cookie2112

Our cats flew out just over to the US a year ago and, with the help of this site, the move went very well. As advised we got them pet passports and it is now time to return.

The rabies injections that they had before they left UK are still valid (due in October) but I am confused as to what is needed now. Do we still need fit to fly certs stamped etc by USDA or does the pet passport replace this? We seem to be well prepped but it never feels like that with a 10 day window and a very final flight time where if things go wrong we are in trouble. What is it about pets, I couldn't care less about my belongings but I worry about these two.

Anyway, as always, any help much appreciated

cookie2112

Actually the more I read the more I think that the veterinary certs etc are not required. That does make things a hell of a lot easier

Bluegrass Lass

DEFRA may not require a vet certificate, but the airline might. So you might want to give them a call to verify.

I'm not sure about the Pet Passport. You might want to give DEFRA a call and ask them. They are pretty good at answering questions.

IlAlfie

Pretty sure the airlines require a 'fitness to fly' examination by a qualified vet. They don't want any liability if you put an old/sick animal on board. From recollection, it has be done no more than 10 days (not 30 as I said before) before travel so make sure you do it just the week or so before. I had to get all 3 animals certified to fly domestically, wasn't expensive but it was another chore to add to the list!

MoshiMoshi

Hi Cookie2112, my two cats flew BA from California to London last year. We originally got them in Europe, so they already had EU pet passports.

You definitely need fit-to-fly documentation of some sort. As others have said, even if the passports alone are fine for UK entry, you'll still need to meet the airline's requirements before the cats can board the plane.

There's a travel section in the pet passport; section IX in mine, titled 'Clinical Examination'. A vet signs off a statement that 'the animal is in good health and able to withstand carriage to its destination'.

However, I'm not sure if this is enough to get them on the plane. It looks pretty cursory. Definitely check with your airline, as some have their own versions of fit-to-fly paperwork that your must vet sign. Others may insist you get the USDA paperwork done anyway.

Anything relating to fitness for travel will need to be done within a short, specific time-frame before flying; usually 10 days (and definitely not 30).

As for UK entry requirements, I really recommend calling the Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow to check if there's anything extra you need to do, or if the passports and current rabies vaccines are fine. The ARC were so helpful to me, and they're the ones who deal with all the pets every day so they can tell you exactly what's required.

Although my cats had passports, we still did the USDA paperwork: the APHIS 7001 form and the Annex II form. Unfortunately, I can't remember why we needed the APHIS 7001. Maybe the airline insisted on it? Or maybe it's obligatory when exporting an animal from the US? (Sorry I can't be more precise!) The Annex II we just got done anyway, since it was no extra effort.

Hope this helps.

IlAlfie

You're right. It was 10 days before travel.

Yogibear1961

We just flew our dogs this week from LAX to LHR. When we were at the USDA their was a gentleman with a pet passport and he was getting the 7001 health certificate and passport stamped by the USDA he said they need that to fly.