Concerning taking my hamster from the UK to France (via Switzerland)

[Peanui]

Hello all,

I am moving to France this Friday and I am planning to take my hamster, Peanui along with me. I will be travelling via Switzerland. So, I contacted the French and the Swiss consulates and the French consulate said the following:

"Dear Sir,

As stated on the French version of our site , to be allowed to enter French territory, rodents must be accompanied by a veterinary certificate drawn up 5 days before departure attesting that they are in good health and do not present no clinical signs of the diseases which are specific to their species.

Regards

CGF edimbourg"

and the Swiss embassy said the following:

"Dear Dr Banerjee

Many thanks for your email below.
Referring to the website of the Swiss Federal Safety and Veterinary Office, rodents (Golden/Syrian hamsters)
can enter Switzerland from any country without approval from the veterinary health authority or a health
certificate.
Please visit the website of the Swiss Federal Safety and Veterinary Office for more information.
Wishing you a safe journey!
With kind regards"

Now, while trying to get a health certificate from my vet in the UK, I was first asked to call the animal Exports body in Carlisle and that they would issue some documents which will be further processed by the veterinary clinic. On calling Carlisle, I was told that these documents are only for cats and dogs and not for hamsters and hamsters only require a "fit to travel" certificate that can be issued by any registered veterinarian.

Have any of you faced such a similar situation? Will such a certificate along with the emails from the two embassies suffice? I was furthermore planning to get the document translated to French in order to avoid any nasty bureaucracy.

Your suggestions will be very helpful.

Many thanks,

Best regards,

Shankha (Peanui's dad).

[Amethyst_ice]

Hello

Sorry for the delay in approving your post. I hope you got it sorted and had a safe journey

[Pebbles82]

Yes do update us!