Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I have just moved back from Canada to the UK with our German Shepherd / Husky cross and tabby cat and having stressed about the whole thing for months, I wanted to write a post for those of you who are thinking of embarking on the same adventure. With some planning and double (triple?) checking along the way, the process is NOT as complicated as it's made out to be and can be easily done without the help of a pet relocation specialist. Quite honestly, other than the specialist informing you of what you need to do, and perhaps transporting your pets to / from the airport, you would have fill out the paperwork and do all the visits yourself anyway!

All pets must arrive in the UK as cargo (you cannot fly with them in the cabin, nor can they fly as "luggage"). All airlines have a specific cargo company they use - generally this information is found on the airline's website. This doesn't mean that your furbabies will be flying on a separate plane - it just means the paperwork is handled by the cargo company rather than the airline itself. We flew back with Air Transat - they use Swissport as their cargo carrier.

In short, here is the process we just completed, with some notes added for each step:
1. Get pet microchipped
Straightforward enough. Make sure your vet provides you with the reference numbers and the details of the date the animal(s) were chipped - these are needed for the health cert later on.
2. Sort out rabies injection (MUST be done after your pet is microchipped)
Ensure your vet gives you the original copy of the rabies certificate with the sticker from the vial of liquid they use. This is required for entry in the UK. We made colour copies of the cert to attach to the animal's crates, but we kept the original and provided it at the Animal Reception Centre at Gatwick.
3. Get the right size crate(s). The animal must be able to stand up and turn around. We went one size bigger than necessary to be absolutely sure. Also, a lot of airlines require the nuts AND bolts to be metal (Air Transat doesn't) You can order these replacement kits online (from the US). They must also have a crate water bottle (same style that you use on a rabbit hutch).
4. Complete Transfer of Residence form (online) to obtain a ToR number from UK Government
If you are shipping furniture etc, then you only need to fill in this form once for animals and furniture. This is only done to avoid paying VAT on your "imports". If you don't have it, it doesn't impact whether your pet is allowed to enter the UK, it just means you'll pay VAT on them (not sure how they calculate it!) You can even complete this form after you land, and claim the VAT paid at the end of the tax year once you have a ToR number.
5. Within 5 days (120 hours) before landing in the UK, your pet(s) must have a health check done by your vet. This involves filling in the Non-Commercial Movement of Five or Less Dogs, Cats or Ferrets form and if you have a dog, they need to be de-wormed at the same time.
It's worth asking if your vet is familiar with this form. If not, I would suggest finding one who is. We didn't use our regular vet because although he was lovely, he wasn't the best at paperwork. We went to another vet and they were great. They provided us with the completed form (both animals were listed on the same form). They also requested the full health history from our original vet to include with the form, just in case. The vet has to watch your dog eat the de-wormer to complete the form.
6. If you are in Canada, you will then need to get that form stamped by the Canada Food Inspection Agency.
You have to contact the agency separately and make an appointment. Once you have your flight details, I would recommend contacting them right away to secure your appointment.
7. Day of Flight. Take your pets to the cargo place 4 hours before the flight. CHECK THE OPENING TIMES before you fly. Our headache is too long to write out here, but the depot had changed their opening hours due to COVID which meant a mad dash / panic which was eventually resolved, but we could have totally done without it at 6am!) Also check if someone qualified will be there to inspect and weigh the crate / animal. Again, there was an issue with this because they didn't have a supervisor there when we arrived.
8. The paperwork that you must attach to the crate is as follows:
a) A notice of time/date when they had their last feed / water
b) A notice with their Name, Breed, Age, Your name, Flight details, contact details, and emergency contact
c) we also made some of our own "Live Animal" and "This Way Up" notices (but these are also provided by the cargo people)
d) The cargo company also asked us for a copy of the Health Check form and copies of their rabies certificates. I also included the page of the medical history which noted the date they had been microchipped for good measure.
9. When you land in the UK, they asked us for the original rabies certificates, the original Health check form, and proof of microchip. Their processing took about 3 hours (at Gatwick. I've heard Heathrow takes longer). We met a couple who were on the same flight with their dog. Their vet had written one digit wrong on the Health Check form when copying the rabies batch number and so they wouldn't release the dog. They had to sit and wait until their vet (in Canada) was open and get him to scan and email a copy of the original paperwork over. I'm going to assume they managed to get it sorted, but we left before they spoke to their vet.

