Equine Passports and Veterinary Certification | EQUINE
Dear Colleagues
We are having endless problems with veterinary
certification in equine passports, both when it comes
to the identification page of the passport, as well as
the vaccination and health certifications done in the
passport and signed off by veterinarians. I am hoping
to get a short article on certification and the equine
passport completed for everyone’s education, and
I am just waiting for input from legal and veterinary
professionals that are versed in the subject. In the
meantime I wanted to give a point form list of what
must and may not be done in an equine passport:
1. No Tippex or correction fluid may ever be used
in a passport. Mistakes must be crossed out and
signed by the veterinarian
2. No blank spaces in the passport or section that
you are certifying. Even for example, if there are no
markings on the Left hind leg of a horse, you put nil,
or none or even a line through the section. Never
Blank. This includes in the health certification for
movement page.
3. When completing the ID page of the passport, you
must sign, stamp (or write out the details of your
practice – there must be contact details) and date
the certification of the identification.
4. Any correction done at any time must be done by
a veterinarian and must be countersigned by the
veterinarian, this includes putting in the microchip,
gelding, or scars that are possibly acquired after the
initial identification.
5. The written description should refer to
anatomical detail and markings, for example you
cannot write next to the head: as shown, when you
have drawn a whole and a star. (if you are unsure
download the FEI passport instructions they are
fairly comprehensive)
6. You cannot sign for vaccinations done by another vet
unless you have a record of positive identification
in the form of a proper identification diagram or
microchip or the equivalent (a horse name and
owner name is not positive identification)
Lastly and this one is really, really important
7. Never ever sign a vaccination or health certification
in a passport with a blank identification page.
Doing so will amount to false certification which
is a serious offence for a veterinarian. If you
are presented with a passport that already has
vaccinations in but has a blank ID page, refuse to
sign anything further and please contact me or the
passport issuing body to find out what to do with
such a passport. It is an invalid document in such
a case.
PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THESE POINTS AS WIDELY AS
POSSIBLE SO THAT WE CAN AVOID DISAPPOINTED
CLIENTS AND UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATIONS.
Please use this to start educating your clients as well as
many of the errors are due to client trying to complete
the passport themselves prior to the vet arriving.
Warrm Regards
Camilla
BVSC, MSc, PhD
DAFF authorised Veterinarian (Ref: 1/2/1/7/8)
State Vet Boland authorised Veterinarian
(Movement Control and Equine Disease Surveillance)
and Research Officer
South African Equine Health and Protocols
Cell: 076 152 2782
Fax: 086 558 9818
Postnet Suite #474
Private Bag X15
Somerset West
7129
• Volume 20 Issue 2 | July 2018 •
57