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Getting a horse passport
You need a horse passport so your horse can be identified. Find out about getting a passport from an authorised organisation and the importance of recording any medication your horse may be given.
How to get a horse passport
The process for getting a horse passport is set out below.
1. Contact an authorised Passport Issuing Organisation
You can get an application form for a horse passport from an authorised ‘Passport Issuing Organisation’ (PIO). The passport won’t be valid if it’s issued by an unauthorised organisation. You'll need to complete a passport application for each horse you own.
Most PIOs are recognised breed societies and may only issue passports for a particular breed of horse. See the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) website for a list of approved PIOs and their contact details.
2. Completing the application – describing your horse
As part of your passport application, you need to include a ‘silhouette’ – a diagram of your horse. This helps to identify your horse by illustrating any distinguishing characteristics it may have, like variations in colour markings ('whorls'). From 1 July 2009, you won't need a silhouette because your horse will be microchipped by a vet instead.
You’ll need to get a vet, who is experienced in working with horses, to visit your horse and complete and sign the silhouette. There will be a fee for this. You can search for a horse vet on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons website.
You can also ask the PIO to send an authorised ‘identifier’ to complete the silhouette. Or, you may be able to complete and sign the silhouette yourself, if the horse has been microchipped by a vet. This is because your horse's identity has been officially recorded on the microchip.
Adding existing documents to a new passport
You may already have some other documents about your horse that include a silhouette, like a vaccination certificate. These don’t count as passports, but the PIO may agree to transfer an existing silhouette to a new passport.
The PIO may also agree to include a silhouette from some documentation or a passport that was issued previously by an unauthorised organisation. Check these details with the PIO when you apply.
You should also check the PIO’s requirements for your breed of horse. For example, a breed society may require certain breeds to be microchipped before they can get a passport. Or, they may ask for information about the horse’s breed or pedigree.
3. The PIO issues the passport
You’ll receive your horse’s passport in the post, which normally takes five to 15 working days, although this can vary depending on the PIO. Once issued, the passport is valid for your horse’s lifetime.
Your horse will also get a ‘Unique Equine Life Number’ and its details will be added to the National Equine Database (NED). The NED holds details of the number and types of horses in the UK. You can search the NED for your horse’s details by following the link below.
See ‘Updating a horse passport and cancelling duplicates’ for information on how to update your horse’s passport or replacing a lost passport.
Completing ‘Section IX’ of the passport - ‘for human consumption’
Once you declare your horse is 'not intended for human consumption', it can never be changed
You need to state whether or not your horse is intended for human consumption in Section IX of its passport. Most horses in the UK are not intended for human consumption. This means their meat won’t make it into food intended for humans after they have died. However, it’s important to complete the declaration to prevent horses treated with certain medicines entering the human food chain.
Once the declaration has been signed ‘not intended for human consumption’, it can never be changed, so think carefully before doing this. The PIO and/or your vet should be able to give you advice.
In England, the declaration can be signed at any time, but must be signed before your horse:
- is treated with certain medications
- is sent for slaughter for human consumption
- leaves the UK – the PIO or a local veterinary inspector must also countersign it
The rules on Section IX may differ slightly in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland so check with the government in these areas for more information.
Medicines that have to be recorded in the passport
If you declare your horse is ‘intended for human consumption’, your vet will keep a record of all the medication it is given. Your vet will always check the declaration before treating it with certain medicines, like Bute, which are poisonous to humans. If your horse is treated with these medicines, the declaration in the passport must be changed to ‘not intended’.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate website gives a list of which medicines need to be recorded in your horse’s passport.
If you don’t have the passport with you when your horse is being treated, you’ll get a record of any medication it was given. Make sure you add this to the passport.
