Pet Passport - Date of App. or Reading of Microchip Problem

Question

Hi all,

I have a question which I did not discover until today.

Last year, we took our dog to Belgium through Calais with an AHC. Everything was very smooth.

We also have an apartment in Belgium so we have a residence there and we got our dog an EU passport from Belgium to be able to travel easily.

Our Belgian vet put the details of our dog's rabies shot that was administered in the UK with the relevant dates.

The problem is that he put the Date of Reading of the transponder (microchip)  and not the Date of Application. I've checked the Petlog website, but I cannot see a date of application, only his date of birth.

The Eurotunnel website states that the date of microchip application or reading must be after the date of the rabies shot.

But what if the passport needed to be replaced in case this date of implantation was unknown and his rabies vaccines were up to date? How can the date of reading be after the date of his vaccine?

I may be reading too much into it but I've read people having problems over this at the border.

Did any of you had any experience with this? I'd appreciate any advice.

brummer2022 · Accepted Answer

Apologies I meant "How can the date of reading not be after the date of his vaccine?"

The same issue is also on the Animal Health Certificate. Eurotunnel chat insists that the date of installation (which I cannot find) or "reading" has to be before the vaccine date.

Again how can that happen?

missIndy · Answer

I would suggest you post your question on the “Animal Health Certificate” group on Facebook. This exact topic is discussed often.

Despite the name, it’s a great source of information on everything to do with Pet Passports.

Trisha

IanB2748 · Answer

You should have got a fresh rabies booster at the same time as the PP. The requirement on dates is written into the EU legislation and is nothing to do with ET.

You need a new booster to regularise the PP, and if you aren’t currently in the EU you will need to make your next trip on an AHC.

Edited: November 01, 2022, 9:42 pm

brummer2022 · Answer

Thank you both,

A fresh rabies vaccine after a month of the first one would've probably been too much on my dog anyways but I am slowly getting to the grips of it. We'll just have to fork up £200 until we get the booster for him everytime we would like to take him.

brummer2022 · Answer

Sorry again and I just realised the AHC says the same thing about this microchip date, that it should be before or the same date as the Rabies Vaccine. So does the vet need to put the same date as the vaccine date even though they'd read the chip after the vaccine was administered on the AHC?

His vaccine is from March 2022, but when we get a new AHC, do they have to put March 2022 for the microchip date, even though they'd read when we travel in 2023?

Edited: November 03, 2022, 1:13 am

IanB2748 · Answer

The AHC is one-time use only, and your vet will be able to read the microchip of the dog before or when they issue it, cross-checking with your vaccination certificate to make sure it's the same dog. So you won't have a problem getting an AHC.

Dogs are commonly vaccinated twice in succession when given a titre test, and so - while nothing is ever zero risk - in your position I wouldn't be overly worried about getting a fresh booster while the current one is still fresh. I had to do the same - get a rabies booster in the UK and then another in the EU after a few months, in order to regularise a PP, and there's been no issue. Exposure to a second vaccine is equivalent to repeat exposure to the actual virus (but without the illness), after all.

brummer2022 · Answer

Thank you so much again. I think that's what we'll do, we'll go with a AHC this time and get a booster in Belgium.

I have one more question :) When we got the Belgian pet passport, the vet in Belgium put the Rabies vaccine that my dog had received in the UK by the vet. And I assume he shouldn't have done that because that invalidates the passport.

Should we just get a new passport and have the other one cancelled?

IanB2748 · Answer

No, just travel on an AHC next time and get a fresh booster to validate your PP whilst in the EU. Then you will be good to go without having to bother with, or pay for, AHCs for your future trips.

Pet Passport - Date of App. or Reading of Microchip Problem - Traveling with Pets Forum

Pet Passport - Date of App. or Reading of Microchip Problem

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