So, that's the basics. It seems like a lot, but when you break it down, it's not complicated at all. Just get copies of the necessary information, and check reference numbers where applicable.

I'm also happy to answer any questions you may have - just reply to this thread :)

Good luck!

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Thanks for this - we are just starting to think about shipping our cat from the US to the UK and this article is hugely helpful!

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Generally on BE it is not made out to be complicated. :confused:

I'm sure that some people think that it is complicated, but they're probably the same people who unnecessarily pay a lawyer to complete their visa application for them.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

I searched on many websites / forums regarding bringing animals back to the UK and never found a clear step-by-step guide to what needs to happen (hence why I wrote the post). Most of the comments I have read on here seem to be about confusion regarding the paperwork / sequence of events and how bureaucratic the whole thing is. I wasn't trying to offend or imply anything negative...was simply trying to help people who are going through the process.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

If you have any questions - don't hesitate to ask :)

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Don't pay any attention to him, he's our neighbourhood grouch :)

He means well.

Usually.

Also, after you've handed the animal off is there any tracking provided as to its whereabouts? Can you put one of those luggage tracking devices in there?

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

I'm the neighbourhood Clarkson. The grouch lives down the road from me, in Georgia. :nod:

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Aw - thanks! I was wondering if I had inadvertently offended someone!

I don't believe you're allowed to put a tracking device inside the crate - but that's definitely something you should check with the specific airline. The team in Toronto were great - they called my husband as we were boarding to let us know both animals were safely on the plane. This seemed like something they do as standard, but it wasn't offered by the Vancouver lot (who were dreadful tbh).

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

No, Pulaski doesn't believe in being offended, so you're safe there.

Did someone text you when the animal was off the plane, too? Or you just go to the animal pick-up spot?

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

We had to call the Ground Agent for Air Transat (James Cargo Ltd) once we had landed. They then pick them up from the plane and bring them to the Animal Reception Centre (a few miles from the airport). By the time we got our luggage, picked up our rental car and drove straight over there, our cat and dog had arrived and been moved out of their crates into a larger holding space waiting to be processed. So the unloading/transporting bit was pretty seamless on the UK side.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

And one more stupid question - do cats have litter trays in with them in their crates, or do you just hope for the best?

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

If there are stupid questions regarding all of this - then believe me, I have asked them 5 times over!!

Sadly - no litter trays allowed. For our dog and cat, we had a piece of memory foam, which I wrapped in giant puppy pads, and then put a cover over the whole thing. Our dog managed to keep hers dry, the cat didn't, but the puppy pads absorbed the pee and at least prevented it from sloshing around in the crate!

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

I am choosing to go with assistance. I moved my 2 dogs from Georgia to California and though the process was less complicated due to not having some of the paperwork, it was incredibly stressful, took a lot of time and required people on either end to help wrangle as I wasn't flying on the same flight. The cost is A LOT to do this, but I will try to save the money elsewhere. I am going to save some $$ by not using their services to get the paperwork done with the vet piece, but am paying to have my dog collected from a friend's house the day after I've already left for the UK so that I can meet her there with the car and bed and food and everything all setup. It's a choice for sure - it's possible, but I can't tell you how relieved I am not to have to go through it again!

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Thankyou Kay. You will find that some folks are negative on this site regardless of what you post.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

I'm not sure if you're saying that my post was negative, it certainly wasn't meant to be. it's incredibly helpful to have all of this information with one post as you have done here. What I did want to point out to some people is that it's not necessarily just the paperwork that makes it worth paying for a transporter if it's an option. I certainly was not super thrilled by the cost I just wanted to share my own experiences for those that may be wondering what not doing that looks like. so yes that person is right, people can be negative about what you write and no matter the intent!
​​​​​​

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

What company are you using? And what made you go with them?

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Such a useful post, thanks for taking the time.

We've moved our cats twice now and both times we have used agents, because we figured we had enough to think about and didn't want to get anything wrong.

The first time - Singapore to Sydney - we were not on the flight with them. The second time - Sydney to Vancouver - my husband was on the same flight (they all came to Seattle by road, saved hanging around airports in transit) and got to see them at the cargo terminal (they'd overnighted with the agents) and then loaded, unloaded, etc. Crew even took photos for him - Air Canada, so understanding.

