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Pet Travel Blog – Resource for Transporting Pets
Information for pet dogs and cats traveling domestically or worldwide
Michael – oftentimes the validity of the health certificate conflicts with the validity of the import permit. Each country is different. If you can let us know what country you are planning to travel to. Susan
Hello, quick question. In regards to the health certificate required, it’s stated within 30 days of entry. So that means after the 30 days the health certificate is no longer valid? I believe the import permit is good for 60 days but requires you first to submit the health certificate document. I’m unsure whether I should purchase my flight ticket first or get these documents first… but that would also mean the prices of the tickets would be high since it’d be shorter notice… Thank you.
Andrea – many airlines do not allow pets to be sedated. If your pets do well on CBD or hemp honey and it does not put them to sleep or drug them out, then administer prior to check in. Depending on the length of your layover, airlines personnel may or may not feed your pet. Actually, feeding wakes up bowels which is why it is not recommended except on long flights or those with long layovers. As to administering CBD, this substance is not legal in all countries and we would not advise attaching it to your pet’s crates without specific, written approval from your airlines. Susan
Hello all,
Planning on traveling with two dogs from Chicago to Europe. Both are a little anxious and they do really well on CBD or hemp honey. Am I allowed to give this to my dog before their flight?
If we do a layover, and once they give them their food, would they be open to giving them the rest of the dosage of honey or drops?
Has a vet prescribed anything for anyone’s doggies here that worked well?
Thank you,
Adrian – your puppy cannot enter Germany until microchipped, then vaccinated for rabies and accompanied by an EU Pet Passport issued in Spain. The microchip can be implanted at 8 weeks of age; however, the rabies vaccination cannot be administered before 12 weeks of age. Your pup must then wait for 21 days after fully vaccinated before entering Germany. The airlines will all conform to this EU requirement whether they state it in their regulations or not. Susan
Hello Pettravel,
at some point mid this year I am traveling to Spain to pick up my Shiba Inu. Currently, I am living in Germany. We are pretty worry because he is scheduled to be given to us when he is 10 weeks old, as we read puppies can enter Germany once they are 15 weeks old, once they have their rabies shot. We spoke with the breeders and they say that it can be arranged for the puppy receives his rabies shot before the 12 weeks in order for us to travel.
My question is: Can we still enter Germany if the dog is under 15 weeks but has his rabies shot? and would this apply to airlines too?, I am aware that Lufthansa and Air France have a 15-week policy, but Iberia does not state a minimum age.
Thank you
Hi Walter – DNA analysis is not done by a government agency and, as such, will not be accepted by the UK. We can send you some breed characteristics that officials are looking for. Send an email to info@pettravel.com for that information. You should also consult with your veterinarian as to their attestation of the breed of your dog.
Susan
Traveling by commercial airline from United States to England with a dog of unknown, mixed breeds. Will a DNA test suffice as proof the dog is not a “Pitbull”?
What an amazing and enjoyable informative read, your contribution is appreciable. Keep up the good work!
Hello Franzi – you can find information on importing your cat to Australia on a vessel here: https://www.awe.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/import/goods/live-animals/animals-on-vessels#commercial-vessels. It does not appear that this is the case. You can start the process to import your cat to Australia while in Malaysia but you will need to move your cat to an approved country about 6 weeks prior to import. See step #7 here: https://www.pettravel.com/immigration/australia.cfm. Susan
hello pettravel :).
we would like to enter australia with our cat via sea.is this possible if you travel from malaysia,or is this only possible via air.i have read that the sea route is excluded but the article is already older.on the pettravel page i could not find anything unfortunately.our cat is 3 years old and travels since she is 6 months old with us in the car,she has all vaccinations and an international vaccination passport,we are in the course of our world trip on the road and originally (also the cat) from switzerland and germany.
thanks and best regards
Yeva – there are certain exemptions for pet requirements in place for pets of Ukrainians; however, there is no way to know whether those exemptions will still be in place in 6 months. It would be best to conform to entrance requirements for Poland in Slovakia as you have time. You can find them here: https://www.pettravel.com/immigration/poland.cfm
Susan
Hello! I really need your help, dear PETTRAVEL!
I’m is planning to go to Canada from Warsaw with my cat in a six month. Currently I’m in Slovakia. Regarding all this situation in my country (Ukraine) i was forced to move to SK for 3 month with a pet. I know that we need him to have (for such way): microchip, vaccination, and 48 hours before flyght – heath certificate (Form ?1), new treatment aggainst warms and fleas.
