About the Pets Travel Scheme To bring your pets to France you must have a valid vets certificate to show that your pet is fitted with a microchip, vaccinated against rabies, and successfully blood tested. You must also have an official PES certificate. The ports; Eurotunnel; Calais - Folkestone, P & O Ferries, SeaFrance and Hoverspeed - Calais - Dover, Caen - Portsmouth, Brittany Ferries - Roscoff - Plymouth, St Malo - Portsmouth, Cherbourg - Portsmouth, P & O Portsmouth (European) - Le Havre - Portsmouth, Santander - Portsmouth. You will have to wait at least 6 months (the time it takes for the rabies virus to become apparent and to ensure they did not contract the disease before inoculation). Although not required it is advisable to treat your dog for ticks before you go. The Babesia tick is present in France but not the UK, so your dog may not have developed immunity from it. If you get your dog treated in France, make sure the vet issues the official certificate. Many of the attempts to get cats or dogs through fail (1 in 7) because of incorrect tick and tapeworm treatment or incorrectly filled in forms. How to apply the pets travel scheme Seven months before - go to your vet and get a microchip implanted in the back of the pets neck. This is programmed with an ID number. At the same time a rabies shot will be given and entered on its "passport" (no photograph required). 30 days later - return to vet and have a blood sample taken . This is sent to a lab approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, to see if the vaccine has "taken". If it has a certificate will be issued which will allow the animal to travel 6 months after the inoculation. 6 months after inoculation - travel with pet. Find a vet to visit for the return leg before you leave. On returning your must visit a vet to get an injection against tapeworm and to be sprayed with anti tick powder. This must be done no less than 24 hours and no more than 48 hours before travelling back. This is the cause of most problems for returning pets - ensure your certificate is in order before you leave the vets (costs about £25). Finally, you must sign a residency declaration form confirming the animal has not been outside the approved countries in the previous six months. France also require an export health certificate issued by the vet to say that your pet is fit to travel on the specified dates. For further information Information on PETS HELPLINE 0870 241 1710. Fax.; 020 7904 6834, E-mail; pets@ahvg.maff.gsi.gov.uk or write to; Export of Cats and Dogs Section, MAFF, 1A Page Street, London SW1P 4PQ. Tel.; 020 7904 6347, Fax.; 020 7904 6428. Factsheets - online or download a PDF sheet - http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh Useful official website http://www.maff.gov.uk/ or try http://www.petplanet.co.uk/ or http://www.dogsaway.co.uk/