Editing Pet passport (section)

==History==
On 1 October 2001, the European Union introduced the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), under which animals from any member country may freely travel to any other member country on approved carriers.

[[File:Eu petpass spain(Katalonien).jpg|thumb|right|An EU pet passport issued by the government of [[Catalonia, Spain]]]]
In December 2014, EU regulation 576/2013 went into effect, standardising the rules for the transport of pets within the EU.<ref>{{cite EU regulation |serial=576/2013 |date=12 June 2013 |description=Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 on the Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals and Repealing Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 |eurlextag=32013R0576 }}</ref> This includes the requirement to present identification for the pet. The rules governing the identification documents are standardised under EU regulation 577/2013.<ref>{{cite EU regulation |serial=577/2013 |date=28 June 2013 |description=Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013 of 28 June 2013 on the model identification documents for the non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets, the establishment of lists of territories and third countries and the format, layout and language requirements of the declarations attesting compliance with certain conditions provided for in Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council Text with EEA relevance }}</ref> Pet passports issued prior to 2014 retain their validity.

Over time the EU scheme has recognised other countries, such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, and relaxed some of the entry requirements for pets travelling from these countries.