FAQ

Your valid passport and your pet’s valid EU passport or appropriate immigration documents are necessary for Border Control/Immigrations.  For persons defined as non-British (no British passport, no settlement status, etc.) or those with a Tourist Visa, the UK Border Authorities will ask to see your return ticket out of the UK. Please ensure you have one as the UK BA have the authority to detain you without one.  We advise customers of this in advance as unfortunately we have had passengers (Americans, Canadians, Chinese, EU passport holders, etc.) who did not have a return ticket and were detained, removed from our vehicle and left behind in France.

During the Checkout process please ensure you enter your name and passport number exactly as printed in your passport.  These details are submitted to the Eurotunnel prior to our journey from the UK to France per UK regulations.  Failure to supply correct information can result in Border Control denial.  Passengers denied entry at the border are responsible for their own transportation from the Eurotunnel.

UK to France shuttle:

UK to France:  10:00 a.m. Ashford International rail station, Ashford, Kent, UK on the Motorway/Eurostar side of the station not the Stour Centre side.  14:30 French time arrival at Calais Frethun rail station dependent on the Eurotunnel and its delays.

UK to France:  13:00 p.m. Ashford International rail station, Ashford, Kent, UK on the Motorway/Eurostar side of the station not the Stour Centre side.  16:50 to 17:30 French time arrival at Calais Frethun rail station dependent on the Eurotunnel and its delays.

France to UK shuttle:

France to UK:  16:00 French time at Calais Frethun rail station, France.  Wait inside the train terminal upstairs by the Ticket Office where we will collect you from.  18:30 UK time arrival at Ashford International rail station, pending Eurotunnel delays.  Boarding starts 30 minutes prior.

France to UK:  18:00 French time at Calais Frethun rail station, France.  Wait inside the train terminal upstairs by the Ticket Office where we will collect you from.  19:30 to 20:00 UK time arrival at Ashford International rail station, pending Eurotunnel delays. Boarding starts 30 minutes prior.

UK to France trains:  There are direct trains from London Victoria and London St. Pancras to Ashford International in Kent.  The train journey time is about 1 hour from London Victoria and 40 minutes from London St. Pancras.

France to UK:  There are direct trains from Calais Frethun to Paris.  A direct train is about 2 hours from Calais Frethun.  If you prefer to travel from Calais Ville to Paris, a taxi from Calais Frethun to Calais Ville is about 30 euros or there is a bus from Calais Frethun to Calais Ville every hour.  Its price is 2.70 euros.

Le Pet Express is a shuttle service.  We depart on time.  We do not wait.  Please ensure you are at the station 30 minutes prior to our departure times.

UK to France:  10:00 a.m.  Please be prepared to board no later than 9:50 a.m.

UK to France:  13:00. Please be prepared to board no later than 12:50

France to UK:  16:00.  Boarding starts at 3:30 p.m. French time.

France to UK:  18:00.  Boarding starts at 17:30 French time.

We understand trains arrive from Paris shortly before 16:00 and 18:00.   Be advised passengers arriving on a train at 15:43 for the 4 p.m. Le Pet Express shuttle risk missing our service.  There are 3 lifts from the platforms to the Ticket Office inside the station.  Drivers start customs checks at 15:30 French time.  You may be denied if we cannot clear your customs checks with sufficient time to depart at 16:00.

Arriving on the 17:50 for the 6 p.m. Le Pet Express shuttle is too late to take our 18:00 shuttle.

Additionally, we ask you make your way swiftly inside the station to get you onboard.  We cannot wait for trains that arrive late and ask you understand our service is a shuttle, just like the trains and planes, we do not wait.  Customers who miss our service are offered the next available seat subject to availability.  Rebooking fees apply.

UK to France:  One person and one pet are £195. Two people and up to 2 pets are £390. One person and 2 pets are £195 + £85 = £280.

FR to UK:  Prices vary based on day of week and season.  Prices vary from £195 to £225 for one person and one pet.  Additional pets remain £85.  Click on your preferred date and time of travel and the price will display below the time.

