# Brexit - Spanish Police, Customs & Veterinary inspection exercises have started



## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

*Brexit Customs checks in Spain are coming into play this month*

Here's a heads up for those arriving via Brittany Ferries to the Spanish ports of Santander 
and Bilbao from the UK this month.

*Be advised:*

Brittany Ferries would like to inform you that upon your arrival at the port of Santander or Bilbao,
that the Spanish Police authorities, customs officers and veterinary services will be conducting
a drill in preparation for the UK's exit from the European Union.
Disembarkation may take a bit more time than usual as the authorities will be doing more
thorough Passport checks and some passengers travelling with pets may also be requested
to provide the Pet passport and undergo further checks.

Suffice to say those Brittany Car Ferry passengers who arrived in Bilbao from Portsmouth
today underwent the extra checks.

These drills could be random but are more likely to occur during the final countdown to Brexit.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

I've posted a heads up about the more onerous requirement for pet transport Brexit will usher in but there will always be people who don't do their homework.

In an unlikely but nevertheless possible worst case scenario a beloved pet could be taken away and destroyed!


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

MataMata said:


> I've posted a heads up about the more onerous requirement for pet transport Brexit will usher in but there will always be people who don't do their homework.
> 
> In an unlikely but nevertheless possible worst case scenario a beloved pet could be taken away and destroyed!


Yes your absolutely right and what's also prominent in my mind that travellers, could have done all their homework to meet the requirements of Customs and ensuring their car and driving license's are legal
for Spain but be neglectful about any legal requirements concerning their pets.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Williams2 said:


> Yes your absolutely right and what's also prominent in my mind that travellers, could have done all their homework to meet the requirements of Customs and ensuring their car and driving license's are legal
> for Spain but be neglectful about any legal requirements concerning their pets.


In fact if we start looking at the casualties of Brexit, one of the first and less obvious
ones will be those owners who travel to Spain or any other EU country without
the appropriate paperwork and inoculations for entering the EU and having to
face the agony of having their pet put down !!

Therefore a timely reminder that pets could well face more restrictions after Brexit 
and their owners would be well advised to be upto speed regarding post Brexit
rules and regulations, as implemented by the EU as they come into force across Europe.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

The reality of Brexit starting to bite.

We have travelled many times with our dogs with never even a desultory check entering mainland Europe although.

Won't try it again until this is sorted.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Williams2 said:


> In fact if we start looking at the casualties of Brexit, one of the first and less obvious
> ones will be those owners who travel to Spain or any other EU country without
> the appropriate paperwork and inoculations for entering the EU and having to
> face the agony of having their pet put down !!
> ...


Hang on a minute. Nobody is going to have their pet put down. (a) A no-deal Brexit hasn't happened yet, and (b) when you make a reservation with ferry or airline companies that includes a pet, they will bombard you with information explaining any changes to procedures.

Britain already has pet passport schemes with non-EU countries and it will be a relatively simple matter to set them up with Spain etc, given that they are rabies-free.


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## Nomoss (Nov 25, 2016)

Nothing like a good panic, is there?

Tune into any of the UK news channels or radio broadcasts for more


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Alcalaina said:


> Hang on a minute. Nobody is going to have their pet put down. (a) A no-deal Brexit hasn't happened yet, and (b) when you make a reservation with ferry or airline companies that includes a pet, they will bombard you with information explaining any changes to procedures.
> 
> Britain already has pet passport schemes with non-EU countries and it will be a relatively simple matter to set them up with Spain etc, given that they are rabies-free.


Correct. A friend in Spain has her Mother in law to stay for a long visit every winter and she always brings her dog with her. She travels from New York. We used to take our two dogs frequently to Spain and there was always paperwork needed. The fact that it wasn't inspected is irrelevant.


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## Monkey104 (Aug 24, 2014)

Hells teeth! Is this forum orchestrating it’s own project fear?
The children! Think of the children.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Williams2 said:


> In fact if we start looking at the casualties of Brexit, one of the first and less obvious
> ones will be those owners who travel to Spain or any other EU country without
> the appropriate paperwork and inoculations for entering the EU and having to
> face the agony of having their pet put down !!
> ...


