Hello,

Has anyone left Switzerland to return to the UK by lumping everything in a van and driving back?

If so, I have a question about taking pets with you. I have a cat (with full 'pet passport' issued in UK) and the cat would be travelling in the van also.

Are there any problems with taking the cat into other countries/at the borders etc?

In addition if anyone has left Switzerland in this fashion with or without pets and has general advice or tips, please comment.

Thanks

http://ww2.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/
or PETS Helpline: 0044 870 241 1710

-Your cat needs a chip.
-An anti rabies inoculation and a blood test 6 month before you leave the country. The blood test have to be repeated 24-48 hours before you leave.
- You need a form. I think you get it from your vet.

We tried to take our dog back to the UK a couple of Xmas's ago only to be stopped at Calais as the vet had not stamped the pet passport within 24hrs of travel for worming tabs and something else, cant remember exactly, it was not the rabies blood test though, something minor.
We were travelling on a Sunday, needless to say I was not flavour of the month with the family as it was midnight and we had to come back to Zurich.
Tried to argue the case that vets in ZH are closed on a Saturday but the French official was having none of it.
The bloody thing stays in kennels now

Thanks for this tip. I think I'm covered as I had this done before I moved over here (in order to get the passport). However I didnt know about the blood test prior to leaving - so that's helpful thank you!

Obviously, I didnt have it done....

Good luck with all that!

I just did it for my dog. I will probably move to the UK in March for work but my dog can't go before May 25th, 6 months after the successful test on its antibodies against rabies.

The Defra phone helpline is really good by the way :-)

You must see a vet to get the dog wormed and have a tick/flea treatment, + check electronic chip, and get passport stamped- not more than 48hrs and not less than 24 hrs before your crossing. If crossing by Eurotunnel, you have to go the the Pet passport office, on the right-hand side as you arrive, and get it all checked again. they will check that the vet has done the above treatments properly and at the right time, stamp, chip, etc. If all is OK they will let you proceed. The vet will cost about CHF50, or E30, then the Pet passport check at the Tunnel is another E30 (payable when you do your booking). We used to go to a vet in Calais, then spend the night in a Hotel there (Kyriad plage allows you to have dog in room- ask for a room downstairs and at the back, as it has a field there, and your car can be parked near your room.

THEY ARE VERY STRICT about everything done just right, and strict about timing too. We have seen people being turned away - screaming or any excuse won't help. We've witnessed some heart breaking scenes- so make sure you've got it right. Safe journey.

Reading Swissgooners post, PLEASE PLEASE get your pets passported even if you do not anticipate going back. It will save you so much hassle and cost in the long run, and your poor poor pet weeks or months of kennels. French ex pat Forums are absolutely full of cats and dogs abandoned there as owners get into financial or family trouble. Heart breaking.

The last few times, we saw a vet in France near us and on the way to Calais- so we did not have to spend a night there. But you must get your timing right - they won't hear of any excuse!

Omg i am leaving Switzerland by car BUT going to Sweden.

I intend to visit people on the way up, also because i dont want to drive more than 4 or 5 hours a day.

I have a million questions...the swedish customs told me i need to stop at every border i cross (in my case, Germany, France, Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden) and declare that i have my dog with me. She has EVERYTHING, the rabies shot, the blood test approved, and will be dewormed and have the tick treatment on the day we leave. I have to be in sweden within 10 days of having taken the deworming medicine.

But...do i really have to stop at every customs? do i have to see a vet at every place? this is what confuses me...what are they going to do?

Someone help? thanks!

Rules about getting into the UK are extremely strict- due to it being an Island and never affected (only a few accidental incidents- like a bat having crossed the channel tunnel) by this dreadful disease Rabies. Once we took our dog to a vet in Calais to get tick/worming treatment, stamp passport and check microchip as per legal requirements (then as usual had to stay overnight in hotel and wait for the 24 hrs to elapse). There was a young family there, mum, dad + 2 kids and a really cute Dachshund. They were all crying their eyes out so I thought the dog was very sick. I asked to show concern - they were Polish and had travelled from there that day, after a visit to mum there to pick the dog up (she'd been looking after it whilst they were settling down in Manchester. The vet tried to read the microchip- but the one the dog had was not compatible with her (more modern) machine, so she refused to sign the documents. We went in to see the vet with our dog, and I asked her if we could pay for a new chip- as we were devastated for them. But she said no, as she could not prove that the dog was the dog on the passport. She insisted that they either- stayed in a hotel in Calais and phoned the vet in Poland to send his machine over so she could check the chip (2 - 3 - 4 + days?) or they returned to Poland to get the machine or a new internationally readable chip. We tried and tried and begged, but there was nothing we could do, and had to leave them after hugging them and wishing them good luck. We were all crying by then. I shall never know what they did in the end. Tried to smuggle the dog? Left it in Calais by the roadside? I often wonder.
Most of Europe has had rabies present to some extent- so are less strict. But I have no idea about your journey to Sweden. Are you going back for good, or just for a holiday - if holiday, I'd advise leaving the dog in good hands in CH- just not worth the risk. Good luck.

Thanks a lot Odile!

I am going for good. So doggie comes with me or i come back with Doggie.

My dog is Swedish, we are going back home (so no chip problems) but there are still requirements such as the rabies vaccination. That has been taken care of. The other thing is the deworming, needs to be done at least 10 days before the dog enters sweden. My journey will take 5 days, so theoretically, i fulfill all the needs. Plus of course the pass, with all the right vaccinations and even a certificate of good health.

However, they mentioned i have to stop in all borders to declare the dog...

If i am cheeky i could potentially say on arrival that i went straight from CH to Germany, then denmark and crossed over to Sweden.

But i am actually going through France and holland too. for one night in each place as its my last chance to visit friends and family.

How would they know i have actually visited all those countries?

I am confuseedd!

Thanks to anyone able to provide feedback!

I lived in Holland for 4 years and we travelled to our house in France several times a year- travelling through Holland, Belgium and into France. As far as I am aware- borders are now all completely open and we certainly have never stopped or been asked to stop. The rules for Sweden sound much the same as for the UK, but when you are on mainland Europe I think the rules are different. Good luck anyway