The pet travel rules applying to all dogs, cats and ferrets (including assistance and guide dogs) changed on 29 December 2014.

The changes are mainly designed to strengthen enforcement across the EU, increase levels of compliance and improve the security and traceability of the pet passport. The changes give effect to a new EU pet travel Regulation (576/2013).

This doesn’t appear to affect pets who already have a pet passport where they are travelling with their owner, so shouldn’t be a problem with existing assistance and guide dogs.

The changes highlight dogs, cats and ferrets travelling for other reasons, i.e. being brought into the country for sale, and that wild animals can’t be moved under these rules (which could also affect hybrids e.g. a Bengal cat).

For full details, visit the Gov.uk website.