Has Anyone Flown Their Dog From Overseas to The US?

[Jamie06 1]

Hey guys we have handed in our CR1 visa and will hopefully be moving sometime later this year. My question is have you or anyone you've know flown their dog from overseas to America? We have enquried with a few pet transport companies but we are just wanting to hear some stories as we are both super anxious to put our baby on a plane for 13 hours. 

[Ontarkie 13,883]

~moved to Moving Here and your New Life, from General Immigration - As this topic comes up often here.~~

[UsaBound82 3]

On 12/01/2017 at 0:40 AM, Dee elle said:

Jamie... i can probably assist you with info but would prefer to use private Messenger if thats ok with you..  PM me. I am now living in Dallas. Debbie

Hi Debbie,

I may be bringing my cat with me. can i message you please about bringing her with me and how to do it?

 

Thanks 

[Daron and Honey 6]

On 1/9/2017 at 7:24 AM, Jamie06 said:

Hey guys we have handed in our CR1 visa and will hopefully be moving sometime later this year. My question is have you or anyone you've know flown their dog from overseas to America? We have enquried with a few pet transport companies but we are just wanting to hear some stories as we are both super anxious to put our baby on a plane for 13 hours. 

Please let me know how that works out for you. I need information on this topic as well.  

 

Thank you

[Daron and Honey 6]

   I have attached link below for the US.  You will also need to check your country export procedure.  Mostly just Micro chipped and vaccinated.  If you transit through another country you will need transit papers for that country.

 

ie; We will travel from Thailand to US.  So, i need the export paperwork and vet paperwork in Thailand. We will Transit through Japan to go to the US.  Japan requires transit paperwork 9$. easy.  and then you reach the US which you just need to show all your paperwork.  Fairly simple.

 

This think provides some fairly good information and you want to look for State based information and what is required.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/animalimportation/dogs.html 

[trudi 1,317]

I flew my boxer from the U.K., it was expensive & I had to use a pet transporter in the U.K. as they won't accept animals from us regular folk but so long as your dog has all the required vaccinations & paperwork it's actually stress free - I think he had a better trip than me!

[MrChamploo 45]

Yeah my wife has two dogs she's bringing and i am constantly trying to find info on this.

She come from Europe and i am curious if shes allowed to check them in as luggage? She has a ticket with united and they have a pet program but there so vague on it all the time ><..

[Daron and Honey 6]

7 hours ago, MrChamploo said:

Yeah my wife has two dogs she's bringing and i am constantly trying to find info on this.

She come from Europe and i am curious if shes allowed to check them in as luggage? She has a ticket with united and they have a pet program but there so vague on it all the time ><..

  I was reading that they will be checked in as over sized luggage and you will have to pay extra on over sized luggage either by weight or size depending on airline. Just make sure you have the paperwork complete and just check in with airline as normal. You do not have to schedule to bring over sized luggage.  They have special handlers just for the pets and are not allowed to touch or open the cages. If you have any layovers, you will need a Pet Transit Passport (is online and downloadable) for 9$.  Just check with layover country to make sure transit is acceptable.  I have not done this yet, but i do do alot of reading on it. Also I travel alot. And i will need to do this myself for my wife...woohoo cant wait to immigrate my crazy dog.  Hope this helps with some information you may need.

[Thezappa 69]

On 1/11/2017 at 1:40 PM, Dee elle said:

Jamie... i can probably assist you with info but would prefer to use private Messenger if thats ok with you..  PM me. I am now living in Dallas. Debbie

I would also love information on this please.

[MrChamploo 45]

On 1/21/2017 at 4:24 AM, Daron and Honey said:

  I was reading that they will be checked in as over sized luggage and you will have to pay extra on over sized luggage either by weight or size depending on airline. Just make sure you have the paperwork complete and just check in with airline as normal. You do not have to schedule to bring over sized luggage.  They have special handlers just for the pets and are not allowed to touch or open the cages. If you have any layovers, you will need a Pet Transit Passport (is online and downloadable) for 9$.  Just check with layover country to make sure transit is acceptable.  I have not done this yet, but i do do alot of reading on it. Also I travel alot. And i will need to do this myself for my wife...woohoo cant wait to immigrate my crazy dog.  Hope this helps with some information you may need.

 

Thank you. She is on a non stop flight so we don't need to worry about any layovers. I had enough miles in my united account for a free flight so that saved a lot of money.

 

We will make sure she has all the paperwork for her little demon of a dog ? 

 

United does want you to come real early to check in the dog and fill some paperwork to request the dog goes on the same flight but other then that you just got the basic stuff.

 

big enough crate paperwork etc etc

[Daron and Honey 6]

4 hours ago, MrChamploo said:

 

Thank you. She is on a non stop flight so we don't need to worry about any layovers. I had enough miles in my united account for a free flight so that saved a lot of money.