Neither move was problematic but we maintained some feeling of being in control by him being on the flight with them. Will try to do similar in future, with or without an agent.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Thank you for the time to send such a detailed description of your pets transportation. I have a daushund, she is a rescue and will be 16 in October. My vet has said that a senior dog should not be travelling as it's too stressful. I have sold my home and returning the the UK in a few months. Due to her age, the original plan was that she would live out her final years with my son as she is very close to him. He is now in a flat with flat mates who say that they do not want a dog in the house. My heart is broken and I am struggling with my choices for her. She is not friendly towards other people or dogs. She is only comfortable with me and my son. My question to this group is would you listen to the vet or take the chance and fly her. Friends have said that they wouldn't put her on a plane due to the stress and I have agreed however I am now having second thoughts. I would appreciate any advice as I love her dearly and don't want to cause her any stress in her senior years.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

A few thoughts:

Where are you, how long a journey would it be, and do you have any alternative options to flying?

Is your little dog healthy for her age, and can you get a second opinion? (I don't mean shop around until you get a favourable one, I'm sure you would put the dog's well-being first.)

Alternatively, can your son find a new place to live where he can take the dog?

I hope you find a solution.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

I am in Toronto and will be landing in Manchester.

Sadly, this last year she seems to be slowing down. As mentioned earlier the vet advised against two years back and due to COVID my circumstances have changed.

As for my son, I just got him settled in a flat downtown Toronto. On of my priorities prior to leaving Canada. Lease is signed and we had no idea that his flat mates would be against the dog. It was discussed prior to all of them moving in together. I flew back home this past Dec/ Jan and when I returned he said they were not responsive to a dog in the home. She is a very good dog. Quiet and just wants to cuddle.

I am returning to the vet this week and I am afraid of what they will say.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

I'm using Starwood. I reached out to a number of pet shippers to get a quote, only got a couple of responses. I had also pinged one in the UK, not realizing that they couldn't initiate from their end but they ended up recommending Starwood in their response as a partner they had worked with multiple times in the past. Also when I was talking to the person at Starwood I was comfortable with all his responses to my numerous questions. I'm sure there will be someone that has had a negative experience with them as well as positive, and I do possibly wish I had spent more time researching but I am still happy with my decision and can say thus far they have been extremely responsive and we are proactively chewing through all the necessary preparation.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

How did your cat cope with the trip? I worry that our cat will be extremely stressed.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Ah, I'm sorry, I hope you find a way to get a good outcome.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

I know you didn't ask me but ours did a 15 hour flight last year and bounced back really well. Our girlcat was nearly 17 then.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Thanks. I'm checking them out. Did you get the "regular" package or the luxury one?

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Edit to add: Starwood quoted me about $3,000 to ship one cat, O'Hare to Heathrow, and not the "luxury" package. I would still have to get all the vet paperwork etc done myself. :blink: Ouch.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Hi, How much did Air Transat charge for your dog?
Starting to research feasibility to take to Nova Scotia and bring back 5 months later. Easy to get there but complicated to come home. Thanks.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

[QUOTE=KayCooper;12889076]Hi Everyone,

My husband and I have just moved back from Canada to the UK with our German Shepherd / Husky cross and tabby cat and having stressed about the whole thing for months, I wanted to write a post for those of you who are thinking of embarking on the same adventure. With some planning and double (triple?) checking along the way, the process is NOT as complicated as it's made out to be and can be easily done without the help of a pet relocation specialist. Quite honestly, other than the specialist informing you of what you need to do, and perhaps transporting your pets to / from the airport, you would have fill out the paperwork and do all the visits yourself anyway!

All pets must arrive in the UK as cargo (you cannot fly with them in the cabin, nor can they fly as "luggage"). All airlines have a specific cargo company they use - generally this information is found on the airline's website. This doesn't mean that your furbabies will be flying on a separate plane - it just means the paperwork is handled by the cargo company rather than the airline itself. We flew back with Air Transat - they use Swissport as their cargo carrier.

