Moving To Spain
When you make the decision to move to your home in Spain there are also some important things to do to ensure your pet is able to travel with you. There are two different options available when bringing the animals from the UK...
Export Licence
The quickest option is to acquire an export licence from the vet. It is necessary to get the cat up to date with vaccinations and also have the rabies vacine. The vet will then provide you with the necessary documentation to bring your cat abroad.
This will allow the cat to be brought into Spain but if you decide to return to the UK it will be necessary to arrange quarantine back in the UK or organise the PETS passport as described below.
 PETS Passport
This procedure can be carried out by a vet in the UK or in Spain - in both cases the cat cannot return to the UK until 6 months after the blood test has been taken by the vet.
The steps are as follows..
1. Micro-chip - the cat is fitted with a micro-chip with a unique identification number. Whenever the cat visits the vet the reader should be used to check the chip is working and help you identify the exact location under the skin.
2. Vaccination - the cat will be vaccinated against rabies. Even if this has been done before it is necessary to start the process after the micro-chip is fitted.
3. Blood test - a short while after the vaccination the vet will require a blood sample to send away to an approved laboratory for testing.
4. Documentation - the cat will now have a passport that has the micro-chip number recorded, the date of the rabies vaccination and also the date of the blood test. The cat can travel about in most EU countries almost immediately but cannot enter the UK until 6 months after the date of the blood test.
5. Tick & Tape worm - once the cat is able to return to the UK it is important that it is treated for tick and tapeworm by a vet and this is recorded on the passport. This must be done between 24 - 48 hours before arrival in the UK.
For full details about the procedure visit the DEFRA UK website at www.defra.gov.uk/animalH/quarantine/index.htm
Airport Collection Service
We can arrange to collect your cat from Almeria, Murcia, Granada or Alicante airport - please call or email us for details.
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