Moving your family overseas can be a complicated process and since your pets are part of the family you will also want to take them abroad with you. There are a few guidelines you will need to be aware of when relocating within the E.U. The European Pet Passport (EU Pet passport) allows for qualifying domestic animals (dogs, cats and ferrets) to freely cross borders in Europe. It is a booklet, identical for all European countries, which contains obligatory information concerning an individual animal: identification number, and proof of valid vaccination against the rabies virus. It may contain other non-obligatory information and is valid for the lifetime of the pet. Each passport is numbered for identification purposes. Animals travelling within any European Union country need to be accompanied by a Pet Passport. For Ireland, Finland, Malta, Norway and the United Kingdom, further rules apply. When crossing the border to these countries dogs must, in addition to the passport, also have proof of tapeworm (echinococcosis) treatment. This treatment must be administered between 24 and 120 hours before entering the country. All vets should have the relevant information and be able to prepare a pet for travel. There are no restrictions on the movement of pet rabbits, rodents, fish, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates within the EU and no pet passport is needed for these animals. Rabbits and rodents from outside the EU may need to spend up to four months in quarantine. See the Europa's FAQ page on pet transport for more details. The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) allows qualifying domestic pets to travel to and from the UK without undergoing quarantine See the EUROPA website for more information on transporting pets in the EU.