Moving a horse to France is a more lengthy and complicated process than for pets, a subject we considered in our Guide to Bringing Pets to France.
You need to start well in advance, as many of the required procedures, including necessary health checks, can be time consuming, particularly from non-EU countries, including the UK.
Due to the complexities of the process, most horse owners pay a professional transporter to coordinate the journey and take care of the paperwork.
When transporting horses from the UK to France transporters must be registered in both the EU and the UK.
The rules that apply will depend on whether your horse is classed as ‘registered’ (meaning that the animal belongs either to an EU-recognised studbook or to a national branch of an international racing or competition organisation) or ‘unregistered’ (all other horses).
As horses are not considered pets, transporting equines between EU countries requires not only a horse passport, but also an Intra-Trade Animal Health Certificate. This is available via TRACES NT, the EU’s online system for keeping track of movement of live animals, animal products and plants within member states. The process is complex, but step-by-step guidance is provided. You will need to submit a health certificate signed by a veterinary practitioner, along with an 'operator declaration'. Disease testing is, however, not required.
If you are bringing a horse to France on a temporary basis (i.e., for a competition, cultural event, veterinary check-up etc.) from Belgium, the Netherlands or Luxembourg, the health certificate and veterinary inspection is only valid if the animal will be returning to their country of origin.
Bringing a horse to France from a non-EU country is more complex. As rules will vary between countries, the information below is focused on those transporting horses from the UK to France.
Horse Passport
Registered horses can travel with their ‘horse passport’ ID. Unregistered horses will need a supplementary ID from the APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) in Great Britain or the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland.
Export Health Certificate
All horses also need an Export Health Certificate (EHC) from the APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) in the UK, which will be checked on entry to the EU. This must be signed by an officially certified vet. In most cases you will need certificate number 8431 which can be found on the above link.
The vet will need to certify that your horse meets certain health and residency requirements :
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Your horse must have tested negative for equine infectious anemia within either 90 days of travel (if a registered horse who will be in the EU for less than 90 days) or within 30 days of travel (if it is a permanent move). They must also have tested negative for equine viral arteritis (within 21 days of travel for uncastrated males).
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The vet will need to certify that your horse has been kept on a holding in Great Britain, the EU, Northern Ireland or a country with a similar health status for at least 40 days prior to travel and that it has been kept under veterinary supervision (and separate from other horses if it unregistered) for at least 30 days prior to travel. Exemptions are made for foals with mares or foster dams.
The EHC also requires a Country Parish Holding number, which horse owners in the UK should already hold.
Border Control Posts
All horses from outside the EU need to enter France via a Border Control Post (BCP), where they will undergo additional identity and health checks. You will need to check that the BCP in question accepts equine with a the relevant registered/ unregistered status before booking travel.
Tracking System
It is also vital for the horses' journal to be registered on the on TRACES NT, the EU’s online system for keeping track of movement of live animals, animal products and plants. Registering on TRACES is your way of informing the BCP of your arrival ahead of time.
You will also need an export welfare declaration for your horse, unless the British Horse Racing Association certify that it is being shipped for training, breeding or racing purposes.
Journey Logs
If the journey time is over 8 hours and your horse is classed as ‘unregistered’ and travelling with a transporter, the transporter will need to complete a journey log as part of welfare requirements. Both a UK journey log and an EU journey log will be needed.
Customs
You will need to fill in a customs declaration before arriving at the EU border.
Some owners are sometimes asked to pay import and export VAT on their horses. However, if you are bringing a horse over as part of a permanent move to France, you should be exempt from paying import VAT.
To be eligible for this exemption, you may be asked to provide proof that VAT was paid on the original purchase of the horse and its belongings. You may also need to provide proof that you are already resident/becoming resident in France. Make sure you discuss this with your transporter and provide them with the necessary paperwork ahead of time.
Within 30 days of your horse arriving in France (from within or outside of the EU), you must register it in the national equine information system run by the French Horse and Equestrian Institute, the IFCE, which you can find at SIRE database. You need your horse’s original passport, a sworn declaration of ownership. A registration fee is payable, which varies, depending on whether your horse is registered or unregistered, and whether you are planning to compete with it.
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