If your horse’s passport has been lost, damaged or stolen, a duplicate passport must be issued by the organisation that issued the original document, or by an appropriate UK based organisation if the lost passport was issued outside the UK. A duplicate passport should only be requested once every effort has been made to locate the original
To identify the organisation that issued the original passport, type the horse’s UELN (passport number) or microchip number into the equine register chip checker: https://www.equineregister.co.uk/chipchecker
If you do not know the horse’s microchip number, you will need to have the horse scanned by a vet.
If the passport was not issued in the UK
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and it was not registered to the UK central equine database by a UK PIO before it was lost, the UELN/microchip number will not produce a result on the chip checker, and you will need to apply to a UK based PIO to register the UELN and produce a duplicate passport. Visit the overstamp page for further information.
If the passport was issued/overstamped by BHS
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- Obtain the BHS duplicate passport application form – download here or contact the office for a hard copy)
- Owner to complete and sign page 1 of the application form
- Veterinary surgeon to complete, sign and stamp the identification chart on page 2 of the application form
- Submit the form to the office by SCANNING (no photos) a colour copy to the passport mailbox, or posting the completed form to the office
Applications missing identification charts/with identification charts not signed and stamped by a vet or submitted on non-BHS forms cannot be processed and will be returned to you.
BHS duplicate passports cost £30 (£47.50 if a change of ownership is also required – this is mandatory if the owner requesting the duplicate passport was not the registered owner in the passport when it was lost)
In line with DEFRA’s processing timeline, the BHS will process the application within 15 days of receiving it. Please note that incorrect paperwork will cause delays.
When issued, the duplicate passport will be stamped as a ‘duplicate’ and Section IX Part II (or Section II Part II for passports issued from 1 January 2016) will be signed by a BHS representative to declare that the horse is not intended for human consumption.
In the event that the original BHS passport is located, please return both the duplicate and original copies to the Passport Office with a covering letter (please also provide your contact details). The original passport will be updated accordingly and, if not done previously, Section IX Part II (or Section II Part II for passports issued from 1 January 2016) will be signed, to ensure that the horse is excluded from the human food chain. Any completed vaccination or veterinary pages will be transferred from the duplicate passport to the original as required. The updated original passport will then be returned.
Please note that duplicate passports issued by other PIOs cannot be administered by the BHS and will be immediately returned to the sender.
