British Expats

British Expats (https://britishexpats.com/forum/)
-   Moving back or to the UK (https://britishexpats.com/forum/moving-back-uk-61/)
-   -   Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries) (https://britishexpats.com/forum/moving-back-uk-61/bringing-pets-back-uk-approved-countries-934045/)

spouse of scouse Oct 6th 2020 8:27 am

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

Originally Posted by lins and Stef McLachlan (Post 12919165)
We did look at this when we came here in 2010, but space is limited and the spots had sold out well in advance. Fast forward ten years, can I ask how far in advance you booked and how much it cost for you and your family to travel...presumably one way? How many of you and how much per dog. I do know that they have their own kennel staff and a whole deck to themselves, so travel in doggie luxury. Going into Southampton appeals as that is my ‘home’ area. What was the difference between the sail v fly option?
Thank you fir your reply.

This cruise critic article suggests that you need to book a kennel at least a year in advance. The fare for large dogs is quoted at US$1,000 and $800 for small dogs.
https://www.cruisecritic.com.au/articles.cfm?ID=3439

lins and Stef McLachlan Oct 6th 2020 10:04 am

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 
Okay, thanks for this info. Enjoy your day

Lion in Winter May 17th 2021 2:46 am

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 
Has anyone ever used either Air Animal, Airpets America, or Happy Tails?

Equally, has anyone ever "imported" an animal via the QM2? I assume all the rules and regs are the same?

joleah Jul 1st 2021 9:32 am

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 
Thank you for your advice we are currently trying to figure out how to get an American Bulldog into uk can I ask what size and make of cage for your Shepherd this dog is around 80lbs Thank you again your info was a great help

lauraloulou Jul 1st 2021 11:21 am

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 
I think you may have problems importing your American Bulldog - they have very strict regulations against bull breeds here in the UK, many being banned altogether. I would certainly research that before you go further. As far as the crate size, if you are using a shipper they will tell you exactly what size to get based on your dog height/length - the weight of the dog isn't as relevant as it's overall dimensions as it has to have ability to turnaround etc.

EliDaBulldog May 20th 2022 9:58 pm

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 
I'm currently talking with Starwood pet transport. I already have the quote. I dont mind paying the $$$ for the service. My dog is my whole world. I'm single and dont have kids, he means everything to me, so $ is not a concern.

However, after reading the OP from KayCooper I'm thinking can I pull this off myself? First question, how do I book my dogs flight on Lufthansa without a broker/agent?

BTW, I should mention my dog is 11 year old English Bulldog. He is not permitted to fly until Sept, due to his breed type and hot summer weather.

lesleyeblen Dec 5th 2022 11:09 pm

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

Originally Posted by KayCooper (Post 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. 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!

Hello there!

I realise that you posted here a couple of years ago, but we're about to embark on sending our cat (Simba) from California to Scotland and are planning on doing it ourselves. I haven't read through all of the thread yet, but thought I'd get into the thread in case I have some questions as we proceed! Thanks for being so willing to help!

Lesley Eblen

Slalomdude Dec 12th 2022 1:39 am

Re: Bringing pets back to the UK (from "approved" countries)
 
Check out the Facebook group "US Pets to Uk via Chunnel &alternative routes.

lesleyeblen Dec 12th 2022 5:23 am

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

Originally Posted by Slalomdude (Post 13159686)
Check out the Facebook group "US Pets to Uk via Chunnel &alternative routes.

Thanks - I'll check it out 🙂


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