PETS scheme by way of France

Hi Alison,

You will not be able to bring your dog in the cabin with you on an international flight no matter how small they are, nor can you sedate them.  If the staff at the airport thinks your dog has been sedated, they will not allow them to fly. 
My VERY nervous cocker spaniel just made the trip a few weeks ago and made it though just fine, so I am sure yours will be ok in the cargo area too! 

we plan to fly to france to get her into europe.  There pet laws are much less stringent.  We will be spending a week there, and then taking the chunnel into the UK.  do you think there will still be a problem?  Our vet who seems well versed in this doesn't think will be an issue at all.  What are your thoughts?  Thanks for the reply.

As long as you have completed the whole UK pet passport thing. 

I think the dogs travelling in the cabin issue is an individual airline decision though, so do they have different rules for different countries?

Yes, we have the US passport process well underway.  I think we are flying American, and they allow pets in the cabin for an additional fee.


The process seem pretty complicated to me.   But there was no other option than to take her.  I can't imagine leaving her behind!!   

PETS scheme is complicated. I'd say worse than the visa process. It's one reason why we chose to leave my cat with my parents, in hopes that one day we'll move back to the US and claim him back.  

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/index.htm I'm not sure that just by staying in France for a week that you can then bring in your animal. From how I understand it is that you'd have to be in France a minimum of 6 months before travelling to the UK.

I cant imagine how this will work... Not to discredit your vet, but I would double check this with DEFRA. The UK is very strict on animals coming to the country no matter where they are coming from.   IF this would work, you would need a pet passport issued in France and I doubt a vet in France would issue a passport for a pet who doesnt live in France.

American Airlines does not allow animals in the cabin. Their website reads: "Carry-on pets are NOT ALLOWED to/from Hawaii or Transatlantic/Transpacific or Central and South America"

You still need the passport if coming from mainland Europe.  Someone was caught out a few years ago.   They took their dog over on the ferry for a booze cruise.  The dog never left the ferry and on its return it had to go into 6 month quarantine.   

I guess i misunderstood the entire process, and my husband just set me straight.  (this is all very confusing to me....)

after reading the rule on the PETS website (fact sheet # 4 in particular), like WebyJ referred to, we have had her micro-chipped, vaccinated against rabies, and blood tested (in that order with appropriate documentation).  Our understanding (and our vets's) is that 6 calender months after that successful blood test she can enter the UK... What happened to bookgrl's friend is that a dog in the UK does not need to maintain their vaccination record. A dog entering the UK does. The rule is that a dog (well, her owners) needs to be able to prove that she is micro-chipped, vaccinated, and blood tested (and passed), and that since then she has received vaccine boosters before the previous vaccine or booster has expired, in order to enter or re-enter the UK. All of this information goes in to the pet passport or health certificate.

For us, Zoe was tested (and passed with flying colors!) on 6 August, so she can get in on February 6. The point of going to France is a different complication. The pet must also follow an approved route in to the country. From the US, all of the routes force the pet to fly in checked baggage. France does not have this rule. She can fly in the cabin to France. Air France says there can be up to six pets in the cabin on each flight on the route from Boston to Paris, so we have to check her in after reserving our tickets. The pet and the bag she is in must be less than 6kg (about 13 pounds, Zoe is a bit more than 7 now) and the bag must fit under the seat.

The really complicated part, it seems, is that the certificate of health issued from a third country (not an EU pet passport) is only good for four months... so you need to time that appropriately in terms of when you get it filled out.


Thanks for all the advise and help everyone!!  This whole process is very confusing.

Best,
Alison

Alison,

I think the issue is that with your travel plan, officially Zoe would no longer be coming into the UK from a non-EU country (because she would be originating from France). So she would need to have whatever paperwork is necessary for pets to enter from France (likely issued by French vets, as mirrajay posted above).

If you try to do US -> France -> UK on US-based paperwork, DEFRA will not accept it as you did not follow any of their approved US->UK routes (and do not have France->UK paperwork).

So, as pointed out above, the issue isn't really flying in the cabin or non-in cabin, but following the approved travel routes for the PETS scheme (which specify both location: US->UK only, no stopovers in France; and mode of travel: cargo only, unless you're a special case like a service animal).

My VERY nervous cocker spaniel just made the trip a few weeks ago and made it though just fine, so I am sure yours will be ok in the cargo area too! 

Yup!

Lots of us have brought our beloved pets over in the cargo area and it really is OK! It seems to me that that's the far less complicated option for you right now.

If it makes you feel any better, I should add, my VERY nervous cocker spaniel is going partially blind and deaf and is 10 years old.   

Where in the US would you be flying from? 

Well that makes more sense.  But I am not sure of the answer. 

I think a call to DEFRA would easily clear up this question.

But to play devil's advocate:
Their website does state:
"Non-EU countries certificate

Pet dogs, cats and ferrets entering the EU (including the UK) from non-EU countries require a Third Country Official Veterinary Certificate (128 KB). This Certificate may only be used to enter the UK when completed and issued in a listed non-EU country."

And doesn't mention here about having to enter from a non-EU country. And technically France->UK would be a Pets Approved route. I'm also fairly certain I remember reading about a couple who made the move with their pets going through Amsterdam. We looked into it ourselves, not for fear of our pets flying cargo, but because flying cargo is so expensive.

Ah here you go. Straight from the horses mouth:

"Alternatively, you may travel to another listed non-EU or EU country and then enter the UK on an authorised route. In this case, unless your pet does not leave the confines of the airport during the interchange, the tick and tapeworm treatment must be given before you check in for the final stage of your journey. See part 2, step 4 if your pet transits an unlisted country on its journey to the UK"

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/factsheet/factsheet4-090312.htm.pdf

Good googling!