Taking dog to usa from uk

[Katie Watie 3]

Hi everyone

I'm not sure if anyone can help me with this... i've been doing some research into it but VJ members have always been amazing with my questions so thought id post it on here...

When my visa is all complete and i move this year ill be looking to take my dog with me, i've looked into different ways of doing this and i think i'll hire one of the animal move companies to help me with the paperwork and booking the appropriate flight etc... But there's loads of companies out there and id like to see if anyone has any to recommend you theyve used or theyve had a friend use.

Im thinking of flying him from london to boston or new york so he has the shortest possible time on the plane, and then ill drive us from there to Texas where we'll be living. It'l be a long drive lol but atleast he hasnt got to go through any stop overs or re-fueling or even change planes which i think would distress him.

If anyone has any advice it would reeeeally help me!!!

Thanks!

[NickD 202]

Haven't done this for awhile, was importing German Shepherd pups from Germany, like there breed as far superior to the American lines. Just contacted the airlines, last time, about twelve years ago, was something like 125 bucks from Hamburg to Minneapolis plus the price of a crate, something like another 50 bucks. Pup needed a list of shots, but was pretty much standard.

Didn't have to deal with the USCIS, DOS, or the NVC to bring a pup here, I could check with three breeders here, they are shipping dogs and back all the time for stud service. Or you could check with breeders in your area, they do this all the time. Even teased my wife back then about wearing a fur coat, riding in a crate, and barking. Even customs were extremely friendly here, only problem is that they wanted to keep that cute little pup. Ha, get your own.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Your first concern should be getting him his rabies titer so he will be eligible for a pet passport so that he can bypass quarantine. You will want to start this process at least8 months prior to leaving for the UK.

Here are some good links about that process

http://www.wikihow.com/Ship-a-Pet-to-the-UK

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=339654&highlight=pet+passport

The second link is a little old but I believe the information is still accurate.

We do not have definite plans to return to the UK, but we have already completed the process with our cats so if we are in a situation where we don't have a lot of time to move (a job offer were to come up, for example) we would still be ready. Once you have completed the process, you MUST keep your rabies vaccinations current. If you are even one day after they expire you will have to start the whole process again.

[jayne d 12]

Hello. I am going through the same process right now. I am taking my cat from London to Alabama and my port of entry will be Atlanta. There is a lot of conflicting information around about how to go about it but this is what I have had to arrange so far:

1. Each state has its own rules about importing animals into the state, some require your pet to have already had a rabies vaccination and others require it on arrival. Alabama does not require you to have already had your pet vaccinated but depending on the port of entry you may need to. So find out what the requirements are of the state you are moving to as well as the port of entry. This is where I started : http://www.aphis.usd...ts_states.shtml

2. Once I understood what the import requirements were I then checked with Defra on what the UK export requirements were. You have to contact them directly via an email address. They responded very quickly and answered my questions about the export requirements. For my cat there were no export permits required, but I would check with Defra on the requirements for your dog. Their email address is : Petexports.carlisle@ahvla.gsi.gov.uk. You can read more at: http://www.defra.gov...ts/pets/travel/

3. I decided that I would arrange for my cat to have his rabies vaccination done and also made sure he was up to date with all his other vaccinations. You have to have his Rabies vaccination done at least 3 weeks before you leave. I went to see my vet who is also a Defra approved Vetinary Inspector. If you can find a local vet who is that will help as they will be familiar with the process which has changed effective January 2012. My vet gave my cat his rabies vaccinations and updated his other vaccinations. He will also be issueing a pet passport. For you pet to get a rabies vaccination and pet passport he will also need to be chipped, before the rabies vaccination occurs. So make sure you get that done if he hasn't been chipped.

4. You pet will also need a fit to fly certificate normally within 7 days of his flight, so bear this in mind.

5. I thought that I could arrange to take my pet as excess baggage on the flight with me, and many of the airlines say that you can do this, typically at a cost of around 200 Euro. It took over a week for the airline I arranged this with to come back to me to tell me I couldn't do this from the UK. It seems that whilst it is acceptable in many other countries, if you are travelling from the UK with your pet he must travel as cargo. I understand it has to do with the welfare of the animal and the UK has high standards.

6. I looked into arranging this myself, whilst it is possible it is a lot of hassle, especially if you want your pet to travel on the same flight as you. There is quite a lot to do and if you don't know what you are doing you could get stuck. I didn't want to take the risk so I decided to use an agent.

