EU Travel with Rabbits

[Le.oh]

Hi everybody! :wave:

I'm Leo and I'm new here... so, I'm still trying to find my way around. None of the other forums seemed to fit this topic, so I hope I'm OK to post this here. My apologies if it isn't right here!

I was wondering if anyone had any recent experience of travelling to the EU with their rabbits since Brexit? I've got an opportunity to go home for Christmas (I'm originally from Germany), but would need to take my bunnies (due to it being too short-notice to find boarding), which I have done in the past but that was before Brexit. I'd want to take them with me on a ferry to the Netherlands, so I contacted the authorities there, but they have been kind of vague and unsure about what health documentation they'd need. So, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try asking around to see if anybody had any direct experience and could give me some advice on what they were required to do when they went on a trip like that. Not sure if anybody has, of course... it doesn't seem like too many bunnies are frequent travelers, which I can completely understand. But... I just wanted to ask in case there was a chance for me to find any answers. Honestly, you'd be saving Christmas for me!

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or ideas at all!

Leo

 

[mikek]

Hi Leo, welcome to the forum
i'm sorry i don't know about travel requirements. you don't say where you will be travelling from - is it UK to Germany via Netherlands?

 

[KCG]

Hi Leo, welcome to the forum. Ah, we talked a lot about this, I'm moving to the Netherlands from Turkey next week. And I will come with my bunny. I've been dealing with these issues for months, UK is a little more difficult than normal, there is an island country logic. I found an article for you, I hope it helps, that's all I can do. But you're lucky in one thing, at least you'll be traveling to UK-EU, it makes things a little easier. But there can be severe quarantine conditions in the UK, please be very careful.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-for-pet-travel-from-1-january-2021

 

[Le.oh]

Hi Mikek and KCG, thanks for the warm welcome. I am resident in the UK and am hoping to travel from the UK to Germany via the Netherlands - that is correct.

I've had a look at that article before, but thank you for bringing it up. I am worried about quarantine as well, but from what I have found on gov.uk (here), it seems that returning with the bunnies to the UK from an EU country should not be an issue. It's just the Netherlands' side that really isn't all that straight-forward.

I can only imagine the kind of strain it must be to try and get this arranged from Turkey. What kind of documentation have they asked you for?

 

[KCG]

Hi Mikek and KCG, thanks for the warm welcome. I am resident in the UK and am hoping to travel from the UK to Germany via the Netherlands - that is correct.

I've had a look at that article before, but thank you for bringing it up. I am worried about quarantine as well, but from what I have found on gov.uk (here), it seems that returning with the bunnies to the UK from an EU country should not be an issue. It's just the Netherlands' side that really isn't all that straight-forward.

I can only imagine the kind of strain it must be to try and get this arranged from Turkey. What kind of documentation have they asked you for?

You're welcome. The source you found is the most reliable in my opinion. But when this article was updated is also important, I wish the article had an update date.

Ah, there are some difficulties, because Turkey is not an EU country. Rabbit-friendly airlines are hard to find, and those that come to Turkey only in the summer season. So we're going to drive for Cookie. And for that we will only travel 5-6 hours a day, our way is long. Now I will travel via Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Germany. For each country, the documents or the dates of the documents change, it is necessary to pay attention to this.
In fact, the documents required in most EU countries are almost the same, only the date of the documents changes. Documents requested from us; EU pet passport, microchip, rabies vaccine, rabies titration test, international travel document obtained from the ministry 1 day before travel.

Cookie got rabies vaccine and we waited for 1 month. 1 month later we gave a rabies titration test, sent it to the ministry (it should be an internationally accepted laboratory, this is only the ministry in Turkey). After receiving the rabies titration test result, there was a 3-month exit ban and we waited. Oh Leo, I'm tired of telling :lol: :lol: I realized how much I've been dealing with.

 

[Le.oh]

Wow... that list is ridiculous! Every source I've consulted stated that EU pet passports cannot be issued for rabbits - they are restricted to dogs, cats and ferrets. I'm surprised they would have asked you for one... even more surprised you managed to get one. And rabbits are low risk where rabies is concerned... and most infectious diseases other than those pet rabbits are routinely vaccinated against anyways... this really seems excessive and unjustified. You really got to love bureaucracy. And that's just your rabbit... travelling through so many countries during the pandemic, the hoops you must be required to jump through for that... oy vey...

I mean, the UK is also no longer an EU country... but it sure seems like it's considered to be of lower risk for animal import than Turkey.

You are right about the information not being dated. But, then again, in my experience with gov.uk, the information on there is always up to date unless stated otherwise. But I do intend to give the number on that page a ring on Monday just to confirm. And am hoping I might hear back from the Netherlands from somebody who is a little more clear about what is required than the gentleman I last spoke to. I've sent out a couple of emails, so fingers crossed...

 

[KCG]

Wow... that list is ridiculous! Every source I've consulted stated that EU pet passports cannot be issued for rabbits - they are restricted to dogs, cats and ferrets. I'm surprised they would have asked you for one... even more surprised you managed to get one. And rabbits are low risk where rabies is concerned... and most infectious diseases other than those pet rabbits are routinely vaccinated against anyways... this really seems excessive and unjustified. You really got to love bureaucracy. And that's just your rabbit... travelling through so many countries during the pandemic, the hoops you must be required to jump through for that... oy vey...

I mean, the UK is also no longer an EU country... but it sure seems like it's considered to be of lower risk for animal import than Turkey.

You are right about the information not being dated. But, then again, in my experience with gov.uk, the information on there is always up to date unless stated otherwise. But I do intend to give the number on that page a ring on Monday just to confirm. And am hoping I might hear back from the Netherlands from somebody who is a little more clear about what is required than the gentleman I last spoke to. I've sent out a couple of emails, so fingers crossed...

Ah yes, I know, this is really crazy. Going to the EU is not easy for us, nor is it for my bunny. We deal with too many procedures.

Turkey is now seen as a country at high risk of rabies. That's why rabies vaccine and titration test are very important.

You should definitely call on Monday. I found the article for you to the Netherlands, on the official website. You can have a look at this. I looked at the article, but as far as I understand, there is no clear information about rabbits (For UK). :|

https://english.nvwa.nl/topics/brexit/taking-pets-to-and-from-the-united-kingdom-after-brexit