Prices include the Eurotunnel ticket, your ticket, the pet’s ticket and we check your pet’s documents in advance for free.

Departure times are scheduled to allow travel from London to Paris in the same day using train travel and our vehicles to cross the English Channel.  Le Pet Express does its best transport you and your pet with your luggage at the stated departure time.  However, Le Pet Express are not liable for any Eurotunnel delays, consequential losses or costs incurred as a result of late departures or arrivals nor are refunds provided when the Eurotunnel or your airline is delayed.  We notice about 30% of our customers are unable to meet us at 16:00 when they attempt to land at Charles de Gaulle in the morning and then meet us at Calais Frethun rail station at 16:00 on the same day.  Passengers on these flights were arriving from Milan, Rome, North America or South America.   Please plan wisely.

Le Pet Express does not give refunds (or re-credit) to passengers who miss their booked timeslot (for any reason whatsoever) or are unable or decide not to travel.  The usual process is for customers to make a claim against their travel insurance.  If you need an invoice, etc., from Le Pet Express, please contact us so we can issue it.

The journey from Ashford rail station on the van is about 30 minutes.  The Eurotunnel crossing is 35 minutes.  Once in France, it is about 15 minutes to Calais Frethun rail station.  However, the Eurotunnel requires we arrive 1 hour prior to departure time.  Pet passport control requires an additional 30 minutes. Therefore the total journey time from pick up at the rail station to drop off on the opposite side is 2 to 3 hours.  We provide this so that you can plan when to book your journey.

UK to France shuttle:

UK to France:  10:00 a.m. Ashford International rail station, Ashford, Kent, UK on the Motorway/Eurostar side of the station not the Stour Centre side.  14:30 French time arrival at Calais Frethun rail station dependent on the Eurotunnel and its delays.

UK to France:  13:00 p.m. Ashford International rail station, Ashford, Kent, UK on the Motorway/Eurostar side of the station not the Stour Centre side.  16:50 French time arrival at Calais Frethun rail station dependent on the Eurotunnel and its delays.

France to UK shuttle:

France to UK:  16:00 French time at Calais Frethun rail station, France.  Wait inside the train terminal upstairs by the Ticket Office where we will collect you from.  18:30 UK time arrival at Ashford International rail station, pending Eurotunnel delays.

France to UK:  18:00 French time at Calais Frethun rail station, France.  Wait inside the train terminal upstairs by the Ticket Office where we will collect you from.  19:30 to 20:00 UK time arrival at Ashford International rail station, pending Eurotunnel delays.

UK to France:  Wait inside the terminal on the Eurostar/motorway side.  When exiting your train, exit nearest platforms 1 & 2.  We do not collect from the Stour Centre side.

France to UK:  Wait inside the terminal upstairs nearest the Ticket Office.

Our service operates irrespective of holidays in France or the UK.  Our availability is under BOOK NOW FRANCE TO UK or BOOK NOW UK TO FRANCE.

Yes!  You do not need a dog or cat to ride on our minibus.  Please bear in mind you will be sitting amongst dogs and cats and Le Pet Express is not responsible for any allergies suffered.

Le Pet Express is regulated by DEFRA which require animals in cages. Customers who take animals out of cages are banned from our service. Please respect the drivers and our service to keep everyone safe and not be disruptive or disrespecting on our service.  CCTV operates on our vehicles.

Drivers are authorised to lock cages for safety and compliance reasons.  Sadly we’ve had to adopt a zero tolerance policy as customers were repeatedly trying to sneak their animal on their lap or under the seat.  Doing this does not risk being banned it ensures be banned from our service.

Le Pet Express reserves the right to refuse customers if their pet’s documents are incorrect or refuse to present them to us in advance of your journey.  We are licensed with DEFRA and can only transport animals that meet the EU Pet Passport scheme https://www.gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain/pet-passport

Customers are asked to treat our drivers with respect and not engage in threatening or abusive behaviour.  Those whose actions are verbally abusive or harmful are not allowed to use our service again for the safety of our staff and other customers.

