinations. They are also vaccinated against major infectious diseases, such as Lyme disease, mumps, adenovirus infection and others. For other vaccines, specify country-specific requirements. Please note that if you have done all the vaccinations, then you can transport the animal no earlier than a month later, but no later than a year later. It is also important to remember that there are features in the transport of a puppy or kitten - for example, animals can be brought into the European Union only from 4 months of age, since the first vaccination is given only to two-month-old puppies, and the most important, from rabies, a month after the first vaccination. After another month, you can export the animal. And there are countries that do not require any certificates for animals under 3 months old.
Pay special attention to the rabies vaccine - not all of them can be recognized at the veterinary control, so check which ones are accepted unconditionally, and look for the clinics where they are made.
The deworming of the animal should be carried out every 3-4 months, about which entries are made in the passport, and the last procedure should be carried out about 5 days before the flight. Also, treat the dog or cat with a flea and tick remedy in advance (with the corresponding mark in the passport).
How to get a document
Having given all vaccinations and having completed all the necessary procedures, the owner and the animal will have to visit the state veterinary station, where they will be issued a certificate or certificate in the form of No. 1-vet on the basis of the veterinary passport. This certificate is needed to cross the border, its validity is only 5 days.
When crossing the border, this certificate is exchanged for an international veterinary passport. For different countries, it can be different, for example, it is often pink, and in some countries of the European Union - white.
Where to get a passport
A veterinary passport can be issued in the same veterinarian where you vaccinate the animal. Only when choosing a clinic, give preference to the largest. Today the licensing of the veterinary clinic is canceled, so in order not to make a mistake, it is better to contact the state clinic where the animal will be given the rabies vaccine (small private clinics have a problem with vaccines) and they will draw up the relevant documents. That is, they can be made anywhere, but when crossing the border, the passport of a small clinic, and even issued incorrectly (and this is possible if the veterinarian does not have experience in preparing documents), can be challenged.
What to look for
First of all, start preparing to receive the document in advance and at least one month before the trip, specify the rules for obtaining a passport and the rules for importing animals into the territory of the country where you are going. The rules, albeit infrequently, but change, and it will be a shame, having done such a difficult job, not to cross the border because of some trifle.
Please note how vaccination data is entered in the veterinary passport - in special columns not only the date of vaccination and the name of the vaccine are indicated, but also a special sticker is attached, which is blanked by the seal of the veterinarian and confirmed by the signature of the veterinarian. If this is not the case or vaccination dates are not indicated, the passport may be invalidated.
Another common mistake is that the information about vaccination is made not by the doctor, but by the club or breeder, while permission for certain vaccinations, especially from rabies, is issued only to state veterinarians, which means that such an international veterinary passport for dogs or cats will be challenged.
You may also notice that different clinics may issue passports of different types, or the one issued to you is different from what you saw on the Internet or at other breeders. The fact is that there is no single sample in our country or in the world, there are several recommended forms. But if the passport issued to you has all the necessary marks, you can be calm: you will surely cross the border without any problems.
What to do if the international veterinary passport is lost
If you have lost your pet’s passport, remember that it can be restored. All state and large clinics keep their databases, so go to the place where you did the last vaccinations. In this clinic you will be given a duplicate of your document.
So, it is obvious that if you monitor the health of your pet and do all the necessary procedures and vaccinations in a timely manner, you will not have problems getting a passport for your dog or cat.