OMG. Come on FFS who is going to put their animal down! Please let’s have a modicum of common sense and not over emphasis issues that have not arisen 

The phrase COULD is key here COULD is not will. If you travel now without the correct paperwork you don’t enter. If anyone throws their dog or cat in the sea because they don’t have the paperwork I’d question whether they should have pets full stop. For goodness sake


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

There you go.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit

Current requirements and a nice explanation of the various available schemes already in operation.

As the UK has already said it would not make any changes to pet transport, I would assume that any sensible government (the EU) would reciprocate. After all, our pets are not going to catch all sorts of nasty bugs on the 1st of November? 

Im slowly getting fed up with all the "horror" stories about what might happen. Its as if the world is going to end.


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## ccm47 (Oct 15, 2013)

When we lived in the UK, the ferry companies checked the animals' passports. The ferry companies just didn't take them if there was a discrepancy: the only problem we ever had was when returning from St Malo one time we had mislaid a muzzle, so they gave us a really tiny one that wouldn't even go on our 35kg dog but we had complied with their regulations to be on the harbourside.

I have known Channel Island customs men to have a fit when they saw a loose dog on a French yacht approaching Guernsey harbour. The rules said "must be kept below deck", I think they were going to give the yachties about 10 seconds to get it below, or just turn them away.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Monkey104 said:


> Hells teeth! Is this forum orchestrating it’s own project fear?
> The children! Think of the children.


But there again this is Brexit along with the question - What will Brexit really mean, to which the often
stock reply is, Who knows ? Who knows ?

Anyway to my mind the real problem with pets is likely to be for those EU citizens who want to bring
their family pet into the UK, as the UK had a reputation in the past of being really strict about
pets coming into the UK without going into quarantine first, back in the days before the UK became
a member of the EU.

Maybe some of these pre EU and pre EEC British laws regarding pets from the continent might
be revived, when Westminster looks to her own laws, rather than what they were following from
Brussels while the UK has been a member of the EU.

All the above is dependent on the reciprocation of rules between the UK and the EU, in the event
of a No Deal Brexit but what happens if and when the UK doesn't reciprocate because ( quite
rightly ) they want to go their own way on this or that rule or law ?

As the Brexits always tell us they want to take back control and formulate their own rules.


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Williams2 said:


> But there again this is Brexit along with the question - What will Brexit really mean, to which the often
> stock reply is, Who knows ? Who knows ?
> 
> Anyway to my mind the real problem with pets is likely to be for those EU citizens who want to bring
> ...


Well if the .gov website is to be believed and I don't see why it should not be. The following is quite clearly given.


*Return to the UK
There will be no change to the current health preparations for pets entering Great Britain from the EU after Brexit.

Your pet must have one of the following documents when returning to the UK:

an EU pet passport (issued in the EU or in the UK prior to Brexit)
the AHC issued in the UK used to travel to the EU (which you can use up to 4 months after it was issued)
a UK pet health certificate (for travel into the UK only)
Check the routes before you travel. You must travel using approved routes. Your documents and microchip will be checked when entering England, Scotland or Wales (Great Britain). Different rules apply in Northern Ireland. Owners of assistance animals do not have to travel on approved routes.

You do not have to travel on an approved route if you travel to Great Britain from:

other UK countries
the Channel Islands
the Isle of Man
the Republic of Ireland
Talk to your vet about what preparations you need to make before you travel from these places.*


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

*Yes its like the British Government promised to leave the EU come what May on the
29th March 2019 that was also emblazoned on all the Gov.UK websites and other British
Government information sites and look what happened !!

No wonder people have lost faith in both the British Government and Parliament !!
and as for Brexit - Yuk !!*

Personally I've stopped believing what GB has promised will come to pass, ages ago
as the last 3 years have spoken volumes, that we should keep our own council as to
what will really happen in the future or even in the near future.


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