Never buy a horse without a passport
Check the passport before paying
Always ensure the passport is present and in order before you hand over any money. Do not accept promises that it will be “posted on” later — in practice this rarely happens, and the law requires the passport to be handed over at the time of sale. You must have the passport with the horse when you travel it home.
If a horse does not have a passport, you should suspect that it may be stolen or not as described. Without a passport, you cannot confirm the horse’s age or contact its previous owners.
Verify the seller is recorded in the passport
The person selling the horse should be listed as the current owner in the passport. For Horse Passport Agency passports, look for official typed ownership details (not handwritten entries).
Be cautious of dealers who offer to apply for a passport in your name — this is often done to avoid their name being linked to the horse. If this happens, it can be very difficult to prove that you actually bought the animal from them.
Check markings and microchip
The description and silhouette in the passport must match the horse you are buying. If you are having the horse vetted (which is strongly recommended), the vet will compare the horse against the passport and scan for the microchip to confirm the details match.
After purchase
Once you buy the horse, you have 30 days to record the passport in your name.
If the passport was issued by us, you can do this quickly and easily online via Owner Services.
If you are new to Owner Services, simply click the grey Register button and follow the prompts.