Virginia horse owners have a new opportunity to travel with their horses throughout the southeastern United States for six months using the new Equine Interstate Event Permit (EIEP), according to Richard Wilkes, DVM, state veterinarian with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). Effective immediately, horse owners can elect to obtain the six-month passport in lieu of a certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) that is only good for 30 days.

"Horse owners have asked for this interstate event permit option for some time," said Wilkes, "But we had to ensure that we could provide the convenience of a six-month passport while continuing to protect Virginia’s equine industry from disease. We have developed the database and record-keeping system and have a memorandum of agreement with 14 states that allow us to move forward with issuing the permit."

Participating states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. The state of New York recently confirmed that it will also accept the six-month permit.

Horse owners can apply to obtain an EIEP from their accredited veterinarian. For each horse permitted, the owner must fill out and sign an application, present a Virginia origin CVI or health paper/certificate, have a valid negative Coggins test, and be able to document microchip identification or provide three view digital photos of the animal. Owners also will need to demonstrate their ability to perform an abbreviated physical exam that includes taking each horse’s temperature, and they will need to record that information on the horse’s travel itinerary with each interstate movement