Getting and using a horse passport
1. Overview
All horses, ponies and donkeys must have a horse passport.
The passport helps:
- make sure horses treated with certain medicines don’t end up as food for people
- prevent the sale of a stolen horse, pony or donkey, as the passport proves its identity
The animal’s rider or keeper must have the passport with them at all times when they’re with the animal, unless it’s in a stable, grazing in a field, or being moved by foot. Owners can take their animals for short rides without one.
You (or the animal’s main keeper) may have to show the passport to a Trading Standards inspector or an animal health officer.
You can be fined up to £5,000 if you don't have a valid horse passport.
2. Apply for a horse passport
To apply for a passport you must be the owner of the animal.
Get an application form
You can get an application form from an authorised Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO).
Identify your horse
Get a vet to microchip your horse, pony or donkey - you may also need a diagram of the animal ('silhouette'). The PIO will let you know if it's needed.
A foal must be microchipped and have a passport before it's 6 months old or by 31 December in the year it's born, whichever is later.
The passport is issued
Your animal’s passport is valid for its life. When the animal dies you must return the passport to the PIO that issued it to have it invalidated. You can request that they return it.
You need a passport for each horse, pony or donkey you own.
3. Using your horse passport
Your animal’s passport is a small booklet that includes its:
- microchip number
- age
- breed/type
Your veterinarian will also record certain medications given to your horse.
Medication your horse is given - Section IX of the passport
Horses can be declared as 'intended' or 'not intended' for the human food chain in Section IX of its passport.
Your vet must record any medication or injections your horse is given in Section IX. This affects what happens to the horse when it dies.
Selling or buying a horse, pony or donkey
Give the passport to the new owner if you sell your animal - if you don't, you could be prosecuted.
Let the PIO know you're the new owner within 30 days if you buy a horse, pony or donkey,
Contact your local Trading Standards office if someone tries to sell you a horse, pony or donkey without a passport.
Importing or exporting a horse, pony or donkey
Any horse, pony or donkey you import from a European Union (EU) country must have a valid passport issued by an authorised PIO in the EU.
You must get a passport from an authorised PIO in the UK if the PIO is unauthorised, or there's no passport.
Contact the Horse Passports office if you're importing or exporting a horse, pony or donkey from outside the EU.
4. Contact the helpline
For more information about horse passports, contact Defra.
Defra Helpline
defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk
08459 33 55 77
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Find out about call charges
You can also write to them.
Defra
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR