susiecue

Hello everyone

I've been in Canada 22 years and am moving back to the UK anytime soon, partly because my parents are getting older and dad is starting to be forgetful so I want some quality time before things get worse. Even though I've mentally made the decision, I have no idea where to start..lol

For those who have already transitioned, could you give me some tips on what, if anything you shipped back and what method/carrier you used? I don't plan on taking much but there are certain things that I do want to take with me so would at least like to get some stuff shipped off before I take off. Plus I have 3 cats and I'm struggling with the arrangements...do I put each of them in a separate carrier (do I need to?) or do I put two of them together in the hold and one (who is the most frightened) under the seat in front of me? Has anyone else had this dilemma?

I'm getting my British Passport sorted but what paperwork, if any, do I need to complete in order to come back and stay? Do I advise government offices beforehand or once I'm back (tax, social security etc)

Any and all suggestions, tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

durham_lad

We returned last year after 29 years in the USA. We didn't need anything other than our UK passports and immediately we were back we registered online to vote, and also with the NHS in person at our nearest doctors' offices. We also got new UK picture ID driving licenses (we had the old green paper licences with our UK address from 1987).

Since we have ongoing income from USA pensions plus we have retirement accounts in the USA, and we were not going to be finding a job in the UK (retired), we both registered with HMRC for self assessment taxes online to get "UTR Numbers".

susiecue

Thanks durham_lad! I don't envisage there will be much to do but thought I'd try and get as much info as I could in advance.

verystormy

First, all you need is your passport.

However, I would recommend you have things like bank statements if you are planning to rent a place to live.

With the cats, I recommend you speak to a specialist pet shipping company as it isn't as simple as you maybe think. There is a lot of paperwork and rules to abide by. For example, if Canada is a listed country - which I think it is, they will need rabies vaccine 21 days prior to flying, administered by an approved vet and they need to complete the required paperwork.

Oh, and I don't think they are allowed to fly in the cabin.

mikelincs

Welcome to BE

Moderators deal with any problems you may have with the site but it's always useful to have a quick look at the rules of the site as well.

If you have worked in the UK before you will already have a NI number, if you do not know it then you need to contact the DWP, you may already have a NHS number but the local health centre you register with will be able to either retrieve it or tell you how to get one. You will also want to get onto the electoral roll where ever you move to, just contact the local council.

scot47

Good if you can come up with your National insurance Number.(NINo)

durham_lad

Instructions, form and phone number for lost or forgotten NI number.

https://www.gov.uk/lost-national-insurance-number

HKG3

The OP should consider getting Canadian citizenship before returning to the UK if you have not already done so.

durham_lad

Since she says that she is getting her British passport sorted out I assumed she already had Canadian citizenship and had been using her Canadian passport for visits to her parents, but now she needs to move back for a long period to be close to them as they age.

Okuda

We are taking 3 cats and a dog back with us. We are using a pet shipping company called Air Pets America and have been working with a lady called Kelly Martin. She's really great and has answered all my annoying questions.

Regarding the cats, they have to be in separate crates ( I asked if mine could travel together)
Mine each have a (27L x 20W x 22H size (required by the airlines) I brought them from petsmart.

They have to be Microchipped, then have a rabies vaccination. (it's important they are microchipped first) You need to provide them proof of both. This is how far we have got so far.
Next will be getting the vet health certificate done.
They do a door to door service but we will drive them to Atlanta and pick up in London.

For all 4 animals, including flights, customs fees etc it's just over $4000 which was very competitive.

angie_329

re the cats. ensure the microchip is ISO compliant ( 15 digits) as north america, not sure re canada, uses different micropchips which are not readable in UK/Europe-but you can supply the reader if it is not the correct chip. The rabies shot must be done at least 21 days before travel and after the chip. So you could get that done and their pet passports now.
ISO Compatible Microchips for Pet Travel to the European Union | PetRelocation.com

They do have to each have a separate regulation crate.. they are put in a special area in the hold that is temperature and air regulated for animals. so don't worry too much. It is quiet for them. They will be less stressed than you!

I have read on other forums that if you contact Heathrow animal reception they can pre clear if you send the paperwork ahead. This means you can pick them up quickly. Unfortunately flying pets into the UK they cannot go inside the cabin with you even if the airline allows it.
It is easier if you use a specialist pet transporter, less stressful. Here are a few links that might help.
A poster on this forum ( Editha) mentioned petsaway ( re canada to uk for cat) and anothe poster used ' boomerang out of calgary.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/movin...ada-uk-874549/


https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/overview
https://www.ipata.org/
AirPets - Import and Export Pets Worldwide
https://www.petairuk.com/

mrken30

You can get readers from about $80 depending on the chip

https://www.amazon.com/MICRO-ID-Micr...et+chip+reader

Editha

If you can fly to Gatwick rather than Heathrow, the animal reception centre there has a better reputation for processing the animals quickly. We flew to Gatwick three years ago, with 2 cats. Picking them up was very straightforward, though the paperwork before the journey was a nightmare.

Benson55

Canada is not a listed country and its very tough to take a pet from Canada to UK.
I have read that only Air Canada is the only Canadian approved airline for transporting pets and that they only allow them in cargo. Several pets have frozen to death in cargo so beware, as cargo is not heated.

verystormy

Your last senstance is total rubbish.

Not only is cargo heated, but they set it according to what animals are flying - most flights actually have some animals with Heathrow ARC taking over a million arrivals per year.

We were even asked by the captain what temp we would like for ours - we requested 24.