Moving Pets to Jakarta:  A Lesson in Patience?

We came across this New York Times article about a traffic jam in Jakarta being a lesson in patience. The same could be said about moving with pets to Jakarta or Indonesia, as there is always quite a bit of misinformation and confusion.

If your pets are moving from the US to Indonesia, then you will need to abide by the USDA "International Regulations" rules, or "iRegs" as they are sometimes called.  On their website, you can find the Indonesia regulations as follows:

Parrots, parakeets, and other parrot-like birds may neither be imported nor transhipped via Indonesia. Other types of animals may be transported to Indonesia, but request permission in advance from the Department of Agriculture. The animals should have certificates which state that they are free of disease and have not been in a yellow fever infected area for at least 5 days prior to shipment. Inspection on arrival at the airport must be done. Contact the airport so that a veterinarian will be available. Cats, dogs, and monkeys must also have a rabies vaccination certificate stating that the vaccination has been administered within 1 year prior to departure. Birds, cats, dogs, and monkeys are prohibited in certain areas of Indonesia, specifically Palembang, Bali, and Irian Barat.

In addition, import licenses are required for all animals entering Indonesia. The permit should be obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture, Jalan Salemba Raya 16, Second Floor, attention of Kesehatan Hewan (Animal Health).

Interestingly enough, this is in direct conflict with the Indonesian Government's Pet Import Requirements - so you can see how someone might be confused.

Ultimately, you might consider working with a professional pet transportation service to navigate the somewhat blurry lines of import requirements, and to ensure that your pet arrives safely on the receiving end.  If you are moving pets on your own, it is a good idea to check with the Ministry of Agriculutre or Department of Agriculture in whatever port of entry you plan on flying into with your pets well in advance of moving with your pets or any sort of international pet travel.