Moving pet internationally?

Thursday May 28th, 2009

Question:

I'm relocating internationally with my pet. How far in advance do I start planning and where do I start?

Answer:

Advance planning is crucial. International relocations for pets, just like their human counterparts, require months of advance planning and careful attention to paperwork details. A pet relocation company ensures that all of the documentation is in order before the pet leaves the origin country so there are no delays or problems upon arrival.

PetRelocation's website can be a useful tool in consulting the international requirements if you want to handle the relocation on your own. Each country has a page called "Rules and Regulations" that specifies the import requirements and also whether or not there is quarantine.

The variety of import & quarantine requirements differs from country to country. Each country has its own set of individual import and export requirements, and it is important that the pet relocation professional have a familiarity with shipping to and from the transferee's destination.

An example of the most common import requirements is as follows:

Original International Health Certificate issued by a USDA Accredited Vet (10 Days Prior to Departure)
Rabies Vaccination Record - Rabies must be within 1 year and older than 30 days at departure
Copy of Vaccination History
- For Dogs & Cats:
  Canine Distemper, Parvovirus and Hepatitis, Bordatella
- Feline Cat Flu-Feline Calicivirus
- Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis
- Chlamydia Psittaci
- Cat Enteritis-Feline Panleukopaenia/Feline Parvo Virus
Microchip Implantation & Record
Copy of Owner's Original Passport
Copy of Visa or Work Permit
Copy of Pet's Import Permit

Most of these documents must be then sent to the State USDA Veterinarian in the state of departure for their endorsement. All of this must be done within 10 days of the flight.

For exotic species (like birds, snakes, turtles, fish, etc.) moving internationally is no small feat. These pets often require special permits from various government organizations such as:

US Fish & Wildlife
Wild Bird Conservation Act (WBCA)
Convention for International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES)

Because of the large amounts of research and paperwork involved in transporting exotic pets internationally, it is typically best to have the transferee consult with a professional.

Rachel Farris has coordinated hundreds of pet relocations as a representative for PetRelocation.com, which offers pet travel services for pets worldwide.

Tags

Dog Travel

Flying With Dogs

Traveling Abroad With Dogs

Lifestyle

Around the Web

DogTime newsletter

No comments about this page yet. Be the first!

Recent conversations on these topics

Shared a flight from USA east coast to Italy
I am going to relocate to Italy and i have 6 big dogs anyone interested in sharing a flight
Shared Flight (with pets) from UK to US?
After 5 years in London, I will be soon be relocating back to the US. I am bringing my dog with me, but don't feel comfortable sending him via the cargo hold of a commercial flight. Given that, I'm hoping to gather other pet-owners interested in flying a similar route so we can share a charter flight. With enough people, the cost is pretty reasonable and I already have a few others on board. So I am wondering if anyone else would be interested in this? My ideal route is London to Boston/New York/DC/Canada in December/January, but am very flexible in terms of route and timing. Please let me know if you're interested and I can share more information! Karina
Trouble getting our dog to potty when away from home.
We have a 2 1/2 year old Lhasa Apso and she love to go for rides, but she will not potty when we are on the road. We tried taking her on one long trip and had to cut it short when she would not go. She hates to be left home when we go on long trips and we hate leaving her behind, but we have no idea what to do. When we have her out she is always on a leash and at home we have a fenced yard that she has free access to. Any ideas would be wonderful.
shared charter flight for pets from Australia to Europe
Hi - I am searching for others who are relocating to Europe with (without is ok too) an animal. I am wanting to collect a core of people with pets who want to share in the costs of a charter flight. To charter a flight to Europe is costly but it will allow us all to share the cost while letting our pets fly in the cabin with us. This will offer safe on-board and humane travel for our beloved pets. If you are interested you must be date flexible, destination flexible, be able to pay as much as $10,000 for a one way ride and have all the relevant animal importation documents need for Europe. To make any flight work we need to amass up to 15 people who are willing to put their animals safety first. Please e-mail me at the following address lauradirkjacobsen@hotmail.com Thank you Laura Jacobsen.

see all conversations or start your own →

Moving pet internationally?

Recent conversations on these topics

Subscribe to the DogTime.com newsletter

Newsletter subscription success!