Importation of Horses into the Isle of Man

In order to reduce the inadvertent transportation of insects, which may act as disease vectors, to the island we have added a requirement to the license to spray the animal compartment of your horse transportation with a knockdown product suitable for Midges before travel to the Isle of Man.

A self-certified import licence is required for horses traveling from Great Britain (GB) to the Isle of Man, along with a self-declaration confirming that the wagon has been thoroughly cleansed and disinfected prior to transport. You can apply for this using the link below.

• Licences are valid for 30 days from the date of issue
  
  
• Once submitted, the licence will be emailed to you and automatically sent to the IOMSPC Freight Office
  
  
• The transporter must carry an electronic or paper copy during transport to present if requested by an officer of the IOMSPC or Animal Health

Please contact the Animal Health team on +44 1624 685844 or animalhealth@gov.im if you need to do any of the following (different licensing may be required):

• Import horses from outside GB, such as Northern Ireland or other countries
  
  
• Transport horses via any port other than Liverpool or Heysham
  
  
• Import another type of equine, such as a donkey

Please see Equine Herpes Virus webpage for information to consider when importing horses to the Isle of Man.

If you have any queries or would like more information on this matter please contact the Animal Health team on +44 1624 685844 or agriculture@gov.im

Information required for a horse importation licence:

• Name and address of horse-owner
• Destination address for horse (if different to above)
• Age of horse
• Colour of horse
• Sex of horse
• Breed of horse

Horse(s) may travel to the Isle of Man in a horsebox with other equines from different UK holdings and may be delivered to different Isle of Man destinations. The horse(s) must then be isolated from Foot and Mouth susceptible stock for a period of 5 days.

1. If a horse is collected in a livestock lorry with other cattle and/or sheep from the same UK holding (and the horse has been resident at the same UK holding for a period of 21 days prior to export) then the horse may be delivered to a different Isle of Man destination. Again, the horse(s) must be isolated from Foot and Mouth susceptible stock for a period of 5 days and remain there for a further 16 days

2. If a horse is collected in a livestock lorry with other cattle and/or sheep from a different UK holding than the cattle and/or sheep then on importation to the Isle of Man, the horse must reside at the cattle/sheep holding for a period of 21 days, after which time it may move

For further information please contact:

Horse Import Licence Statistics