In short, here is the process we just completed, with some notes added for each step:
1. Get pet microchipped
Straightforward enough. Make sure your vet provides you with the reference numbers and the details of the date the animal(s) were chipped - these are needed for the health cert later on.
2. Sort out rabies injection (MUST be done after your pet is microchipped)
Ensure your vet gives you the original copy of the rabies certificate with the sticker from the vial of liquid they use. This is required for entry in the UK. We made colour copies of the cert to attach to the animal's crates, but we kept the original and provided it at the Animal Reception Centre at Gatwick.
3. Get the right size crate(s). The animal must be able to stand up and turn around. We went one size bigger than necessary to be absolutely sure. Also, a lot of airlines require the nuts AND bolts to be metal (Air Transat doesn't) You can order these replacement kits online (from the US). They must also have a crate water bottle (same style that you use on a rabbit hutch).
4. Complete Transfer of Residence form (online) to obtain a ToR number from UK Government
If you are shipping furniture etc, then you only need to fill in this form once for animals and furniture. This is only done to avoid paying VAT on your "imports". If you don't have it, it doesn't impact whether your pet is allowed to enter the UK, it just means you'll pay VAT on them (not sure how they calculate it!) You can even complete this form after you land, and claim the VAT paid at the end of the tax year once you have a ToR number.
5. Within 5 days (120 hours) before landing in the UK, your pet(s) must have a health check done by your vet. This involves filling in the Non-Commercial Movement of Five or Less Dogs, Cats or Ferrets form and if you have a dog, they need to be de-wormed at the same time.
It's worth asking if your vet is familiar with this form. If not, I would suggest finding one who is. We didn't use our regular vet because although he was lovely, he wasn't the best at paperwork. We went to another vet and they were great. They provided us with the completed form (both animals were listed on the same form). They also requested the full health history from our original vet to include with the form, just in case. The vet has to watch your dog eat the de-wormer to complete the form.
6. If you are in Canada, you will then need to get that form stamped by the Canada Food Inspection Agency.
You have to contact the agency separately and make an appointment. Once you have your flight details, I would recommend contacting them right away to secure your appointment.
7. Day of Flight. Take your pets to the cargo place 4 hours before the flight. CHECK THE OPENING TIMES before you fly. Our headache is too long to write out here, but the depot had changed their opening hours due to COVID which meant a mad dash / panic which was eventually resolved, but we could have totally done without it at 6am!) Also check if someone qualified will be there to inspect and weigh the crate / animal. Again, there was an issue with this because they didn't have a supervisor there when we arrived.
8. The paperwork that you must attach to the crate is as follows:
a) A notice of time/date when they had their last feed / water
b) A notice with their Name, Breed, Age, Your name, Flight details, contact details, and emergency contact
c) we also made some of our own "Live Animal" and "This Way Up" notices (but these are also provided by the cargo people)
d) The cargo company also asked us for a copy of the Health Check form and copies of their rabies certificates. I also included the page of the medical history which noted the date they had been microchipped for good measure.
9. When you land in the UK, they asked us for the original rabies certificates, the original Health check form, and proof of microchip. Their processing took about 3 hours (at Gatwick. I've heard Heathrow takes longer). We met a couple who were on the same flight with their dog. Their vet had written one digit wrong on the Health Check form when copying the rabies batch number and so they wouldn't release the dog. They had to sit and wait until their vet (in Canada) was open and get him to scan and email a copy of the original paperwork over. I'm going to assume they managed to get it sorted, but we left before they spoke to their vet.

So, that's the basics. It seems like a lot, but when you break it down, it's not complicated at all.I'm


can you show me what you add to the Tor 1 for pets going back to UK From Canada. Thanks

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Can you send what you completed on your Tor 1 in pets. TY

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

The bloody robbers :frown: That's the same as it cost us to fly a 45kg golden retriever (Murphy) from Australia to the UK, including absolutely everything. That was 5 years ago but still!

The pet relocation service was run by a vet, he did all the paperwork, came to the house three times to give Murphy his vaccination, worming treatment and pre-flight check, then came again and picked him up at 3:30am to take him to the airport, flights with Emirates included with a 16 hour stopover in Dubai kennels after the first 11 hour flight for a break, picked up from Manchester airport and brought to our door in New Brighton. Price also included custom made crate which the vet left with us for 4 weeks before Murph's flight, so he could get used to it.

:fingerscrossed: that you find a good company with reasonable prices.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

My guess is that companies that are US based are all keeping an eye on each others' prices. I wouldn't want to go with one that was "cheap for a reason", but 3k does seem a bit excessive.

