Learn how to apply for a horse passport and more information about costs and processing time, as well as what you need to check before applying. At the time of purchase of the horse, the registered owner must surrender the passport to the buyer. If the horse is not sold, but ownership is officially transferred, the new owner must still obtain the passport. Please note that the central equine database automatically excludes horses from the human food chain in the following circumstances: If you own a horse or other type of horse, you need to know how to make sure your pet is identified with the correct documents. Separate guidance for issuing passports to organisations (PIOs) is set out in the Minimum Operating Standards (MOpS)[4] for horse passports authorised in Scotland. When a horse is sold to a slaughterhouse, the resident of the slaughterhouse hands over the passport to the official veterinarian. The law requires that all horses and ponies receive a passport. Horse passport legislation is governed by Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/262 and, in England, by the Horse Passport Regulations 2009 and, where applicable, by any subsequent or successor amendments to those rules. Passports are required throughout the EU for identification, effective disease control and protection of the human food chain. The passport must be present at the time of treatment with a veterinary medicinal product. If the horse has not already left the food chain and the veterinary medicinal product to be administered so requires, the veterinarian shall ensure this in Part II of Section II of the passport.
The veterinarian may also be required to «invalidate» Part III of Division II. The purpose of horse passports is to provide accurate identification and protect the human food chain by ensuring that no horse treated with certain medicines, such as bute, is slaughtered for human consumption. Fixed fines are imposed if an offence has been committed while moving or transporting a horse. In those circumstances, a fine of 40% of level 1 of the standard scale is imposed. All horses, ponies and donkeys in England, Wales and Scotland must be microchipped. This allows local authorities and police to track down owners of abandoned, lost or stolen horses, making it easier for them to be reunited with their owners. If unplanned or emergency veterinary treatment is required and the passport is not available, the veterinarian will not know if your horse has left the food chain and will therefore only be able to administer substances suitable for food-producing animals. The veterinarian is required to record all vaccinations received by a horse in Sections VII and VIII of the horse`s passport. This also applies to those such as dealers who only own the horse for a short time. The physical passport must be sent to the PIO for updating, this cannot be done online. A person transferring a horse to another person must surrender the passport to the horse at the time of transfer. If you have a BHS pass, you can find more details on our change of ownership page.
On BHS passports, a formal change of ownership can be identified by a raised sign or BHS stamp and an official signature of the BHS passport office. Upon receipt of the application form, BHS will issue your horse`s passport within 15 working days. You can obtain a horse passport application form from an authorized PIO. The passport is not valid if it was issued by an unauthorized organization. You must complete a passport application for each horse you own. If you would like to apply for a replacement passport from BHS, please visit our replacement passport page. If you have a question that has not been answered here, please do not hesitate to contact the passport office at passports@bhs.org.uk or 02476 840517 (Monday to Thursday: 8:35am-5pm, Friday: 8:35am-3pm). An answering machine is available outside office hours). If the horse does not have a microchip, IOPs should be contacted individually. If your horse belongs to a certain breed, this is a good starting point to contact the appropriate breed association.
A complete list of CIPs is available from Defra. It is the responsibility of the horse owner to submit an application for a horse passport to an approved passport issuing body (PIO) within six months of the foal`s date of birth. Foals must be microchipped with a unique number corresponding to the owner`s contact information, as well as obtain a passport. This must be done before the foal is six months old or before November 30 of the year of birth, whichever is later. However, foals must have a microchip and get a passport earlier if they are to be sold before this deadline. The passport must accompany the horse at all times, except: The cover of the BHS passport has been changed three times. All three versions remain valid. In the event that the original PIO cannot be located, a replacement passport may be requested. Once the PIO is satisfied that the horse has indeed been saved, a replacement passport will be issued. The passport shall be stamped as a replacement and Section IX Part II (or Section II Part II for all passports issued on or after 1 January 2016) shall be signed, stating that the horse is not intended for human consumption. All equidae or equidae within the meaning of this EU Regulation born or imported into the EU must be identified in accordance with the EU Regulation.
These include horses, ponies, donkeys, mules or other equine animals such as zebras. Horse owners can use the Chipchecker in the central equine database. You enter the horse`s microchip number and check if the centrally recorded information about the horse is correct and up-to-date. If something goes wrong, you need to contact the IB to correct it. In the sad event of the death of your horse, the passport must be returned to the PIO within 30 days. Horse passport applications can only be accepted for animals with a microchip and the owner or custodian must ensure that the horse does not already have an existing passport. When the passport is received, it must be carefully checked to ensure that all details are correct. Ask about pass prices and fees for the various pass services we offer. Information on other export regulations and documentation requirements can be found in the GOV guidelines.
UK website on special rules for the export of horses and ponies. If the original IB is not known and there is no microchip that can be traced, the owner must request a replacement passport from each IB. It is important that you present a signature for the current registered owner (the surname in the passport officially confirmed by the BHS stamp) to confirm that they no longer own the horse. If you have a signed proof of purchase from the current registered owner, a photocopy of it will be accepted instead of a signature on the change of ownership form. If the veterinarian is present due to an emergency and the passport is not available, he will be deprived of the opportunity to check the status of Section IX (or Section II for passports issued on or after January 1, 2016). Therefore, according to the legislation, they are only allowed to administer drugs approved for food-producing animals. If your horse has been sterilized since the passport was issued, this must be confirmed by a veterinarian and requires the passport to be sent to the IOP with a completed passport update form. Due to the new minimum operating standards for IOPs, which came into effect in October 2018, we are required to inform you of your responsibilities with respect to your horse`s passport. The only exception if the passport is not required is when the horse is transported for emergency veterinary treatment.
The buyer of the horse must check if the passport matches the description of the horse. If the passport was issued after July 1, 2009, it must not have a full silhouette, but must have a microchip number. The BHS recommends that a veterinary examination be carried out before purchasing a horse. At the time of the examination, the veterinarian can check if the microchip implanted in the horse matches the microchip number on the passport. Further information can be found in BHS`s advice on buying or renting a horse. The horse`s passport does not constitute proof of ownership of the horse. Horse passport legislation requires a change of ownership to be registered with the relevant passport issuing body within 30 days of acquiring a horse. The sale of a horse without a passport is a criminal offence.
The sale of a horse must not be completed if the passport has not been presented. The passport must correspond to the horse in question. If the buyer does not receive the horse`s passport, he also commits a crime when transporting the horse to his new home. To indicate the change of ownership for horses with a passport issued by STAGBI, you will find a certificate of ownership on the back of the passport. Please ensure that the seller and buyer have completed and signed the form and return it to STAGBI with the appropriate fees. If title is missing, please contact STAGBI. When a horse is sold, the owner must return the passport to the buyer at the time of transfer of ownership (whether the money changes hands or not). Within 30 days of the transfer, the new owner must: BHS offers a Fast Track service for all types of passport applications/services. Expedited applications will be processed within one working day of receipt at a cost of £25 per request, in addition to the cost of the request/service.