But…we have a little problem and one question)
Can I make an international passport with all vaccines in Slovalia. Then return to Ukraine for a 6 month and than go to Poland (Warsaw) here do all the documents that cat should have before flight and fly to CA?
Is it possible? And may be you reccomend me some additional documents that we’ll need?
Federica – you will have no issues entering the US from Italy unless your pet has entered a high-rabies country within 6 months of import It is a great idea to have your pet vaccinated for rabies anyway. All pets traveling to other countries should be vaccinated for rabies for protection.
Susan
Hello! I am flying from Italy to Seattle with my little puppy dog of 15 weeks old. My flight will be Milan-JFK-Seattle. I have contacted the Agriculture department of NY State and WA State. Both of them and CDC as well, have informed me that the dog DOESN’T need the rabies vaccine due to Italy not listed into the high risk rabies country. Is there anyone else who imported a pet from Italy who had issues with borders into US? My dog will have the rabies vaccine anyway for safety, however, I won’t be able to allow 28-30 days after the vaccine the dog to travel, hopefully this is fine for USA! I am flying with Delta, KLM. Please, let me know if you have any tips and recommendations.
Thank you!
Hello Ann – the self-warming dog pad is indeed safe and we have carried this product for many years without any negative comments from our customers. The pad generates heat from your pet’s own body temperature, sort of like a down blanket. This being said, we would caution against using any type of pad if your dog has tendencies to chew or tear things apart when under stress.
Susan
Please tell me if a self-warming dog pad is safe or not for a one ye old cavachon to fly in crate in pet freight cargo?
As we stay in a dog-friendly hostel beautifully-named The Flying Dog, we enjoy daily walks in the vibrant Miraflores district and the nearby Parque Kennedy which hosts the Virgen Milagrosa Church and the Municipal Palace. On an afternoon, we take a long stroll following the coastline to Barranco, a laid back district with many restaurants and caf?s that welcome pets. The best spot to watch the sunset on the endless Pacific Ocean!
Anthony – United, American and Delta all fly your route through ORD (Chicago), so you can save some money if you transport your Basset from there. We cannot quote costs; you will need to contact the cargo department of these airlines with your dog’s weight and the measurement of its crate. (United may be a slight bit less expensive.) If your Basset needs a crate, you can find IATA-compliant pet crates here: https://www.pettravelstore.com/pet-crates/ Your Basset will also need a health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian within 10 days of flying.
Jason
I need to get my bassithound from peoria il to los Angeles. Do you have a clue what that might cost me
Aigerim – you can find requirements to import your dog to the Republic of the Congo here: https://www.pettravel.com/immigration/RepublicOfCongo.cfm. We would note that the Congo is classified as a high-rabies country and there may be things you need to do before leaving your country. With regard to your airlines, it depends on your route; however, we would say that you need to stay on the same airline for the entire trip if at all possible. We do not have offices in Africa, so we cannot comment on facilities available to pets in the Congo. You can likely find info on the Internet about that.
Susan
Hi,
we’re moving to pointe noire with a dog within the next couple of months. Does anyone have any information about moving to PN with a dog?
1. What is the best airline to move the pet to PN?
2. What vaccinations are required?
3. Is there any places where you can walk your dog?
4. Is it easy to find a dogsitter in case we leave for vacation?
He is one lucky dog and we are sure that you feel the same way.
I have travelled with my dog basically around Spain. But the funny thing is that I found him (about to die) on a road in Mykonos when I was on holiday. I felt in love with him. And that was 10 yeards ago 🙂
Alkistis – unfortunately, Norwegian does not transport pets on transatlantic flights. It is best to stay on the same airline for the entire flight, if possible. Lufthansa flies to ATH through FRA. That would be an example of a good option.
Susan
Hi, my dog will be traveling from Los Angeles to Athens, Greece. I have booked my flight but it’s a connection flight (first one is Los Angeles-FCO in Italy with Norwegian airlines and the second one is FCO-ATH in Greece with Alitalia).
Would that be in issue? Do I have to check with both airlines?
Antonios – the 3 airlines that fly your route most efficiently are Tarom, Turkish Airlines and Aegean Airlines. You will need to contact their reservations department directly to make sure that ESAs are accepted on your specific route. We believe that Turkish Airlines will accept your ESA. We are not associated with any commercial airline; you need to contact them directly.
