ExBritFL

We have a small (8 pound) Havanese puppy who will be joining us when move back to the UK next year. I have contacted a pet transporter called Starwood who has quoted approx $4k (base package) for this process.

I would like to know if we are able to bring her with us and do the paperwork, checks ourselves. Has anybody had experience in this and what would the process entail? I understand that not all flights will allow her to travel in the cabin with us.

Any advice is appreciated, as always!
Thanks

Lion in Winter

Yes, you can do it yourself on the US end if your carrier allows this. IAG allowed me to do this myself for our cat, but be VERY careful that you have every tiny detail exactly right or your animal will not be allowed to fly and you will have to start all over again. We paid about 600 USD for the cat's flight, and another 3 or 4 hundred more for assorted things on the US end, plus vet fees and health certificate fees. You will in any case need an agent for the animal to clear importation and customs in the UK. I used JCSLivestock who were very good. This is not too expensive, either.

No animal can enter the UK in the cabin if you are not coming from Europe. They must go cargo, even if you are on the same plane. You don't say where you are flying from, but I assume the US due to your mention of Starwood and the cost, but maybe not.

Start here:

https://www.gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain

ExBritFL

Great thank you. Sorry, yes we are coming from Florida, USA.. Do you mind me asking who is IAG? Do the pets come on the same flight as us and does the agent meet you there when the flight lands? Thanks again!

Lion in Winter

IAG is the parent group for British Airways, Aer Lingus, and probably others. They handle cargo.
https://www.iagcargo.com/en/home/

Ypu pet may or may not be on the same flight as you. You must travel within 5 days of your pet. We managed to get on the same flight but it's not necessary. It will depend on when they have a spot for the animal. The pet will be spending several hours at the Heathrow Animal Reception Center. The UK agent will tell you when the animal is ready for collection. Most can also arrange to deliver the pet to your uk address. I would start with IAG and see what they say. Landing spots for animal's at HeThrow must be booked well in advance.

Lion in Winter

Forgot to add. Either the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre staff or the airline staff will get the animal from the plane and take him/her to the HARC facility. There, while they process the paperwork, they take the animal out of it's travel kennel. Dogs get to run in an enclosure of some kind, cats get their own space. They are fed (you can attach some food to the outside of the kennel for them to use), watered, and checked over. The agent can meet you at the HARC I believe when the animal is ready, but I used the delivery service they arranged for me since we were through much faster than our cat, and transporting him in the big kennel would have been an issue anyway.

ExBritFL

Thanks for this and for the other info you provided. I did call the agent from the UK which you recommended and they were very helpful. Do we send paperwork and records from this side to Heathrow prior to our trip for them to look over as well? I think we may be able to do this. My Vet has experience in completing the health record forms and will send over to USDA for their seal and approval. Trickiest part will be co-ordinating a few things within 10 days of leaving as we are still unsure of visa dates etc...

Lion in Winter

It is possible to ask for a pre-check - not sure if the agent does that or the HARC but I do remember that the timeframe was not feasible, since it has to happen within that 10-day timeframe and still allow you time to process the certificate afterwards and they were just taking too long. Your carrier on this end will send the paperwork through, and the UK agent will ask if they need something from you.The main key to success if you are doing this yourself is to read all the instructions very, very carefully and follow them to the letter. Also check, if you are using IAG, where you can drop the animal off and that they will allow you to do this yourself. I lived close enough to O'Hare that I did a dummy run to make sure I knew where to go, since we were flying the same day, and that the kennel would meet their requirements. They gave me some mesh to put over the door and window grates to make sure no paw could get out. Do not rely on pet supply store claims or anything else. Get it from your cargo carrier. Allow plenty of time. I had to book my HARC landing slot 8 weeks ahead of time (but could not book his actual flight until 13 days before),so you have to juggle the people flights, too. It was May though, so peak travel time. Not sure when you are planning to fly, but be aware that they will not fly pets if the temps are too hot - I think 85F is the limit, but check that - Florida is hot obv.

As far as the pre-check goes, you can also ask the HARC people themselves. They were also very helpful in every way.
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/serv...ception-centre


Read everything here 50 times! Do not rely on your vet. My vet had also done this before several times and still made a couple of small mistakes so the application got sent back. It was just approved by the deadline (as in the day before the cat was due to fly). Also make sure your dog has the right kind of chip. I had to have our cat re-chipped, and you have to coordinate that with the rabies shot.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet...-treatments-uk

ExBritFL

Thank you, will do! My husband is leaning towards using an agent but I think it's doable! I'll check to see if IAG has a site at our closest airport. They mentioned to me yesterday via email that they only book out flights 6 months in advance and were unable to quote.

Lion in Winter

It isn't difficult, it's just complicated and you have to pay very close attention to everything.

An agent also becomes more important if you are not able to drop the animal off yourself reasonably easily. With the agents I saw on the US end, if you took the basic package you still had to do all the running around and paperwork yourself, they just told you what to do when. I didn't want to pay another 3k for that.

ExBritFL

Agreed.
Also, do you know of any other airlines flying from US to Uk which will allow pet transport? I can only see that BA does right now with IAG. IAG doesn't have a local location here apparently which I can visit and do a test run...

Lion in Winter

No, I don't know about that, sorry. I quickly decided on IAG/BA because of their Chicago base and the fact that I lived in Chicago. I'm pretty sure that KLM and Lufthansa take pets, but not direct to the UK which is a whole other can of worms.

If you scroll down to inbound to UK, they do seem to have a flight from Miami, but that may be miles from you. Or it may mean you need the agent and to pay them to manage the transport from your home to the airport.
https://www.iagcargo.com/en/north-america/

ExBritFL

Great thank you. Maybe I will call IAG if I can find their contact number!

Lion in Winter

Sent you a pm with a phone number and email for their pet desk.

Aoi

About ten years ago our dog travelled accompanied from Houston:

• To Frankfurt on Lufthansa in the cabin (total weight of pet and carrier must be less than 8 kg)
• Hotel in Frankfurt
• Tapeworm treatment in Frankfurt.
• Train from Frankfurt to Hook of Holland
• Overnight ferry from Hook of Holland to Harwich
• Onward by train.

At that time the dog had an EU Pet Passport. Without an EU Pet Passport it is more complicated:

https://www.gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain