Costs of moving cats to UK?

Does any one has an estimate on the cost of the pet passports? Our indoor only cats are already UTD on rabies vaccinations and microchipped. I checked with our vet and they can help with the documents. I just didn't get a cost form them.

When would I start this process of passports if we are moving in September?

Also, am I reading this page correctly (I'll call them in the morning). Finnair flights will allow pets in the hold for $100 (pounds) each? Finnair has nonstop flights from Chicago to Manchester. If I am reading that right, that is amazingly awesome, awesome news!


http://www.britishairways.com/jba/ay/en_GB/baggage/jbaPets.html


Isn't there a fee as well when they get to England? Like....a release fee or something from customs at the airport?

Have a look at this board for lots of good info:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?board=60.0

I moved my two cats here when I moved.  As I was under a corporate relocation package, I used a pet shipping company which cost $3,000.  That included their absolutely massive carriers for transit though.  The process was changed in 2012 (after I moved) which simplified the process and made it much easier for people to navigate moving their pets on their own.  Plus, the Animal Reception Center's are very helpful and if you send all of your paperwork before your flight, they will check it over and let you know if it's okay or not.  Thus, saving the fear of them having to be quarantined.

I have not heard of anyone finding a flight directly into the UK for only £100 each, so if that's real, I would JUMP on it!  I think it's usually about $1,000 for the flight and then I think the fees on this side are about £400.  Not sure about the numbers though, so have a look at that board and read people's recent experiences.

Bringing my kitties with me was my best decision about moving.  I never considered leaving them behind, but I am glad that I bit the bullet and did it.

Yes! We don't want to leave them either. They are family members!
The $100 was what I found on Finn Air if they fly in the hold on the same flight as you. I tried to call them, but of course the line was busy.

I found on delta it was around $600 per cat using their cargo shipping. Our hopes are to find a carrier into Manchester as that would be the closest (Delta seems to be one of the approved carriers into Manchester that also flies from Chicago).

You don't necessarily get a pet passport on the US side - you have to fill out two forms (search for my story) and get the vet to check them out. Its just paperwork, the EU has the proper passport that you can get once you get here and take them to a vet and show that US paperwork regarding vaccines. Kitties don't need extra vaccinations like dogs, but you do have to fly within ten days of the final check, so keep that in mind when booking vet appts and tickets.

Also make sure you have the right chip for Europe - ours were chipped at the rescue center and don't have the right one for Europe, but we rented a scanner that could read their US chips (and the entry guy barely glanced at their paperwork - though we entered into Sweden) just in case.  Im willing to bet most ports in the UK have scanners that can read both.  We DID get ours their pet passports in Sweden so the scanner came in handy then - we will be rechipping them this fall.

Also - that flight isn't a code share with BA?  That is extremely unusual for Finnair - they would essentially be exercising a fifth freedom right to not be operating a segment that doesn't have origination or destination in their home country.

Any pet flying into the UK must go in the hold and then to animal reception, but I think most people seem to manage without the pet travel agencies.  One thing to be aware of is that some airlines only allow one pet in each crate (to ensure there isn't an adverse reaction to flying and one goes nuts etc).

I would advise reading some of the stories on here of others who have done this.  You can never start to plan too far in advance, but definitely give yourself plenty of time padding around the vet and paperwork visits - dont schedule something else major on the day you are taking care of getting the pets sorted for their trip.  It never seems to go smoothly and ours was almost a disaster right before xmas.

We just did this and the cost will depend on the size of the cat and the dimensions of their carrier (which must be at least one size larger than the carrier you'd use to take them to the vet).

We have a 20lb cat Max.  He's a big fellow and this increased our freight cost.

We paid about $180 for microchip insertion and rabies, another $150 for the USDA vet inspection (7 days before flying), then about another $150 to UPS overnight the USDA and Annex IV forms to the USDA headquarters in Albany NY for stamping.

The freight cost from Boston to Heathrow on Virgin was $900 (Virgin makes you use exceptionally large carriers - I think it's a bit of a money making scam posing as animal welfare).   On arrival in the UK you have to pay another approximately $500 processing fee.

So, a la carte for one cat this comes to nearly $2000 per cat.   If your cat is smaller you might be nearer $1500 per cat.   The cost for multiple cats is slightly reduced since they  can all go on the same annex IV (so the mailing to/from USDA and the USDA fees are reduced).   The UK fees are much reduced for multiple animals.   I'd guess two cats might run around $3000-$3500 all in.

If moving in September start researching now.  Research carrier sizes and call airlines for quotes (I doubt you'll be under $500 per cat, and probably closer to $800).   Virgin doesn't charge you until the day you fly because they know your cat might not get on the plane if the vets find a problem, if the paperwork has a problem, or if they don't like your carrier.   This is good because you can book the flight well in advance and then get on with planning toward it without a financial penalty (which was good for us as the vet advised us to leave our other elderly cat with a relative, which we did).

Also find a USDA accredited vet who can perform the pre-flight health checks within 10 days of the flight (no earlier).   Around Boston very very few vets are USDA accredited, and we had to book a month in advance.  Also find out where the USDA office is to which you have to send the USDA and EU forms to be stamped - it might be out of state so you'll need two UPS/FedEx overnight airbills - one to send, the other to return.   You can email your local USDA office to ask them for advice.   Our USDA accredited vet was in downtown Boston, but the forms had to be sent to Albany NY USDA for stamping (ugh bureaucracy !)

Forms you'll need:
Rabies certfificate  (See "Vaccination certificate" here https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/rabies-vaccination-boosters-and-blood-tests for requirements)
Annex IV - one form can cover multiple cats and is completed by USDA accredited vet
http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/liveanimals/pets/docs/reg_577_2013_part3_annex4_en.pdf

If your cats don't have 15 digit ISO compliant microchips (which are unusual in the USA) then check with your UK port of entry that they can read the chips - or rent a chip reader.  We entered through Heathrow and I have to say that the Heathrow Animal Reception center people were friendly and helpful throughout: and they can read a lot of different chips, not just the ISO ones.

There's a useful page here

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/sa_export_from_us/sa_live_animals/ct_iregs_animal_exports_home/

Follow the link "frequently asked questions" - I'd post the link directly, but the URL is enormous.

There's a list of USDA offices here:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/sa_contact_us/ct_program_contacts/

Email the office in your home state now and ask them if they handle endorsing Annex IV for animal export or whether you have to send the forms to a different state (e.g. all New England states are now handled by Albany NY even though there are USDA offices in many New England states)