Taking Pets with You When You Emigrate

Author: Tracy Whitelaw

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.

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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.

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

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.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Moving Abroad Checklist Builder lets you build a personalised checklist for emigrating. Covers visas, finances, healthcare and more. Try it now →

8 questions

Ask Emigration Expert a Question

EmigrationExpert Editor 12/03/2018 at 2:38 pm

I can only direct you to the gov.uk site here. We cannot predict whether your application will be successful or not.

Pollyanthus 10/03/2018 at 9:24 am

Hi, we are looking at emigrating from the UK to Minnesota USA. We have extended family there (uncle/aunt/cousins). My husband is highly qualified in chemistry science and is currently a QC manger. What are his chances of gaining the H1b sponsorship required to make this move possible for our family.

Mags 06/02/2017 at 5:59 pm

Hi, my husband and I discussed the possibility of emigrating. I speak and write fluent French, my husband is learning French and we have many transfersble skills. However there is a major consideration for us - I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis in March 2013 and have had no further relapses.

Would this affect the chances of us either visiting a Canada or emigrating on a permanent basis?

We are both UK citizens (in addition I have Irish citizenship).

Your advise would be most appreciated,

Thanks
Mags

EmigrationExpert Editor 12/08/2016 at 10:37 am

You can find out all you need to know regarding re-locating and whether you are eligible through the gov.uk link here and here .

EmigrationExpert Editor 10/08/2016 at 12:24 pm

You don't say where you wish to emigrate to. If you are leaving the UK and moving to Europe, then this is more straightforward as regardless of Brexit, you will still be eligible for free movement. If you are going to another country, then each country has its own admissions system and immigration policy, therefore it makes it impossible for me to advise.

MovingGuy 05/09/2015 at 12:41 pm

I have just spent 3 week in Canada with my family visiting friends and would like to move my family out there. I had bad younger years which found me in custody 3 times till the age of 21 the last one being drugs related. Year after that I knuckled down and set up my company, met my partner and now have two children. I am 40 years old now. I have just sold my business and looking for better surroundings for children. I can purchase a property outright in canada and have investments that pay me over £120k per annum. On top of this I would also work in Canada. I am hoping all the positive stuff since the age of 21 will override my bad start 20 years ago. Please advise

C 14/09/2014 at 10:57 am

Hi, I am a UK citizen. How much would a working visa cost? Or if a Canadian Citizen would sponsor me, how much would they have to pay?

Thanks.
Kind regards,

ukgal905 09/01/2014 at 5:47 pm

i have been living in canada since age of 13 and now at 46 am looking to move back to the UK..still am landed immigrant and uk citizen...what are procedures for bringing my two dogs back with me...they are up to date on all shots, currently 10 months old...are there any breed restrictions in UK?

thanks
amanda

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