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 had 3 passengers (one American and 2 EU passport holders) who did not have a return ticket and were detained 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.

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.
• 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 regulations.  Our cages are large enough to accommodate Great Danes for your pets comfort.

Smaller pet crates can be brought instead of one piece of luggage and must collapse.  That means it can be separated and the top sit inside the bottom.  We have limited room on our van and limited space.  Maximum overall dimensions when assembled are 800 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.  Try http://www.sendmybag.com and https://parcelcompare.com/ Allow time for them to collect it!

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 minibus.  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 may be denied entry to our van 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. The final stamps and required document updates can only be performed by the Ministry of Agriculture vet/Official Vet; DDPP.

Step 1: Make appointment with local Calais vet. Timeframe 1 to 3 days.
Step 2: Email the DDPP, send them the documents they request.
Step 3: Book an appointment with the DDP.  Take a local train to the DDPP in your region in France and they will complete the GB Health Certificate, stamp and sign it. Timeframe 3 to 5 days.

It is for this reason Le Pet Express offers a free pet documentation checking service to all paying customers.  We double check it 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.

Yes. For a £25 fee we will 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.

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

France to UK:  16:00.  Please be prepared to board no later than 16:00.

We understand trains arrive from Paris shortly before 16:00.  If you are on such a train, please let us know in advance so we know when to expect you.

Departure times are scheduled to allow travel from London to Paris in the same day using train travel and our vans 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 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 journey from Ashford rail station on the van is about 20 minutes.  The Eurotunnel crossing is 35 minutes.  Once in France, it is about 10 minutes to Calais Frethun rail station.  However, the Eurotunnel requires we arrive 30 minutes 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:  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 arrival at Calais Frethun rail station dependent on the Eurotunnel and its delays.

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

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.

UK to France:  Depart at 10:00 a.m.  Arrive at Calais Frethun, France rail station about 14:30.  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:  Depart Calais Frethun rail station at 16:00 and arrive at Ashford International, Kent, UK about 18:30.  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.

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.

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.

Le Pet Express encourages you to arrive early at the rail station to not miss the van.  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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.  Our phone number in the UK is 0330 113 9527 and from the US 1 (415) 874 -1255.  Or at www.lepetexpress.com.

Click BOOK NOW UK TO FRANCE or BOOK NOW FRANCE TO UK.

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.

Each passenger pays 165 pounds.  This includes passage for 1 person and either 1 cat or dog on the Eurotunnel, 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 50 pounds.

Le Pet Express does not accept cash payments.  Debit or credit card payments of all major providers are accepted.  BACS payments are also accepted.

Online reservations guarantee you a seat on the van and payment is taken at the time of the reservation.  If seats are available on the day, you may purchase a ticket from the driver and pay using your debit or credit card only.

This typically happens when either the request for payment did not arrive at the payment provider or LePetExpress did not receive confirmation from the payment provider.  Without both the send and receive, LePetExpress cannot charge your account for a booking.

Please do try again in such circumstances. A booking is only created when you successfully receive an email stating “Booking confirmed.”

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.

Le Pet Express does 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.