 

We will make sure she has all the paperwork for her little demon of a dog ? 

 

United does want you to come real early to check in the dog and fill some paperwork to request the dog goes on the same flight but other then that you just got the basic stuff.

 

big enough crate paperwork etc etc

  Now i do remember, my mother was traveling back and forth from China to visit my father working there and i remember saying that she able to get  like some sord of doggie valium so your pet will not stress out during flight.  Again,  am not sure about restrictions, and being that i work in Afghanistan, i just cant  go down to vet and ask about it.  But i do know that my mother did do this for her dog and that it was recommended to do so.. Mayb check with United.

[khrfx4 16]

We flew our dog from Thailand to Los Angeles.  Unfortunately, much of what I can contribute would be specific to Thailand.  Our dog flew as checked baggage.  Very few airlines allow a dog to travel in couch, especially for such a long distance as we were going and the size and weigh must be small to ride in couch.

 

We found a shop in Bangkok that sold all the PetMate model carriers.  We purchased a Navigator model and it was OK with EVA Airlines, but their more rigid models might have been better.  The Navigator is made of a somewhat flexible plastic.

 

You have to be aware of any requirements from countries you might transit through.  We had to email Taiwan for permission to transit our dog through Taipei.  We received an approval document within two to three days which the Airline needed before they would allow us to travel.

 

Getting export documents and choosing an airline are all specific to Thailand.

 

We had NO requirements upon arriving at LAX.  My wife showed customs the same documents she had for the airlines, namely health documents she had gotten from the Vet at the airport in Bangkok.  Our dog was taken to the baggage area where my wife met him.  Other states might be a different matter.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

 During the summer there are restrictions on checked animals due to the excessive heat in some areas.

[Daron and Honey 6]

On 1/26/2017 at 10:57 PM, khrfx4 said:

Getting export documents and choosing an airline are all specific to Thailand.

Where to go to get the Export Documents?  and what is the approximate cost? did you check on any restrictions for Thai Air?

 

Thank you

[khrfx4 16]

6 hours ago, Daron and Honey said:

Where to go to get the Export Documents?  and what is the approximate cost? did you check on any restrictions for Thai Air?

 

Thank you

Go here to check on Thai Airways pet policy.

http://www.thaiairways.com/en_ID/plan_my_trip/travel_information/Pet_Travel.page

 

Thai Air does not allow in-cabin travel, only as checked baggage.  A simple Google search will get you information on any airlines pet policy.  Do not read any results except for those that are on the airlines website.  There are several third party websites that profess to have this information which may or may not be accurate and up-to-date, but I figure the airlines website itself will have the latest and most accurate if anyone does and finally call the airlines to get a hold of a knowledgeable person with pet travel and confirm everything.  Don’t accept “I think so” as an answer.  Get someone who knows for sure.

 

What a simple Google search may not get you is how good each airline is at taking care of your pet given the distance you will be traveling.  By far EVA seems to have the best reputation.  If you love your dog you will pay the price to fly this airline, but their prices aren’t usually bad.  We called a well known pet rescue place in Phuket and found out they feel EVA is the best of all the airlines.  They ship adopted pets worldwide all the time.  EVA also brought a video of our dog to my wife as she sat in the transit lounge in Taipei.  That was a very nice touch.

 

As far as the documentation goes all the information is a Google search away as well.  In any case, first you must have an official vaccination book from your Vet showing all your dogs vaccinations.  The official government department responsible for health documents also wants the doctor’s name, address and license number in the book.  Your pet must have had a Rabies vaccination at least one year before travel and no sooner than one month before you travel.  With this in hand you go to the government Vet at Suvarnabhumi Airport one to three days before you travel and get your health documents.  They use to give you up to 10 days, but now they have cut it down to no more than two-three days.  Cost is about 50 baht or something for the documents…it’s negligible.  What will cost you in cash is your pet to fly on the airline.  You pay at the ticket counter; ours was $200+ USD or equivalent in Baht, which seems about standard unless you are bringing a particularly large dog.  Ours was a small 5kg dog.  Call the airlines ahead of time and give them the weight of your dog and carrier and they should be able to tell you how much.  Also, once you have yourselves paid for and booked on the airline you must make a separate reservation by phone directly to the airline in Bangkok for your dog as most airlines only ship so many pets per flight.

 

Follow these instructions here for your documents:

http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com/en/998-traveling-with-a-pet

 

Here are the Google Map coordinates for the Vet on the airport grounds.

13.712726, 100.752533

 

If you do not know how to use coordinates, just cut and paste them into the Google Maps search box.  It will take you right to the exact spot in a long building where they are located.

 

Edited January 28, 2017 by khrfx4