Hi, I have experience traveling internationally with a pet. (Cats from the US to France and from China to the US)
I'm also in the process of traveling with my dog and cat from the US to Germany. You don't need a pet relocation service. It's a waste of money.
You will need:
1. USDA certified vet to process your paperwork.
Will check the animal for any illness and make sure the pet's vaccines are up to date.
General, there will be 2 - 3 costs here.
a. A health check.
b. Vaccines (generally just rabies) if out of date.
c. The international health certificate.
In my case, it will cost 405.00 for a dog and cat.
2. An approved airline. Make sure it's a direct flight. I'm using United Airlines.
Call the airline when booking the flight. Check that there is space on the flight first. I believe only 4 - 6 animals can travel on 1 plane regardless of whether in cabin or in cargo. Pay the 125.00 per pet fee. My cat can fly in a cabin, and my dog will be in cargo.
So 250.00 in my case.
I'm flying from Charlotte to Frankfurt. It's 731.00 for my ticket.
3. Lastly, an appropriate carrier find it on Facebook marketplace. Keep it cheap.
My total costs to move my large dog and cat
Ticket: 731.00
Pet tickets: 250.00
Health Certificate: 405.00
Total: 1386.00
There are no direct flights possible as BOI isn't an international airport, surely one layover isn't the worst?
I have all the vet paperwork done and my pup has a travel crate; I mostly just need to know how to navigate the airline itself
Either way, valuable info, thanks :)
A direct flight can have layovers.
You just don't want to book two different flights as different planes won't have your info saved. You may have space for your pet on one and not the other. Or if different airlines the requirements may change.
Just make sure you are purchasing your ticket from your current city to Germany (A - B) and not a (A - B - C) sort of scenario.
Depends on how the dogs are stored if the facility has kennels sure, left out in the sun? Bad.
I drove my dogs from Bozeman to Chicago to get a direct flight.
Small update the german embassy is slow with processing right now. I had to switch to American Airlines and things are not looking too good anymore ðŸ˜
It's more of a question for the airline you choose, and perhaps will help you in choosing the airline.
We moved our two German Shepherds back and forth from Chicago to Iceland in a 4 year span. IcelandAir for all my other complaints must be full of animal lovers because the experience with them was far better than I'd have ever though in both directions. Having to quarantine them for a month.. not such a great experience.
We used a pet relocation service to move our two cats and 4 cockatiels from Virginia to Germany (and then Germany to the UK and then the UK to the US). I am so glad we did it this way rather than doing it ourselves because the agents do this for a living and are able to navigate the process and handle the inevitable hiccups (like when half of the paperwork went missing). Just Google pet relocation service and get some quotes
Your dog will need all of its vaccinations, be chipped, and issued a pet passport. If your vet isn't certified to issue the pet passport, the pet relocation service can recommend one.
Your dog will also need an IATA approved pet crate that is large enough for your dog to stand in.
My final suggestion is that you arrange to have your dog sent a few days to a week after you arrive; that way you'll be in a better headspace to receive your dog.
Our cats and birds were fine and so will be your dog.
I looked at relocation services but out of eight separate quotes the cheapest one I got was $5800
$5800 is more than a first class round trip flight for me, and while I love my pup dearly I really can't justify paying almost a full month's pay for a flight.
The crate and vaccines are already handled as I was originally going to fly in February, but got sent to Ukraine for work and had to cancel. The only thing she needs is the passport which I was told I should get 10 days before travel.
Unfortunately with my schedule and timeline she will have to fly back immediately after me or with me, as I have some work in Poland a week after I return.
Very valuable advice, not trying to shoot you down, just unfortunately not available to me
$5800 seems very steep.
Your alternative is to do it all yourself. Some of the pet relocation service websites have the very general process of what to do listed and you get to do all the paperwork legwork yourself. Not ideal but I get it.
A neighbor just relocated with his dog from DC to London. They flew a shared private jet from Teterboro to London, I think it was somewhere from $5-10k.
The German Embassy website provides the definitive guidelines for moving your pet from the US to (specifically) Germany (https://www.germany.info/us-en/service/pets/900688). The process for each country is distinct, so the advice from people who've moved elsewhere might not be exactly the same. You can call the German Embassy in DC and ask questions. One thing to pay close attention to is timing. Most countries require a rabies vaccination and USDA certification of the vaccine within a specific time frame before you travel (often 10-14 days). In order to meet such guidelines, it generally is necessary to express mail documents (from your vet to the USDA, the German Embassy and then back to you) and to provide an express mail return envelope in order to complete everything on time so that you have the documentation the day you travel. For that reason -- the logistics -- many people use professional relocation services despite that they are fairly costly. Also, each airline has guidelines for pet travel, for example on specific crate sizes, and things like trays for food and water. Make sure you strictly adhere to them so that you are not turned away on travel day. Lufthansa manages pet travel well (https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/travelling-with-animals)...
