Hi there

Been in the UK for the last nearly 14 years and have decided to make the move back. (Vancouver)

Just looking for some general advice re shipping costs & pet transport

I am confident I will get everything I am taking back with me into a 300cubic container.. not taking much but a couple of pieces of antique furniture, 3 bikes and about 10 small (wine crates) of personal affects.
I have had varying quotes so far from 1100-2200 just wanted to know if anyone had a recent move with a container that small

My more pressing question is pet transport

I have had a quote from Airpets for £1400 all in for a small dog 5KG (including flight) but more interested in the experience if anyone has used them?
Im very lucky in that i will be moving straight back to my parents who are vacating their house for a year travelling and will have access to accommodation and vehicle straight away but a couple of random questions:

How do I get my BC drivers licence back (exchanged for UK one some years ago)
How do I qualify for MSP again (if its even called that??!!!)

Luckily I have maintained a bank account so thats no problem.

If your B.C. licence has been expired more than three years
If you've been driving with an out-of-province licence
If during the last three years you've been driving with an out-of-province licence, bring it with you to any B.C. driver licensing office. You'll be able to exchange the out of province licence and renew your B.C. licence by providing two pieces of accepted ID and the renewal fee.
If you haven't been driving
If your licence expired over three years ago and you haven't been driving, you'll need to be retested before you can renew. You'll need to pass a road signs test, vision screening, and re-examination road test.
http://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing...nce-or-ID.aspx

BC Health : Coverage Wait Period

New residents or persons re-establishing residence in B.C. may be eligible for coverage after completing a wait period that consists of the balance of the month in which residence is established, plus two months.
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/h...t/how-to-enrol

We too are returning to BC (the interior) after 12 years and taking our dog. I wouldn't bother shelling out for one of these pet transport companies. I booked my dog on the same flight as us directly for CAD$275 (with Air Transat) - note it must be a direct flight. I bought a dog crate for GBP£135 (although that's a huge one for my Labrador, much cheaper for small dog)You need to get rabies shots if not already had them - my dog already had it as he has the EU pet passport, if you have that there's not much else you need to do except book an appointment with your vet (as long as they are defra certified) for within 72hrs before you fly to get a 'fit to fly' certificate.
Just email [email protected] to ask for the paperwork so you can submit for the forms for your vet.

Oh thank you both for the replies

Interesting about the direct booking with AT - I didnt really think about doing it myself but thats much cheaper

I guess I am just nervous I wont do it properly, but I guess a crate with an absorbent blanket will be enough for him! He is my child so very apprehensive about flying with him

How do you check them in and do you have to take them to cargo??? or just the check in desk?!

I haven't done it yet... but AT tell me you check in as normal, with your dog, you stay with the dog until boarding, then put them in the crate and they take them away to put them on the plane, then at the other end they come out in the oversize baggage area.

Make sure you read the IATA guidelines on sizing, you can find it here
https://www.pettravelstore.com/pet-c...sure-your-dog/

We went with the Sky Vari Kennel from doggiesolutions.co.uk

More info here:

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/.../1331876307796

Great thank you was just about to ask where did you get your crate

And I definitely remember seeing lots of dog crates at oversize in YVR so must be where they come out

When is your move date?

You might have seen dog crates at YVR but the big question is were the dogs still in them
https://globalnews.ca/news/899611/an...-eagle-at-yvr/

Dogs escape from crates at all airports not just YVR. Most arrive with no problems.

I am going 'sans famile' next Tuesday(!), then returning in March for a couple of weeks then we all leave (with the dog) at the end of March.

Don't forget to have the chain and brakes reversed to make them compatible with cycling on the right.

Hi

1, If the OP has a UK drivers license, it is a straight exchange for a BC one.

If they have previously held a BC license, ICBC will reference their old license and reissue that. In all likelihood, they will get the old DL#.

I have rather interesting issue. I moved to the UK 14 years ago and did not swap my Ontario licence for a UK licence. I took the UK test as I needed to drive a manual car - the swap would have been limited to automatic.

So now when I return to Ontario...I wonder if I will be able to swap my UK licence for Ontario.

Take your UK license in together with your ON license. Your ON license should be reissued on the basis of the UK license.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/exchange...rivers-licence

What prompted the move? We left BC in July, but not really settled back in the UK - I didn't especially want to leave in the first place, but did so for family reasons. I'm missing the lifestyle a lot.

We’ve wanted to for a long time, we only really came over due to visa issues (Im British, wife is Canadian) its just never been the right time since with family, jobs, finances etc, then in 2016 we got to a point where things were falling into place, so set the wheels in motion (applying for my residency, getting British citizenship for my wife before we leave, etc) and now here we are... days away. And we cant wait! Having lived both UK and BC I prefer BC by a mile, but sure am going to miss my family and friends in the UK but theyre all eager to visit and we have facetime these days!