Pets need rabies blood test to return from Algeria to France

Pets whose rabies blood test is taken in Algeria must wait three months before they can enter the European Union (EU).

Algérie 360 reported the rules for pets returning from Algeria to France.

Rabies is still present in many countries outside the EU, so the EU applies strict rules to dogs, cats and ferrets arriving from them. Algeria is not one of the countries exempt from the blood test.

Steps before leaving the EU

The antibody titre test measures, through a blood sample, how well the rabies vaccine has worked. The result must reach at least 0.5 international units per millilitre (IU/ml).

Before the test, the pet must have an electronic chip and a valid rabies vaccine, which must stay valid for the whole trip. This information is kept in the European pet passport, which a vet issues.

The blood sample must be taken at least 30 days after vaccination and analysed by a laboratory approved by the EU. The vet then writes the result in the passport.

If the test gives a good result before the pet leaves the EU, no waiting time applies on return. The rabies vaccine must then stay valid during the stay, and the owner shows the passport on return.

The French Ministry of Agriculture advises owners to leave the EU only with a chipped, vaccinated pet that has a good test result.

Lab analysis can take several weeks, so owners should start three to four months before the trip. A pet returning at the end of August should have its sample taken before the end of May.

For a departure in early July, it is best to see a vet in spring. The vet checks the chip and the vaccine, or vaccinates the pet if needed.

Rules without a test before leaving

Without a test done before leaving the EU, the blood sample must be taken in Algeria, then tested by a laboratory approved by the EU.

The pet can then enter the EU only three months after the date of that sample. The wait exists because the test cannot separate antibodies from the vaccine from those caused by a possible infection.

The three months allow checks that the pet was not infected during its stay.

On arrival in France from Algeria, the owner must declare the pet to customs and present it. Customs officers check the chip, the vaccine and the test result in the passport.

Owners must not use the 'nothing to declare' lane.

The French Ministry of Agriculture has reminded owners that breaking these rules can lead to criminal penalties.