Pet health record and passport
The EU pet passport identifies your pet and lists its vaccines for travel across the EU. The health record gathers its full medical history. With the digital version you carry it on your phone and never lose a document.
A veterinary record gathers your pet's vaccines, deworming, treatments and tests throughout its life. The European pet passport is the official document for travelling within the European Union. Having both digitised makes it easy to change clinic or travel without losing information.
Key facts
- The European passport is mandatory to travel with your pet within the EU.
- The clinical record belongs to the animal and follows you if you change vet.
- It includes vaccines, deworming, allergies, surgeries and diagnostic tests.
- Having it digitised avoids repeating tests and speeds up emergencies.
- The traditional paper booklet can coexist with the digital version.
From the paper record to digital
Who this guide is for
If you have a dog or a cat and don't know which papers to keep, this guide clarifies what each health document is and how to keep it for life.
Owners with a new pet
You have just adopted or bought a pet and have a paper record without knowing what each stamp means. Here you will understand which vaccinations, dewormings and details are recorded.
Families who travel around Europe
If you plan to cross borders within the EU you need the European passport, not just the record. We explain the difference and what each country requires.
People who have lost papers
A misplaced or water-damaged record can leave you without your animal's history. You will see how to reconstruct it and keep it digitally so you don't depend on paper.
When you need each document
Routine vet visit
At each consultation the vet checks the history: previous vaccines, weight, treatments and past illnesses. Having it to hand speeds up diagnosis and avoids repeating tests.
Travel within the European Union
To move between EU countries you need the European passport, an identifying microchip and a valid rabies vaccine. The national record does not replace the passport.
Change of vet or place of residence
When you change clinic, city or country, a complete history lets the new professional know the animal's medical past without starting from scratch.
Boarding kennels, daycare and shows
Many boarding facilities and canine events require seeing an up-to-date schedule of vaccinations and dewormings before admitting your pet.
Advantages of having the history digitised
Always accessible
The digital record lives on your phone. You can show it in an emergency, on a trip or at a boarding kennel without searching for papers.
It doesn't get lost or damaged
Paper gets wet, tears or is misplaced. A digital copy preserves the full history even if you lose the original.
Vaccine and treatment alerts
Recording the dates digitally lets you receive reminders for the next vaccine or deworming and leave no gaps in protection.
Lifelong history
An orderly record from puppyhood to old age helps detect patterns in weight, allergies or illnesses over the years.
Easy to share
You can send the history to a carer, a new clinic or a relative in seconds, without scanning or photocopying.
Free and paperless
The Cartilla Veterinaria digital record is free and centralises all health data at no cost or complicated paperwork.
Real cases that clarify the difference
The everyday health record
Marta has a cat and uses the record to keep track of annual vaccines and dewormings. It is the basic document the vet provides in Spain.
The passport for travelling to France
When Marta planned a trip to France, her vet issued the European passport, linked to the microchip and with the rabies vaccine recorded and valid.
The full history in an emergency
During a night-time emergency, her dog's digital history let the on-call vet see allergies and previous treatments instantly, without waiting for the usual clinic.
How to create your digital record and log the history
Create your pet's profile
Register your dog or cat with its basic details: name, species, breed, date of birth and microchip number. That way everything is linked to a single animal.
Upload any record and passport you have
Take a photo or scan of the pages of the paper record and the European passport if you have one, and attach them to the profile to keep the original digitally.
Log vaccines and treatments
Add each vaccine, deworming and consultation with its date. The rabies vaccine and the microchip are key if you plan to travel within the EU; always keep them up to date.
Turn on reminders and keep the history up to date
Set up alerts for the next doses and add each update after visiting the vet. Over time you will build a complete lifelong health history.
Common mistakes worth avoiding
FAQ
It is an official document that identifies the animal (microchip) and records its vaccines, required to travel with your pet across the European Union.
Yes. You can upload a photo or PDF of the record and AI assistance suggests the events for you to confirm into your digital history.
With the digital record the history belongs to the pet: it travels with them even if you change clinic.
The history gathers consultations, diagnoses, treatments, procedures, weight, allergies, vaccines and dewormings throughout the animal's life. It is broader than the health record, which focuses mainly on the schedule of vaccines and dewormings.
No. To move between European Union countries you need the European pet passport, with the identifying microchip and a valid rabies vaccine. The national record is not valid for crossing borders.
It is issued by an authorised vet, normally after identifying the animal with a microchip and recording the rabies vaccine. It is wise to arrange it ahead of the trip, since the vaccine requires a waiting period to be valid.
Your usual vet usually keeps the records of visits and can help you reconstruct the history. To avoid depending on paper again, the ideal is to digitise the information and keep it in a digital record like Cartilla Veterinaria.
No. The digital record is a tool to organise and preserve the history, but it does not replace the official document. To travel you must carry the physical European passport issued by the vet; the digital version serves as backup and reference.
Yes. You can create a profile for each pet, whether dog or cat, and record in each one its vaccines, dewormings, microchip and history. That way you centralise the health information of all your animals in one place.
You may also be interested in
Keep the history always with you
Create the free digital record and centralise all your pet's documents.
Create the free record