We've taken our dog abroad several times since we got her in early 2019, but not since the UK permanently left the EU in January 2021. Mainly due to travel restrictions because of COVID19.

The rules for taking pets abroad have changed as we all know. For us to take our dog into the EU, we now need to provide - at border control - an animal health certificate (AHC) issued by the vet no more than 10 days before travel. It's a one-use document and can be quite costly. I have not yet enquired how much our vet charges for an AHC, but I have seen prices online elsewhere in the region of £180.

To (re-)enter the UK, no AHC is needed but the pet passport needs to show that our dog is vaccinated against rabies and it needs to have been treated for tapeworm. See [this UK government][1] article for more details.

According to the receptionist at our local vet, we can avoid getting an AHC each time we wish to take the dog into the EU by registering our dog with a EU vet and have them issue an EU passport.

Only this EU vet can then administer rabies booster vaccines and record this in the passport. Because once our dog has an EU passport the dog ceases to be a UK dog, no UK vet can officially endorse the dog's EU passport.

I will have to ensure that before the rabies vaccine lapses (every 3 years IIRC) the dog is seen by a vet abroad to have it boosted.

This means that getting an EU passport for your pet is not something someone should consider unless they make frequent / annual trips abroad.

The receptionist also confirmed to me that foreign registered pets can still take part in their pet care plan. Our experience of their pet surgeries would not be affected other than the matter of the rabies boosters.

I have no real reason to doubt this receptionist's theory, as she is much better placed to know about these matters than I am. But still I would like to seek some confirmation before I start making plans to put this into action.

I have tried internet searches to confirm this great theory, but have been unsuccesful. So, the question I have is this:

Is an EU pet passport acccepted by UK and French border checks as an alternative for the AHC so no "foreign" pet would ever need to seek an AHC before transit into the EU?

Obviously our very first journey would require an AHC, but hopefully any journey after that won't.

**Disclaimer**<br>
Do not treat this question as advice. Always read the government guidelines (linked above) for up-to-date rules and advice on taking pets abroad. Or consult your vet.

  [1]: https://www.gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain/rabies-vaccination-boosters-and-blood-tests