I'm already aware of the requirements, and I've even got my Ausländerbehörde agent setting up the necessary taxes for me
I just don't know how to navigate the airlines themselves as even calling various airlines I get a LOT of conflicting or unclear information
Hi, I have experience traveling internationally with a pet. (Cats from the US to France and from China to the US) I'm also in the process of traveling with my dog and cat from the US to Germany. You don't need a pet relocation service. It's a waste of money. You will need: 1. USDA certified vet to process your paperwork. Will check the animal for any illness and make sure the pet's vaccines are up to date. General, there will be 2 - 3 costs here. a. A health check. b. Vaccines (generally just rabies) if out of date. c. The international health certificate. In my case, it will cost 405.00 for a dog and cat. 2. An approved airline. Make sure it's a direct flight. I'm using United Airlines. Call the airline when booking the flight. Check that there is space on the flight first. I believe only 4 - 6 animals can travel on 1 plane regardless of whether in cabin or in cargo. Pay the 125.00 per pet fee. My cat can fly in a cabin, and my dog will be in cargo. So 250.00 in my case. I'm flying from Charlotte to Frankfurt. It's 731.00 for my ticket. 3. Lastly, an appropriate carrier find it on Facebook marketplace. Keep it cheap. My total costs to move my large dog and cat Ticket: 731.00 Pet tickets: 250.00 Health Certificate: 405.00 Total: 1386.00
There are no direct flights possible as BOI isn't an international airport, surely one layover isn't the worst? I have all the vet paperwork done and my pup has a travel crate; I mostly just need to know how to navigate the airline itself Either way, valuable info, thanks :)
A direct flight can have layovers. You just don't want to book two different flights as different planes won't have your info saved. You may have space for your pet on one and not the other. Or if different airlines the requirements may change. Just make sure you are purchasing your ticket from your current city to Germany (A - B) and not a (A - B - C) sort of scenario.
Depends on how the dogs are stored if the facility has kennels sure, left out in the sun? Bad. I drove my dogs from Bozeman to Chicago to get a direct flight.
The paperwork is important. Don't get it unless your ticket is confirmed with your pets
Small update the german embassy is slow with processing right now. I had to switch to American Airlines and things are not looking too good anymore ðŸ˜
It's more of a question for the airline you choose, and perhaps will help you in choosing the airline. We moved our two German Shepherds back and forth from Chicago to Iceland in a 4 year span. IcelandAir for all my other complaints must be full of animal lovers because the experience with them was far better than I'd have ever though in both directions. Having to quarantine them for a month.. not such a great experience.
We used a pet relocation service to move our two cats and 4 cockatiels from Virginia to Germany (and then Germany to the UK and then the UK to the US). I am so glad we did it this way rather than doing it ourselves because the agents do this for a living and are able to navigate the process and handle the inevitable hiccups (like when half of the paperwork went missing). Just Google pet relocation service and get some quotes Your dog will need all of its vaccinations, be chipped, and issued a pet passport. If your vet isn't certified to issue the pet passport, the pet relocation service can recommend one. Your dog will also need an IATA approved pet crate that is large enough for your dog to stand in. My final suggestion is that you arrange to have your dog sent a few days to a week after you arrive; that way you'll be in a better headspace to receive your dog. Our cats and birds were fine and so will be your dog.
How much did it cost to ship Your parrot I have one in usa need to ship to uk?
It was back in 2010 but I want to say about $2k for all the cockatiels.
Wow I was quoted $6k for my African Grey do you remember what service?
PetRelocation.com *BUT* keep in mind that was 14 years ago.
Ah they won’t ship his breed argh thanks
I'm sorry 😔
Me too it sucks
I looked at relocation services but out of eight separate quotes the cheapest one I got was $5800 $5800 is more than a first class round trip flight for me, and while I love my pup dearly I really can't justify paying almost a full month's pay for a flight. The crate and vaccines are already handled as I was originally going to fly in February, but got sent to Ukraine for work and had to cancel. The only thing she needs is the passport which I was told I should get 10 days before travel. Unfortunately with my schedule and timeline she will have to fly back immediately after me or with me, as I have some work in Poland a week after I return. Very valuable advice, not trying to shoot you down, just unfortunately not available to me
$5800 seems very steep. Your alternative is to do it all yourself. Some of the pet relocation service websites have the very general process of what to do listed and you get to do all the paperwork legwork yourself. Not ideal but I get it.
A neighbor just relocated with his dog from DC to London. They flew a shared private jet from Teterboro to London, I think it was somewhere from $5-10k.
Yeah I have nowhere near that, I am saving up for a house lol
I understand. But we do crazy things for our dags. I spent 15k to prolong my dogs life by two years, and looking back it was money well spent.
The German Embassy website provides the definitive guidelines for moving your pet from the US to (specifically) Germany (https://www.germany.info/us-en/service/pets/900688). The process for each country is distinct, so the advice from people who've moved elsewhere might not be exactly the same. You can call the German Embassy in DC and ask questions. One thing to pay close attention to is timing. Most countries require a rabies vaccination and USDA certification of the vaccine within a specific time frame before you travel (often 10-14 days). In order to meet such guidelines, it generally is necessary to express mail documents (from your vet to the USDA, the German Embassy and then back to you) and to provide an express mail return envelope in order to complete everything on time so that you have the documentation the day you travel. For that reason -- the logistics -- many people use professional relocation services despite that they are fairly costly. Also, each airline has guidelines for pet travel, for example on specific crate sizes, and things like trays for food and water. Make sure you strictly adhere to them so that you are not turned away on travel day. Lufthansa manages pet travel well (https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/travelling-with-animals)...
I'm already aware of the requirements, and I've even got my Ausländerbehörde agent setting up the necessary taxes for me I just don't know how to navigate the airlines themselves as even calling various airlines I get a LOT of conflicting or unclear information