Travelling in EU with a dog

The Royle Family replied on 17/08/2019 13:37

Posted on 17/08/2019 13:37

Hi

We are taking our dog to France and Spain soon for a 63 day trip.  We are also planning an 80+day trip next year to the EU.

There must be lots of other caravanners like us, who do this - retire, then go travelling in the caravan for the winter, returning home at Christmas for a few weeks.  Do any of you have a dog and Pet Insurance?

We are finding that all the companies we ask will not cover for more than 90 days (some say 60) and it would seem that the only solution is to cancel the first policy once the 90 days is close and that take out a policy with another company.  They say they will look at the Pet Passport to see how long we have been away, and that we cannot take out two policies to run side by side.

Has anyone got a solution?  Could we get pet insurance in Spain - we have a friend whose address we could use???

Avi

Rufs replied on 17/08/2019 15:39

Posted on 17/08/2019 13:37 by The Royle Family

Hi

We are taking our dog to France and Spain soon for a 63 day trip.  We are also planning an 80+day trip next year to the EU.

There must be lots of other caravanners like us, who do this - retire, then go travelling in the caravan for the winter, returning home at Christmas for a few weeks.  Do any of you have a dog and Pet Insurance?

We are finding that all the companies we ask will not cover for more than 90 days (some say 60) and it would seem that the only solution is to cancel the first policy once the 90 days is close and that take out a policy with another company.  They say they will look at the Pet Passport to see how long we have been away, and that we cannot take out two policies to run side by side.

Has anyone got a solution?  Could we get pet insurance in Spain - we have a friend whose address we could use???

Avi

Posted on 17/08/2019 15:39

cant really hep with the insurance, our last trip this year was 94 days, so based on the theory that the dog was unlikely to be ill during the first 4 days and as we were spending most of our time traveling through France during the first 4 days we didnt start the policy until we were in Spain, dodgey i know, but what the heck. What you should pay attention to is the Rabies vacination/blood test, if we should leave the EU on the 31st Oct with no deal, there is every possibility that more rigourous procedures for Rabies testing/vaccination will come into play e.g. dog needs a blood test to check for rabies antibodies getting the blood test and results back from lab could take 2 - 3 weeks, if dog should fail you need to have new vaccine get new blood sample 10 days after jab, send to lab again, if dog passes you then have to wait 30 days before dog can travel, we went through this procedure as we originally were planning to leave EU on 29th Mar with possible no deal, i think there is a sticky on this forum with more details, you should check in case i have not got it 100 pct correct.  

Rufs replied on 17/08/2019 15:42

Posted on 17/08/2019 15:42

think you should have put this post in the overseas section where i believe there is already a post that covers this, maybe the mod will move for you. 

Geejay replied on 17/08/2019 21:32

Posted on 17/08/2019 21:32

Why can you not take out single trip insurance for each trip as they are both less than 90 days?

We go with a dog  but don't have pet insurance, other than as part of recovery, which we buy from the other Club.

We have found that vet prices in Spain for the health check and tapeworm tablet are very reasonable - in one case it was only €4!!

The rules for pet travel are spelled out on the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit

If your pet has already had the Rabies vaccination and a successful blood test and is up to date with boosters you do not have the pet re-vaccinated.  If it hasn't had the vaccination then if the UK is an Unlisted country it can take around 4 months to get everything done.  

It's all explained in the link above, although it takes a bit of digesting.

Near Malvern Hills Club Campsite by Andrew Cole

Book a late escape

There's still availability at many popular UK Club campsites - find your perfect pitch today for a last minute trip!

Book now
Woman sitting in camping chair by Wastwater in the Lake District with her two dogs and picnic blanket

Follow us on Facebook

Follow the Caravan and Motorhome Club via our official Facebook page for latest news, holiday ideas, events, activities and special offers.

Photo of Wast Water, Lake District by Sue Peace
Visit Facebook