Also, the Little Lion's girlfriend is from Birkenhead, just down the street from where you were.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

I think part of the problem at the moment is lack of flights - depending where you are and where you are going of course. We're looking at a possible move (remote working FTW) and getting some silly numbers that can only be treated as estimates, as things are changing by the day.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Could well be true. We aren't looking at a specific date yet at all though, I'm just doing potential budgets for decision-making purposes. I plugged in dates in April of 2021 just to get the quote.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Sounds like we're going through similar processes. Ours is basically "Where in the world can we legally live and work? Can we take the cats? (And move them on again.) How much?"

(Barbados is looking very attractive right now.)

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Close. Mine is more like "can we manage to get back to the UK, what would it cost us to do that, and how would our income stretch there as opposed to the US, and If I get a job offer from the UK what would it take to get there and the cat absolutely has to come too". Barbados sounds lovely, but part of our goal is to get Little Lion and us into the same country.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

I hear you. This year has certainly shown me that there is value in being in the same country as your loved ones.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Ooh I don't know! I didn't pay extra to get the health records from the vet as have pretty good relationship with my vet and they're great. I may have to pay to get my pup delivered as nervous about being quarantined and being sent to stay in my house for 14 days! My goal is to fly the day before my dog, which is great in principle but not sure that it works from a standpoint of the quarantine piece.

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

Could you let me know the name of the company please? We have a 40kg Golden Retriever (Rufus) and are planning to do a similar trip. I must admit its the thing I'm most worried about on the whole move back!

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 

I'm just off to the shops but I'll send you a PM when I get back. Unfortunately though if you're on the Gold Coast it's not going to help much, because the company I used is a 'stand alone' local one in Perth. Happy to talk about other aspects of moving a nervous nelly Goldie though
:)

Edit: On second thoughts I'll put the quote here in case anyone else is travelling from Perth, although it's from late 2015 so prices may have changed. Might give people an idea anyway.

The company was Pet Travel Specialists/Pet Travel Clinic in Willetton Perth
The company is owned by Angus, who is a vet and does all the hands on vet stuff himself.

Total cost was AUD4,130. The vet came to our home on 3 different visits to give Murph his rabies vaccine, worming treatment and vet examination, and then again in the middle of the night to transport him to Perth Airport.

This is a breakdown of the quote:

 Rabies vaccination required for entry into the EU – please note that the vaccination needs to be given at least 21 days prior to travel.
 Worming treatment required for entry into the UK.
 DAFF approved veterinary examination.
 Airline compliant travel crate with Stay-Dry fleece bedding.
 Transfer from the Pet Travel Clinic to Perth Airport on the day of the flight.
 DAFF health certification.
 Export Permit.
 Airfares and airline booking fees to Manchester (MAN) with Emirates transiting via Dubai.
 Rest stop in Dubai catered for by Dubai Kennels and Cattery on behalf of Emirates.
 All clearance fees due on arrival at Manchester.
 Delivery from Manchester airport to residence in Liverpool.

I can't say that Murphy loved the experience because he clearly didn't. We expected that though, he was always nervous just being in a car. His head was down when he arrived in his crate and he was very quiet for a week or so after arriving in Liverpool, but he picked up after that and was back to his old self. He enjoyed all his usual activities (eating, going for walks, sleeping, eating, eating) and all the new experiences including squirrels and snow.

Murph was almost 10 years old when we moved to the UK so we asked his regular vet for advice regarding his fitness to fly. If he'd advised against it, we wouldn't have gone. But he was very healthy and although the vet agreed that he probably wouldn't like the flights much, he said that he'd probably fret for a short time and then just go to sleep. Both he and the travel vet advised against any kind of sedative as it can depress breathing.

I entirely understand Rufus being your biggest concern, we were exactly the same. All I can say is that although putting Murphy in that crate and seeing him leave for the airport was really hard (husband had gone ahead to the UK to be there when he arrived), it all worked out fine in the end. Happy to answer any other questions if I can.

Edit of an Edit! Just checked the company's website, they're actually linked to a national company (excuse the advertising speak)
Pet Travel Clinic is Perth's only dedicated veterinary preparation service for pets travelling internationally, and as part of the Jetpets family we offer a complete pet travel service.
Our uniquely integrated service includes Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources accredited export veterinary preparation, and a complete pet travel service with Jetpets people and operations across the globe.
http://www.pettravelclinic.com.au/