Taking Pets With You When You Emigrate

Moving your family across the world can often be a stressful time and the thought of leaving a beloved family pet behind can be too torturous for some pet owners to handle. Thankfully there are increasingly more options available to those people who consider their pet part of the family. Exporting your pet from the UK to your new country of residence can range from a relatively easy, stress-free process to a lengthy, worrying one. Dependent on the country you’re moving to, taking your pet with you when you emigrate can vary tremendously.

Moving With Your Pet Within the EU

If you’re planning to move from the UK to anywhere in Europe, your pet can travel with you with very little fuss. The mandatory aspects required to take your pet to most EU countries is to simply ensure that it has been micro chipped, inoculated against rabies and in some cases been given a ‘fit to fly’ guarantee by your vet. There are a few exceptions to this rule and certain countries such as Sweden and Cyprus also require extra vaccinations. If you intend to return to the UK, your pet will also be required to have a blood test 30 days after the rabies injection. The test results will be entered into your pet passport and this will allow the pet to return to the UK without hassle.

Crossing the Atlantic With Your Pet

Recent changes in the legality of travelling with pets to the USA and Canada has meant that it is now far easier to take your pet with you when you go. They are required to have the same vaccinations as if they were travelling within Europe. There is a chance that they may be given a rabies shot when they arrive in either the USA or Canada, but other than this, there’s little stress involved. Many flights now allow owners to simply carry their pet with them as extra baggage for a reasonably low price. This means that you can simply book your pets travel in advance and they will be placed in the air-conditioned hold when you board the plane. They are required to be placed in an approved IATA container for the flight and you can arrange for this beforehand. It is important to ensure that your pet is correctly measured for the crate as they will need to be comfortable and secure. The IATA container is mandatory for travelling with pets throughout the world.

Long Haul Journeys and Your Pet

If you’re moving to a far away country such as Australia, the rules are slightly different when taking your pet with you. Australia remains a rabies free country and therefore a quarantine period is required when your animal arrives there. There are 3 quarantine stations in Australia - located in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth – and your dog or cat will spend one month there.

When you send your pet to Australia, they will often travel on a different flight from the one you’re on. They will be in an IATA container and will have to travel with an approved pet transport carrier. Before leaving the UK, you must obtain both an import and export permit for your animal. These can be obtained from the relevant authorities in both the UK and Australia, however many people opt to use a company who specialise in pet travel to deal with all the necessary paperwork for them. Your animal will receive numerous injections before being deemed fit to fly by the vet. They will then travel to Australia where they will be picked up by AQIS who will transport them to the quarantine station for the month. It can be an expensive and extremely emotionally draining period for the owner of the pet. The majority of animals do come out of quarantine with no problems however and tend to simply be a few pounds lighter at the end of it.

Taking Your Pet to Difficult Countries

Although it is a fairly straight-forward process to take your pet to most countries in the world, there are some that can be difficult to obtain entrance to. Countries such as China are highly regarded as countries that are best avoided. If you really must take your pet to these countries when you move, contact the local government authority there to ask for further advice.

A Pet is Part of the Family

When you move, having your pet with you can add an instant feeling of home. For families who love having their animals around, your pet can give you the much needed distraction from missing family and friends back in the UK. Regardless of the worry or cost involved in putting your pet on a plane, most are very resilient and simply sleep most of the way. The enjoyment of having them remain part of the family will far outweigh any negatives on the journey to get them with you.