Eurotunnel opens new pet reception in UK terminal

Eurotunnel has opened a new space in its UK terminal for pets and their families before travelling to France.

Checks have always taken place, but now, with the new facility, any pet travelling to France via Eurotunnel will undergo these checks prior to departure and not on arrival in France. Eurotunnel tells us that 10% of its customers using the Shuttle service travel with pets.

A tripartite agreement between Getlink, the parent company of Eurotunnel, and the French General Directorate of Customs (DGDDI) plus the French General Directorate of Food (DGAL) was signed on 1 January 2021 to allow this.

Eurotunnel’s specially trained pet reception staff will carry out the required document checks, with random checks and controls by French Customs services based at the British terminal.

New regulations brought about by the UK leaving the European Union mean that animals must now hold a European Union Pet Passport or a new Animal Health Certificate issued by a UK approved vet within 10 days of departure. There are also rabies vaccinations stipulations.

Yann Leriche, Getlink CEO, said: “Each year, more than 300,000 of them [customers] cross with a dog or a cat aboard our Shuttles. When traffic is back to normal, everyone will appreciate being able to go to France with their animal, with the peace of mind that they can drive straight off a Shuttle onto the motorway.”

Check out our webinar on travelling to Europe this Sunday (2 May).

And for more details on travelling abroad in your motorhome, look out for the July issue of MMM, which includes a comprehensive article. Subscribe to MMM via Pocketmags here or subscribe via Exact Editions and enjoy a fully searchable archive of the last 10 years of MMM.