Website of the UK government

Updating your passport when your details change

If your details change (for example, you move home), you need to inform the Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) that issued your horse’s passport.

For a list of PIOs in the UK and their contact details, see ‘Passport Issuing Organisations in the UK’.

If your horse’s passport was issued by a recognised PIO in another European Union country (including Ireland), contact them using the details in the passport. Alternatively, use the link to ‘Passport Issuing Organisations in the EU’.

• Passport Issuing Organisations in the UK - Defra Opens new window

• Passport Issuing Organisations in the EU Opens new window

If you sell your horse

You must not sell a horse without a horse passport and you must hand over the passport to the new owner. They should let the PIO know that they have taken ownership of the horse within 30 days.

When your horse dies

When your horse dies, you must return the passport to the PIO that originally issued it within 30 days of your horse’s death.

You should, however, plan carefully and ensure that the passport is available for inspection if your horse is moved at any time. 

If you want to keep the passport, the PIO may be able to return it to you after they have updated their records.

If your PIO has stopped trading

Since 2004, some PIOs have stopped trading, so you’ll need to have your passport updated by another PIO. Contact the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) or check the Defra website for the current list of approved PIOs.

• Passport Issuing Organisations in the UK - Defra Opens new window

Passports issued by the Federation Equestre Internationale

If your horse passport was issued by the Federation Equestre Internationale, you should contact the British Equestrian Federation to check it meets current requirements.

• British Equestrian Federation Opens new window

Replacing a lost horse passport

If you lose your horse passport, you can get a replacement or duplicate by contacting the PIO that issued it.

Duplicate passports are issued to horses that have been implanted with a microchip and replacements are for horses without microchips. In both cases, by law, the declaration in ‘Section IX’ will state the horse is ‘not intended for human consumption’. This means the horse may not enter the human food chain.

See ‘Getting a horse passport’ for more information about completing Section IX of the horse passport.

• Getting a horse passport

Updating older passports that don’t have a Section IX

If you have a horse passport that was issued before 28 February 2005, it won’t include a Section IX. In this case, you’ll need to contact the Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) that issued the passport to have it updated.

If you have more than one passport for the same horse

You should only have one valid passport for each horse you own and it is against the law to apply for a second one. 

However, some horses have two passports for legitimate reasons and if this happens the owner can decide which one to keep. You may want to keep pedigree passports because they include important breeding information which may increase the value of the horse.

Keeping your passport available for inspection

When submitting your passport, plan carefully, as you need to ensure the passport is available for inspection if your horse is moved at any time. 

More useful links

• Horse passports - why you need them and what they contain

• Importing and exporting a horse - when you need a horse passport

• Contact the horse passport team at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Opens new window

• Green volunteering and working with animals

• Highway Code - horse riders and animals (travel and transport section)

• Trails and walks (environment and greener living section)

Useful contacts

• Home and community contacts