Jo72130

Hi All

I work for a company that is expanding not to US and as such there is the opportunity for myself and my husband to move to Orlando area. We have a lawyer to sort all the visa, business bits but looking at the rest of it is just as huge!

We would be looking to come next September time. We have a dog that we would like to bring has anybody got any costs or advice for bringing her? Looking briefly it appears as long as we get her a rabies jab and a health check 10 days before we should be able to fly her Virgin Atlantic etc with us and take her with us that day- seems far too easy!! Any comments on this? Also does anybody have any quotes from them doing this? Or any experience as to where to get a crate etc for transport?

We are just 30 and have no children so we are literally going to land in Orlando without anything so seems quite stress free but then it will be work work work once we arrive but at least no schools to arrange or houses to sell or furniture to move!

Looking forward to keeping in to through this

anotherlimey

I'm not sure about the dog, I thought they always went into quarantine.

Is your husband aiming to work too?

I would move and rent a house for a year then decide where I wanted to live before buying somewhere. Orlando is quite touristy, but outside of Orlando it's not too bad.

Get an amex if you don't already have one. They'll help with getting a cc out here.

There's plenty of information here if you search.

Pulaski

Flying a dog can be a problem in the summer months - some airlines won't land pets in the summer months. By all accounts budget at least £1,500, it might be a little less, but could easily be more.

What sort of cars are you interested in? New or used? ...... And you'll need drivers licenses within a couple of months IIRC, meaning a theory test and a road test. The theory test will probably ha e some tricky questions, like blood alcohol limits, stopping distances, and penalties; the road test is a joke.

Rete

Curious what visa will you and your husband be getting since you are not being transferred by your present employer?

Pulaski

Dogs are not quarantined
As log as the OP is on an L-1A (or B) he'll be eligible for an EAD (employment authorization document), which needs to be applied for on arrival but takes 2-3 months to arrive, so he won't be able to work immediately.
I would strongly advise against buying until they have a green cards as a visa can be canceled at short notice and then you have to leave the country within a few days. In any case the costs of buying and selling are such that unless you're planning on staying somewhere for 3-5 years, buying is not a good financial decision.
Good advice, especially one year ahead as that's plenty of time to get the card and hold it long enough to be allowed to swap it for a US issued card.

Jerseygirl

You need to find out whether a live rabies vaccine is required by the state of Florida. No point in having your dog vaccinated with the wrong vaccine.

indigogirl1976

When we moved here 6 years ago we brought our cat...there are companies that will arrange the whole thing but they will charge more (AirPets - Taking Pets To USA). Its quite straightforward to do it yourself with a bit of googling and gathering of documentation (such as a fit to fly letter from vet). Back then we flew our cat from Dublin to Orlando on Aer Lingus for 50 euros. The Customs control in Orlando were quite bemused at this cat arriving. Anyway....point being...it is doable. We got our cat carrier on ebay.

petitefrancaise

we brought our dog with Lufthansa on the same plane as us.
You need to check the state (ie Florida) requirements for bringing a dog in - google is your friend here. Check the airline /IATA recommendations for your dog's transport cage. Is your dog big enough to go in the hold? If so then you will need to book her space on the flight out before doing your flights since they will only take a certain number of animals on each flight.

I haven't heard of anyone being told they can't bring a pet in during the summer months. We brought our dog to Houston end September (temps 90+) with no problems. Unless Pulaski can show otherwise, I think this goes in with the "dogs die in the hold" myth.
Lufthansa charged us about $300 iirc which we paid at the airport.

Vet certificate of health is needed within a certain time frame, both the iata certificate and the required vaccines should be easy to find online.

Your biggest expense/issue for the dog is when you return to the UK. Check out the moving back to the UK part of the forum to see lots of posts about this.

As for the rest:
1. get an account with a foreign exchange company whilst you are still in the UK . This is the cheapest way to transfer money (even if just for the beginning and for holidays) . It may take up to 2 weeks to open the account, so do this well in advance.
2. Bank account in the USA.
3. House/apartment - you'll need to pay for it so bank comes first
4. Utilities - expect to pay $150-$200 deposit for each utility
5 T-mobile for cell phone service unless provided by your company. Just about everyone else requires credit check/social security number which you won't have.
6 look into a lease car or finance before you leave the UK. Lack of credit history creates issues and companies like international autosource/expat ride will do it in advance so you have a car when you arrive.
7. Get your medical records - list of vaccinations etc

There's a wiki about moving which would be useful for you to look at.

Pulaski

Pet Cargo Airline Restrictions.
"Pets will not be accepted by most airlines when the current or forecasted temperature at the arrival, layover or departure airport is above 84°F (29°C) at any location on the itinerary (limit for snub-nosed dogs and snub-nosed cats is 75°F).

"..... During the months of May through September, your airline may not allow you to transport your pet in the cargo department. The reason for this restriction is that the heat on the tarmac can heat up the cargo hold quickly. Additionally, many airlines do not have air-conditioned holding areas for pets. The risk to your pet is when it is on the ground, not when the aircraft is in the air. ...."

petitefrancaise

Gosh, LUfthansa must be terribly negligent.
And United and the pet travel company that we paid $450 to go from Houston to Austin, the same day.
So, that's 2 airlines and 2 airports in the south of the country that make sure the dogs are on the plane last, off the plane first and well cared for in the middle.

Maybe you could scour the internet for the airline/airports that actually do what this pettravel company say? Or maybe use a different pet travel company?

MidAtlantic

Just one example from Virgin Atlantic:

We do not accept pets leaving Orlando and Miami from 1 June through to and including 30 September

or British Airways:

Temperature Restrictions:
British Airways understands the additional risk to live animals transported during the higher temperatures of summer and lower temperatures of winter. Your pet may not be granted boarding if the temperature in any city on your itinerary is forecasted to be above 85°F or below 45°F.

Snub-nosed dogs will be transported in larger crates than normally required on routes where the temperature does not exceed 75°F. British Airways considers the following breeds as snub nosed: Boston Terrier, Boxer, Brussels Griffin, Bulldog (all breeds, except American Bulldog), Chow Chow, English Toy Spaniel, Japanese Chin, Pekinese, Pug (all breeds) and Shih Tzu.

petitefrancaise

Thank you midatlantic for being helpful with this. It was what I asked for rather than the vague pessimism offered by pulaski.

<<<SNIP>>>

Wintersong

Bickering aside... different airlines have different restrictions. Virgin Atlantic will carry pets to Orlando over the summer months, but not on weekends. Since you're apparently not intending to travel with any of the airlines whose restrictions have been mentioned, you should be absolutely fine.

Get the rabies jab at least a month prior to travel.

trish in the USA

When I moved to Washington DC almost six years ago we had a Doberman that we shipped out. When I first started to look into this I was quoted £1500 to just get her on the plane but these were services that were being offered by companies that dealt in these matters. We were led to believe that you had to do it this way. So I decide to call the airlines and see what they said. It seemed that the airlines I spoke with all had slightly different policies. We went for virgin they charged us about £200 we paid extra about £50 so that she would be in an air conditioned section as it was the middle of summer. The only things that the airline said we had to have were her up to date shot records,her papers and a kennel that would be big enough for her to stand up fully in without her ears touching the ceiling of the kennel and for her to be able to turn around in it. The kennel had to have a water bowl that would fit into the door of the kennel which up to that point I never knew exsited. The airline also advised me to call the import of live animals for the airport that we were flying into to see if they had any stipulations about bringing her there. I called their office and was told that as long as she was not foaming at the mouth ( as in rabies) she would be fine. He was quite a live wire I guess. Anyway she was fine was great with the journey.