Pet insurance - Overseas Pet Travel Cover

Taking pets abroad is now a lot easier than it used to be. The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), launched in February 2000 by the UK government, allows animals to avoid lengthy spells in quarantine when travelling between member countries, and when re-entering the UK. If you are considering using the PETS scheme to take your pet overseas with you on holiday or when relocating / emigrating, you'll also want to think about buying overseas travel cover for your pet.

Overseas travel cover is available as part of your pet insurance policy. Depending upon the insurer it may come as standard, or you may need to select travel cover as an additional option. Once in place overseas travel cover provides you with the ultimate peace of mind when travelling abroad with your pet. Should your pet fall ill, be involved in an accident or need emergency veterinary treatment while abroad, your policy will cover the costs. You can even use your overseas travel cover to claim for unanticipated quarantine costs and the loss of your pet's passport!

Compare Overseas Pet Travel Cover

What to do before you buy overseas pet travel cover

Before buying overseas travel cover for your pet you will need to do several things. These actions are listed for you below…

1) Microchip your pet: Arrange to have your pet microchipped at your local vets. The microchip contains a unique id reference that permanently links animal to owner. Details are logged on the national PetLog Database, so if your pet was ever lost, stolen or strayed, the microchip would enable faster reunification of animal and owner. At a cost of around £25 microchipping is not expensive. It's also worth noting that any overseas travel cover you take out may be invalidated if your pet does not have a microchip.

2) Vaccinate against rabies: Rabies is a disease that still plagues many nations. If you are taking your pet overseas it is vital to have it vaccinated to prevent infection and to avoid quarantine issues. The vaccination must be followed up with a blood test about a month later to check that the vaccine is at a sufficient level to give your pet the immunity that it needs.

3) Get a PETS Certificate: Only once your pet has been microchipped and vaccinated will you be able to obtain a government-authorised PETS Certificate. You will need to arrange for your pet to be inspected. This you can do via your local veterinary surgery.

4) Get your pet a passport: Like humans pets need passports to travel too! You can obtain a pet passport from your vet.

5) Arrange overseas travel cover: If overseas travel is not included in your existing pet insurance plan you will likely have the option to add it. It won't cost you much - and given that your pet will then be covered for veterinary treatment abroad and related expenses, all of which could run into many thousands of pounds, your overseas travel cover represents good value for money. Always better to be safe than sorry!

Pet Insurance Explained:

Overseas Pet Travel Cover
Third Party Liability for Pets
Missing Pets Advertising and Reward
Pet Boarding Costs
Pet Purchase Price Reimbursement
Pet Insurance - Types of Cover
Pet Insurance Excess Fess
Multiple Pet Insurance
Pet Insurance - Holiday Cancellation Cover