Le Pet Express is supporting the RSPCA Petfood bank in Ashford, Kent. https://www.rspca-ashforddistrict.org.uk/pet-food-bank/

100% of all donations go towards the purchase of dry dog and cat food.

Le Pet Express is licensed as a shuttle service and cannot drop anyone off at a different location. Our shuttles are tracked and monitored in real-time and fitted with tachographs. These instruments record among many things date, time, and location of our shuttle. Records are monitored and audited by the DVSA for compliance as are our drivers. Deviating from our designated route or timetable is a violation of our license and could result in us losing it.

Customers are expected to view departure times and locations under our FAQS prior to making a reservation.  This will avoid any disappointment when travelling with us. A private taxi may be more suitable if you wish to travel to train stations not on our route.

CCTV is used to ensure passenger and animal safety.  Passengers are to remain seated during transit and animals remain in their cages.  Videos are reviewed by the Data Controller and deleted by the Data Controller in a timely fashion in accordance with GDPR.

Past customers have been detained at the UK border in France when they were not legal residents of the UK, entering as a visitor and did not have a return ticket back to their country of legal residency.  Customers that were detained were from Brazil, France, Greece, Germany, Peru and the United States. Customers are detained in France under the authority of the UK Border Authority (UKBA) for further questioning.  The UKBA and the customer removes their luggage and pet from our shuttle and they remain with them in France while our service continues to the UK. No refunds are issued when customers are detained.

Le Pet Express is required to be licensed by DEFRA to transport your pet to and from the UK to France.  DEFRA licenses are available on DEFRA’s website so you can check our license and also that of any other pet taxi or pet transporter.  To view DEFRA licenses, the official source is the British government’s website: https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/e769d17f-71f5-4dd1-bf13-3aec52ebc801/https-s3-eu-west-1-amazonaws-com-data-defra-gov-uk-agriculture-authorised_transporters_june_2022-pdf

Once on the webpage, scroll down to the column labeled DATA LINKS.  Underneath are monthly updates to DEFRA Type II licenses which all transporters like the Le Pet Express shuttle, the Eurotunnel, pet taxis and pet transporters are required to have.  Open the spreadsheet and search for Le Pet Express Ltd.

When you travel with Le Pet Express you travel with confidence that we are DEFRA licensed and are qualified to transport your pet legally across the border.  We don’t just say we are licensed, we prove it!

To read the full documentation requirements for your pet, please check under our Latest Developments area and Passport Snags under our BLOG for the most up-to-date requirements.

Latest Developments: https://lepetexpress.com/latest-developments/

UK to France: https://lepetexpress.com/blog/uk-to-france-how-to-take-your-dog-or-cat/

France to UK: https://lepetexpress.com/blog/france-to-uk-how-to-take-your-dog-or-cat/

BLOG:  https://lepetexpress.com/blog/passport-snags/

Le Pet Express reserves the right to cancel a customer’s reservation when they refuse to follow the UK Guidance and EU regulations and will not provide either an EU Pet Passport or UK/GB Health Certificate.  https://www.gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain/pet-passport  Le Pet Express crosses the English Channel using the Eurotunnel https://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/travelling-with-us/travelling-with-your-pet/checklist/ who also follow government regulations.

Unfortunately Le Pet Express has had to take such a position as a few customers falsely believe the following are covered under the EU Pet Passport scheme.

• A Turkish pet passport is valid for entry to the UK.  It is not.
• Russian pet passports are valid for entry to the UK.  They are not.
• Ukranian pet passports are valid for entry to the UK.  They are not.
• A CVI issued by Brasil.  Some are and some are not.  Please send them to us in advance to double check.
• International Health Certificates issued for flying outbound or inbound.  They are not accepted under the EU Pet Passport scheme.
• Any other country’s pet passport.  They are not.

You travel right beside your pet on our minibus.  Passengers are seated on one side and opposite are cages where your pet remains during the journey.  Pets must travel in cages per EU and DEFRA regulations.  Our cages are large enough to accommodate Great Danes for your pets comfort.