Susan
Hi , I have a french bulldog and and emotional support dog letter from my doctor ,do you accept it from Lebanon to Romania ?
I?m Romanian leaving in Lebanon I?m scare from the airplane and the dog is part of my therapy …
Thank you
Petra – likely, the best solution is to have each cat fly in a separate crate. The reason for this is because they will be under a fair amount of stress when traveling and, if one cat is freaking out, it will also affect the other cat and, heaven forbid, they fight in the crate. It does not sound like they are acclimated to a pet crate or carrier and this will make things more difficult for them. Get the crates as soon as you can and try to introduce it to them. We have IATA-compliant pet crates here: https://www.pettravelstore.com/pet-crates/). There is a link on this page for measuring your cat for the crate as cats can vary in size. If the cats are flying as accompanied checked baggage, a visual inspection of the pet in the crate will suffice. You also may be able to fly the other (non-skidish) cat in the cabin if you think it can be calm enough. Again, is the cat accustomed to being in a carrier? Is it laid back in personality? Those are personality traits that would lend themselves to a more pleasant trip.
Susan
Hi, because of an family emergency we have to relocate two cats from Birmingham, Al, to Germany. We are not sure how to organize this. We have two problems preventing us taking them with us in the cabin.
– only one person is flying in from Germany to pick them up. As far as I know, only one pet is allowed per passenger, correct?
– we don’t know the cats and one cat is very skittish. I don’t think we can take them out of the crate at the security check, not even in a private room.
That said, what would be the best solution? Having two crates or one really big one. The cats are usually very good together. If they travel in the cargo hold, they don’t need to be taken out of their crate, correct? What size of crate would be suitable?
Kim – no EU country will recognize and rabies vaccinations done before the microchip is implanted. Your kitty will need to be re-vaccinated after the microchip is implanted and wait for 21 ays before traveling. EU countries are strict about the order.
Susan
Hi we live in spain and plan to take our kitten with us to Italy.
She has had all vaccinations including rabies. However we are about to do the chip and passport.
Will this be a problem after the rabies vaccine was given a month ago.It says on the site should be done first?
I would love to join your community! We tour Europe almost permanently with 4 cavapoos and have recently adopted a Romanian Stray!
The advice on Pet Travel has been invaluable.
We blog about our adventures on worldwidewalkies.com
Ari – it depends on both your route and your airline. Some airlines do not transport live animals during the summer. Others will ban certain airports for the summer. Some airlines will issue temporary bans depending on the weather. You should consult your airlines for their summer policies.
Susan
Hello, my pet is traveling to canada, in sept 20, so that would be a good day for flight based on air cargo temprature policy? cause it was mentioned that between may to sept any pet is not allowded to fly, so im wondering sep 20 is cold enough for fly? cause its not over 29?c
Tish – EU legislation states that cats, dogs and ferrets must wait for 21 days after rabies vaccination before entering the EU, so, they can enter the EU on the 22nd day or later after rabies vaccination. If your cat does not conform to these regulations, it is unlikely that your government veterinarian will approved the EU health certificate and, even if they do, your airlines will likely not accept your cat knowing that it may be returned. Enforcement is always difficult to predict and we cannot advise not fully conforming to regulations when importing a pet to a foreign country.
Susan
I’m traveling to Germany from the US with an adult cat. Can I depart 20 days after the rabies booster – arriving in Germany on the 21st Day? They already have an ISO Microchip; so just need to get rabies booster.
Claire – no airline will accept a live animal in the cargo hold when the temperatures exceed 85 degrees anywhere along the route (origination airport, layover or destination). This is for the safety of your pet. Try to find flights at night when temperatures are not so excessive.
Susan
Do Singapore airlines allow cocker spaniels on there flights as cargo? due to relocate to Brunei in summer and trying to figure out a way to bring our beloved pet dog with us
Andre – as long as you are flying in and out of Istanbul on Turkish Airlines, you will stay in the secure area of the airport until you board the next flight. Do not clear customs or documentation will be required.
Jason
Hi, I am travelling with my French Bulldog on June using Turkish airlines. He will be 5 months by then, so still at the 8kg max rule.
My question is: I have 4hrs transit in Istanbul’s airport, can I stay with my dog in the transit area until the next flight?
Thank you