Horse passports

When you need a horse passport

You need a horse passport if you export your horse, donkey or pony:

to the UK or Republic or Ireland
to Europe

You don't need a passport if your horse is staying in Jersey.

Your passport will need a Section IX if you intend to export your horse to Europe. Section IX is where you declare if your horse is intended for human consumption or not.

Import and export of horses

How to get a horse passport

There are no horse passport issuing authorities in Jersey. You can find information on getting a horse passport on the UK Government website.

Getting and using a horse passport on gov.uk website

Updating your details on the passport

You need to inform the Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) that issued your horse’s passport of any changes to your details.

Selling your horse

If you have a horse passport, you must hand the passport to the new owner. They should let the PIO know that they have taken ownership of the horse within 30 days.

If you are selling your horse outside of the Channel Islands you will need a horse passport.

If your horse dies

When your horse dies, you must return the passport to the PIO that originally issued it within 30 days of your horse’s death. However, if you want to keep the passport, the PIO may be able to return it to you after they have updated their records.

PIO has stopped trading

Since 2004, some UK PIOs have stopped trading, you will need to have your passport updated by another PIO.

Passports issued by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI)

If your horse passport was issued by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), you should contact the British Equestrian Federation to check it meets current requirements.

British Equestrian Federation website

Replacing your horse passport

If you lose your horse passport, you can get a replacement by contacting the PIO that issued it. The PIO will give you a replacement passport, which will declare in 'Section IX' the horse is "not intended for human consumption". This means the horse can't enter the human food chain.

Multiple horse passports

You should only have one valid passport for each horse you own.

Some horses have two passports for legitimate reasons. If this happens the owner can decide which one to keep. You may want to keep pedigree passports because they include important breeding information.

Sectionn IX of the passport

Health certificate and Section IX

is you take the horse out of the Channel Islands, other than to UK, Section IX of the passport must be present in the passport but does not have to have been signed before departure. An export health certificate can't be issued if the passport does not have a Section IX.

If you have a horse passport which was issued before 28 February 2005, it will not include a Section IX and you will need to contact the Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) to have it updated.

Completing ‘Section IX’ of the passport - "for human consumption"

Once you or your vet declare your horse is "not intended for human consumption", it can never be changed, so think carefully before doing this. The PIO or your vet should be able to give you advice. Horses can be declared as "intended" or "not intended" for the food chain in Section IX of its passport. If certain medicines are given to your horse then you may be required to sign your horse out of the food chain.

Medicines that have to be recorded in the passport

If you declare your horse is "intended for human consumption", your vet will keep a record of all the medication it's given. Your vet will always check the declaration before treating it with certain medicines, for example Bute, which aren't authorised for food producing animals. If your horse is treated with these medicines, the declaration in the passport must be changed to "not intended".

Veterinary Medicines Directorate

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate gives a list of which medicines need to be recorded in your horse’s passport. If you don’t have the passport with you when your horse is being treated and your vet is not aware of its declaration status, the vet may be restricted on the range of veterinary medicines they can use.

DEFRA's veterinary medicines guidance note on horse medicines and horse passports