The recent news that the EU was tightening up its rules on UK residents travelling with their animals is just the latest blow against pet-owners in search of the open road. For the past five years there has been a conspiracy, it seems – not least from their own government – to make their lives impossible.

One UK pet-owner has clearly had enough and decided to take action

One UK pet-owner has clearly had enough and decided to take action

Until 2021, British pet-owners could travel under the EU pet passport scheme. With this inexpensive document (costing around £60) you were allowed to make up to 28 trips to and from the continent, with no time limit. Since Brits lost the right to such passports, for obvious reasons, in 2021, they’ve been required instead to pay for a one-use Animal Health Certificate, an altogether more restrictive document. Not only are such certificates pricey – my local vet charges £264.10 – they’re also time-consuming to apply for, have a ten-day window for departure, are single-entry, and last for just four months. No longer can a Brit simply whisk up Fido or Tabitha, jump on a flight for a weekend in Paris, and have them back by Monday morning. The whole process must now be planned like a military campaign.

In May 2025 it was announced in the media that finally, under a new deal with the EU, pet passports were to be reintroduced in the UK, but since then there has been........

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