Your pet remains in its cage throughout the entire journey and is not allowed out of it.  Le Pet Express has a DEFRA Type II which requires animals in cages.  DEFRA Type II licenses are for any driving company taking pets to and from the UK to France.  You can check the list here:  https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/e769d17f-71f5-4dd1-bf13-3aec52ebc801/list-of-type-2-long-journey-authorised-transporters

Additionally, Le Pet Express has a zero tolerance policy.  Owners who do not keep pets in cages are banned from our service.  We have been forced to take such an approach as customers were not respecting driver’s request to keep their pet in their cage even after they were advised they were at-risk of being banned.

Driver’s are authorised to lock cages for everyone’s safety until our destination is reached and CCTV operates on our vehicles.

Each ticket includes one person and one pet for £195.  Passengers may bring a second pet for an additional £85.  Please ensure there are at least 2 seats available on the day you are booking.  The number of available seats can be identified by clicking on your desired travel date.  If the date states one seat is available, you cannot book on that day as there is only room for one person and one pet.

Smaller pet crates can be brought instead of one 23 kg luggage and must collapse.  That means it can be separated and the top sit inside the bottom.  We have limited room on our vehicle and limited space.  Maximum overall dimensions when assembled are 900 mm long by 915 mm high by 915 mm wide.

If your pet’s crate is larger, please ship it as it cannot sit in the aisle as the aisle is an emergency exit.  Customers with crates exceeding this size risk being denied on our service. Try http://www.sendmybag.com and https://parcelcompare.com/ Allow time for them to collect it!

A crate counts towards your 23kg luggage allotment unless an additional fee is paid.

As a courtesy, please advise us in advance if your pet will have a crate.

Unfortunately EU regulations stipulate pets may not travel during pregnancy as it is for their own safety.  We recommend your pet travel after its pregnancy for its own good.

We pre-check your details prior to entering our shuttle.  We check pet passport or documentation details to ensure the appropriate treatments have been given within the correct time frame and documented correctly by your vet.

If you or your pet are denied entry at the Border we must comply.  It is your responsibility to secure transportation from the Eurotunnel.  You will be denied entry to our shuttle on the English side if your pet’s documentation does not meet the EU and UK documentation requirements.  If your pet is denied at the Eurotunnel on the English side, everyone would need to re-board the van, be escourted off property by the Eurotunnel security, and that passenger and their pet dropped off at Folkestone rail station.  We would then return to the Eurotunnel with those whose documentation is correct.  This would add about a 90 minute delay to our crossing hence the reason we pre-check your documents and determine if we will allow you to board our van at Ashford International rail station.  We also offer to pre-check customer’s pet documentation in advance to avoid this scenario.

Passengers denied on the French side of the border are allowed to walk off property and are responsible for their transportation in the event of denial as we do not return to France until the following day.

If the Eurtounnel Pet Reception denies your pet, we must comply. The Eurotunnel will provide you with a list of vets and hotels in Calais.

You will have the choice of staying at the Eurotunnel Pet Reception or be taken to the closest hotel to the Eurotunnel.

To remedy an EU Pet Passport:
a. Contact a vet in Calais and make an appointment. N.b. Vets in Calais tend to be overbooked with such requests and you may have to wait as long as 3 days to see them. Otherwise, you may be able to find an Emergency Vet.

B. If travelling with a GB Health Certificate, the local Calais vet will fill out a new GB Health Certificate who has the authority to act as an Official Vet.

Le Pet Express offers a free pet documentation checking service to all paying customers.  We offer to double check it in advance to reduce the risk of errors. Pet documentation is the ultimate responsibility of the pet owner and their decision if they wish to use our free pet documentation service.  No refunds are provided when your pet’s documents are incorrect.  Travel is only allowed on the day of travel.  Passengers with incorrect pet documents are only allowed to rebook after corrected pet documentation has been reviewed by Le Pet Express.  Rebooking fees apply.

If you are not a customer, Le Pet Express charges £25 for our pet documentation service and refunds it on your first order.

