RCN Guidance Notes

When a horse is to travel abroad for the purposes of running in a race before returning to Great Britain, the Trainer, in accordance with Rule (E)21, must request that Weatherbys (Names & Passports Section) issue a Racing Clearance Notification (RCN) to the Recognised Racing Authority staging the race no later than the day prior to the deadline for declaration.

 Note: This requirement will not apply where a Recognised Racing Authority regards all movements regardless of purpose or time frame as permanent (see list of current exclusions below).

The RCN will attest that

1. the horse is free (or not, as the case may be) from any restrictions preventing it from racing, e.g. Starting Stalls test requirement or Suspension
2. the Trainer is duly licensed or permitted
3. the Owner is duly registered and does not appear on the Forfeit List

 These details will be forwarded to the relevant Racing Authority based on the information held by Weatherbys at the time.

However, the RCN DOES NOT attest to the horse's vaccination history being in order. Therefore, care should be taken to ensure vaccinations for the horse have been administered and correctly endorsed into the passport prior to travel.

It is important to note that the RCN is trip and country specific. A separate registration must therefore be completed for each journey which a horse is due to complete.

Please note that the RCN is for racing purposes only, where the intention is for the horse to return to this country. Where a horse has been sold to race abroad permanently or is being exported for breeding purposes, the owner or shipper should apply to Weatherbys Stud Book (International) Department for an Application for Export Certificate instead.

As of July 2016 the following countries have advised that they accept RCNs.

AUSTRALIA
AUSTRIA
AZERBAIJAN
BAHRAIN
BELGIUM
BRAZIL
CANADA
CHINA
CROATIA
CYPRUS
CZECH REPUBLIC
DENMARK
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREECE
HONG KONG
HUNGARY
INDIA
ISRAEL
ITALY
JAPAN
KOREA
LEBANON
MACAU
MALAYSIA
MAURITIUS
MEXICO
MOROCCO
NETHERLANDS
NEW ZEALAND
NORWAY
OMAN
PANAMA
POLAND
QATAR
SAUDI ARABIA
SERBIA
SINGAPORE
SLOVAKIA
SLOVENIA
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
TURKEY
UKRAINE
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
VENEZUELA

Any country not on the above list may require a permanent export. To apply please contact Weatherbys International Stud Book Department.

If the RCN shows a restriction the Foreign Turf Authority will decide, depending upon the restriction, whether the horse can run.

A fee is due to British Horseracing Authority Limited for each RCN requested in accordance with Schedule (A)1.

Should a Racing Clearance Notification not be requested by the day prior to declaration any resultant action will be determined by the Foreign Racing Authority.