7. The USA requires that you must be in contact with the agent who arranges your pets travel at least 30 days before the day of travel. So you must make sure you get this initial contact done as quickly as possible. I did this by requesting quotes from a few companies as soon as I knew I couldn't take my cat as excess baggage, my flight had already been arranged on I made it with 3 days to spare.

8. The killer is that the cost of my cat travelling is twice the cost of my flight. And that is just to Atlanta. With so much hanging on getting everything co-ordinated I didn't feel like I had much choice but to pay the fee. But they will take care of everything, from arranging a crate, making sure he is fit to travel and arrange a fit to travel certificate, getting him to the airport, settling him, checking him in, dealing with any export requirements. So there is a level of peace of mind.

9. You then need to arrange customs clearance at your port of entry. You could ask the agent to also handle clearing your pet through customs when you arrive at your port of entry. If you want to do this yourself, what this involves is, you collect your pets ticket at the cargo centre, you then go to customs and pay any appropriate fees and get your pet cleared, then you go back to cargo and collect your pet. It isn't too difficult, especially if you can arrange for a relative or your significant other to take care of this whilst you are clearing immigration yourself. NB: Your flight needs to arrive before 4pm at the port of entry, customs closes at 5pm at most airports and if the flight arrives after this you won't be able to clear your pet through customs until the next day. You are also likely to incur additional kennel fees for his overnight stay. I decided to use a customs clearance agent, another cost, because my flight arrives at 2pm and as I am not sure how long it will take to clear immigration and get to cargo and then to go customs, I really don't want to risk having to stay over in Atlanta till the next day.

10. I then have to get my cat from Atlanta to a small town with a regional airport in Alabama. Some airlines will let you take your pet as excess baggage (checked baggage) on their local flights at a cost but the airline that goes to my regional airport didn't. So then i had to work out how I would get my pet home to alabama. I looked at hiring a car, cheap if you are returning the car to the location you got it from, much more expensive if you want to go oneway. So my significant other is going to collect us from Atlanta. He will have a five hour drive but it will be worth it from a cost point of view.

I am still working through the process and everywhere someone is trying to make money off you. I got a quote for £800 to transport my cat from Atlanta to my home. Thats a lot of money for a 5 hour drive.

If you have any questions or you would like some information on the agent I am using let me know.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Hi everyone

I'm not sure if anyone can help me with this... i've been doing some research into it but VJ members have always been amazing with my questions so thought id post it on here...

When my visa is all complete and i move this year ill be looking to take my dog with me, i've looked into different ways of doing this and i think i'll hire one of the animal move companies to help me with the paperwork and booking the appropriate flight etc... But there's loads of companies out there and id like to see if anyone has any to recommend you theyve used or theyve had a friend use.

Im thinking of flying him from london to boston or new york so he has the shortest possible time on the plane, and then ill drive us from there to Texas where we'll be living. It'l be a long drive lol but atleast he hasnt got to go through any stop overs or re-fueling or even change planes which i think would distress him.

If anyone has any advice it would reeeeally help me!!!

Thanks!

There is an entire pinned thread in the UK forum about UK pets to USA. Driving from Boston to Texas is insane. It would be like driving from London to the Ukraine...long way, unfamiliar roads and 30 hours if you didn't stop to eat, sleep, or wee. There are non-stop flights between London and Dallas or Houston. What part of TX to you need to get to?

UK forum http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/99-united-kingdom/

Edited January 22, 2012 by Nich-Nick

[Katie Watie 3]

Jayne D thanks soooo much for your repsonse! I will deinfitely be messaging you for info on the agent you used aslong as you dont mind! You seem to be extremely organised so i will need to pick your brains because i have definitely found contradicting info on the web!! I've had one quote so i know what to expect money wise three times the amount it will cost for my ticket... good job i love that bloody dog!!!

It wouldn't be a non-stop trip, more of road trip stopping off at different places... and possibly a stop over at a family members along the way! But.... i didn't realise there is a non-stop flight to texas... i could fly into dallas and its only a couple of hours drive from there! I'll have to look into that one, the least amount of time hes on the plane the better for me! Although ill probably be more stressed than him!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

But.... i didn't realise there is a non-stop flight to texas... i could fly into dallas and its only a couple of hours drive from there! I'll have to look into that one, the least amount of time hes on the plane the better for me! Although ill probably be more stressed than him!

American Airlines and British Airlines fly non-stop to DFW from Heathrow (LHR).

Both those plus Continental and United fly non-stop to Houston (IAH).

There may be others but those I'm familiar with.