Yes.  However, pet owners are ultimately responsible for their pet’s documents. For a £25 fee we will double check your pet’s documentation as it relates to the EU Pet Passport Scheme. If you book with our service within 3 months of using our documentation checking service, we will credit £25 back to your first order.

For paying customers, we offer this service for free.

Yes!  We are licensed for rabbits, ferrets, dogs, cats and a few other types of animals.  For animals other than dogs, cats, rabbits or ferrets, please email us to check in advance if your pet is allowed.

Le Pet Express is supporting the RSPCA Petfood bank in Ashford, Kent. https://www.rspca-ashforddistrict.org.uk/pet-food-bank/

100% of all donations go towards the purchase of dry dog and cat food.

CCTV is used to ensure passenger and animal safety.  Passengers are to remain seated during transit and animals remain in their cages.  Videos are reviewed by the Data Controller and deleted by the Data Controller in a timely fashion in accordance with GDPR.

Yes, we encourage you to place your order even if you do not have your pet’s microchip number, etc..  Please provide text in the relevant fields that you will provide it at a later date.

Le Pet Express encourages you to arrive early at the rail station to not miss our shuttle service.  Due to our dependency on the Eurotunnel’s schedule, we cannot wait beyond our departure time.  Passengers travelling on their booked journey have their seats reserved and will be boarded first.  Le Pet Express does not offer refunds or credits to passengers who:

•  Miss their booked journey
•  Are unable or decide not to travel on the next available service

Le Pet Express is not responsible for train or airline delays, reschedules, rerouting or cancellations and does not refund fares paid in the event of any of these circumstances.  Customers are to make a claim with their Traveller’s insurance.

Upon reservation completion a confirmation email is sent.  Le Pet Express will be in touch shortly thereafter via email with further details about your journey and any further documentation required by the Eurotunnel.

@qq.com blocks Le Pet Express’ emails.  Please use an alternate email address when placing your order as we are unable to correspond with you and email order confirmations are blocked.

Reservations may be cancelled up to 2 weeks prior to a departure date for a full refund.  Refunds will be credited back to the debit/credit card used to make the reservation less any fees. Reservations cancelled less than 2 weeks and 48 hours prior to departure will be charged a cancellation fee. The charge will be 50% of the value of the ticket.  No refund for orders cancelled less than 48 hours to departure.  The £25 documentation fee is deducted from refunds when documents are checked and advice provided prior to cancellation notice.

There are two types of changes.  Forward in time and moving your reservation backwards in time.

Forward in time

If you wish to change your reservation made online, it can be done up to one week prior to travel.   Changes cannot be made less than one week prior to travel and no refund is issued.

No charge for the first change.  The second change is 25% of the booking fee. Subsequent changes are 50% of the booking.  Changed orders cannot be cancelled and re-booked to another date to avoid a cancellation fee or additional change fee.

To change your reservation, please call us or email us with the header “CHANGE MY BOOKING.”  This will help us process your request in a timely fashion.  Once a reservation is changed, it cannot be cancelled.

Military personnel with reservations may cancel at anytime prior to departure with a full refund if the change is due to government reassignment elsewhere.  We ask you provide us with a copy of your amended documentation prior to refunding.

Backwards in time

Orders changed backwards in time can be changed as late as 48 hours prior to their scheduled original date as long as there is availability.  Customers usually move orders backwards in time to a preferred date that was originally not available when they made their original booking.

Change the time of travel on the day to the earlier or later jouney on the same day

Le Pet Express now operates shuttles at different times on the same day.  If you wish to change your travel time to an earlier or later journey on the same day only, and there is availability for an earlier or later shuttle, a £50 fee per ticket applies and paid in advance.  Ticket changes are allowed up to 30 minutes prior to departure time.  After that, no changes are allowed. This only applies to changing travel times on the same day.  Otherwise please follow our policy above.

Le Pet Express has a DEFRA Type II license for transporting pets.  All animals must meet the UK and EU pet documentation guidance when travelling with us.  Customers who knowingly withold or do not present their pet’s documents are subject to having their order cancelled as transporting an undocumented animal or inappropriately documented animal is animal trafficking.  Le Pet Express does not engage in such activity.  The owner ultimately is responsible for their pet’s documents.  When the owner refuses, ignores, denies, does not respond to emails, or waits until it is too late to obtain their pet’s documents or ignores requests for luggage dimensions, they are refused our service and their order cancelled.

