Is It Illegal To Sell A Horse Without A Passport

Introduction

Horse passports are as important for your horse as a birth certificate is for you. They show ownership, and the identities of both the owner and the horse. For horses, it is not only legal to have one but they are a requirement: without them, you will break the law in several instances. If a horse is sold, the seller must pass on their passport to the new owner, if you are selling your horse, you should hand over the passport at the same time as you hand over the horse.

If a horse is sold, the seller must pass on their passport to the new owner, if you are selling your horse, you should hand over the passport at the same time as you hand over the horse.

It is very important to note that the seller must pass on their passport to the new owner, at the same time as they are transferring possession of the horse. If a horse is sold without being transferred with its passport, then it is illegal and you could be prosecuted by DEFRA.

Yes. Since 2005 it has been mandatory for anyone buying or selling an equine to check that it has a passport.

The horse passport system was introduced in 2005, and is a legal requirement for all horses. The passport is issued by a passport-issuing organisation (PIO) who are authorised to collect information regarding an animal’s identification and movements, much like they do with dogs.

Under current EU regulations, any equine animal, including horses and ponies, will have an identification document known as a passport.

If you want to sell your horse, then you need to be aware of the passport regulations. Under current EU regulations, any equine animal, including horses and ponies, will have an identification document known as a passport. The passport is similar to a dog license or cat license in that it identifies the animal and provides information about its owner.

The passport should contain:

The name of the owner
The name of the horse
A unique identifier number for each horse (this could be something like their microchip number)

The result of the Brexit vote means that any passports issued in future are unlikely to be recognised by other EU countries.

The result of the Brexit vote means that any passports issued in future are unlikely to be recognised by other EU countries. This means that even if you do get one, you may find it doesn’t work when travelling to another European country.

The UK is still part of the European Union, so British citizens can travel freely within all 28 EU countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. However, this arrangement could change if Brexit goes ahead on 29 March 2019 (if no deal has been reached).

Horses must be microchipped and registered with a passport-issuing organisation before they are six months old.

You must not sell a horse that is:

More than six months old unless it has a passport and microchip, or
Less than six months old if it does not have a passport and microchip.

If a horse is sold, the seller must pass on their passport to the new owner

If you are selling a horse, the passport must be handed over at the same time as the horse. If a horse is sold without its passport, then both parties involved could face criminal charges.

If you are buying a horse and don’t have its passport, you should ask your seller to provide it immediately. If they refuse or can’t produce one within 24 hours of purchase, contact your local police station and file a report against them for failure to provide an identification document for their animal

Conclusion

So there you have it, the answer to the question “Is it illegal to sell a horse without a passport?” is yes! If you are selling your horse, then you must provide a passport as this is mandatory by law. If you are buying a horse, check that they have one before purchasing.