Customers who refuse or ignore emails for share codes to provide their immigration status in advance are also subject to having their order cancelled.

Children (aged 3 and over), infants (under aged 3 years), students and senior citizens all pay the same fare as adults.  Children under 3 years of age (classed as an Infant) may travel accompanied by a passenger over the age of 16.  Infants are required to pay for their travel as they will be occupying a seat.

The accompanying adult must bring on board an approved infant seat that fits on the bus and is compliant with current regulations.

Children under 14 must be seated using appropriate child restraints, car seats and booster seats in accordance with law. All children aged 14 and over must wear seat beats.

Le Pet Express reserves the right to refuse carriage to anyone refusing to produce valid identification of their age.

We do not provide child restraints, baby / child seats or booster seats. Passengers with children must bring their own child/booster seats with them. Passengers without the required seats/restraints will be refused carriage.

Babybuggy’s (pushchairs) of any size are not allowed on our minibus.  Le Pet Express has strict luggage requirements as it runs light weight vans and cannot exceed certain weight limits.

Reservations can be made online or over the telephone during our normal hours of operation:  M-F, 10:30 a.m. to 17:30 UK time.  Our phone number in the UK is 0330 113 9527 or at www.lepetexpress.com.

Click BOOK NOW FRANCE TO UK

https://lepetexpress.com/product/france-to-uk-shuttle-service/

or BOOK NOW UK TO FRANCE

https://lepetexpress.com/product/uk-france-shuttleservice/

No.  You may speak to the driver at the rail station and enquire if there are available seats on that journey.  Cash payments are not accepted and a valid passport is required.

Yes, you may.  Please ensure their passport details are entered correctly at the time of the reservation.  Names on tickets must match passports.

Prices start from 195 pounds.  This includes passage for 1 person and either 1 cat or dog on our shuttle, the Eurotunnel fee, the price of your pet and tax.   Each may passenger may travel with a maximum of 2 pets.  Your second pet’s price is 85 pounds.

Le Pet Express does not accept cash payments.  Debit or credit card payments of all major providers are accepted except AMEX.  BACS payments are also accepted.  BACS payments are due at time of order placement.

Online reservations guarantee you a seat on the shuttle and payment is taken at the time of the reservation.  If seats are available on the day, you may purchase a ticket on our website and pay using your debit or credit card only.  You may also contact our office and place it over the phone.  Please check availability first.

When a credit card order is placed and the card successfully processed, a payment email is sent and your reservation is pending a final second confirmation email.  Without the confirmation email, your reservation is not confirmed, only paid.  If you do not receive a system payment confirmation and email confirmation from Le Pet Express, please contact us as something may have prevented your order from processing.  Both emails ensure your order is received, paid and confirmed.

When a BACS order is made, the order is placed on-hold for 24 hours pending payment confirmation.  If no payment is received within 24 hours, our system cancels your order.  It is for this reason we send one payment request email with options to make a payment.  Upon payment within 24 hours, email confirmations are sent.

In either case, customers receive both a system receipt and email confirmation with additional voyage details.  If you do not receive these, please contact us so we can investigate if your was order was booked on our system.

Yes.  Two emails are sent.  The first is your boarding pass and confirmation of your journey.  The second is your receipt. Emails are generated and sent immediately upon a successful booking.  Within 24 to 48 hours, personalised emails are also sent with further details and our Pet Checklist.

Le Pet Express does not maintain your payment details.  Details are maintained by our 3^rd party payment provider.  Should you wish further information about our 3^rd party payment provider, please email us at enquiries@lpe.com.  Privacy related information like your name, address, passport number, etc. are permanently removed from our system following the standard retention period per the UK Office of the Traffic Commissioner.  We are required to hold them for the Commissioner’s audits.  The typical retention period is 60 days and set by the Commissioner.