Traveling With Pets to the United Kingdom

Hello,

I would like to get more information about assistance in moving our dogs abroad with us.

My wife and I may be relocating to London, UK sometime in the mid-spring of 2016 for her work and so I can attend law school. We will me moving with two dogs, a corgi and a German shepherd. I have been trying to read the import requirements for pets and quite honestly have become overwhelmed with what to do as far as taking the pups with us!

I want to make sure they arrive safe and sound and have been reading horror stories about people trying to move to the UK with pets, so naturally we are concerned about this process. We are also trying to get as much information we can since we have a lot of planning to do in the up coming months regarding this move.

Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated!

Thank You,

Nick

Hi Nick,

Thanks you for submitting a question to us, we'd be happy to help with some information about pet travel to the United Kingdom. We've helped many pets move safely to the UK (including Coco and Butter) and we'd be happy to remove some of the mystery from the process.

It sounds like you've already done some research, but here are the official pet import requirements for the UK. It takes a few weeks to properly prepare, but if you follow the details outline by the Pet Travel Scheme your dogs will not face quarantine upon arrival.

Essentially, each dog needs a microchip, rabies vaccination, official veterinary certificate and tapeworm treatment. The rabies vaccine must be administered at least 21 days before travel and you must travel via an approved carrier and route (again, find all details here).

As for general tips, we recommend working on crate training in the weeks before the move and choosing a pet friendly airline (we often use British Airways cargo and United for pet flights to England).

For further guidance, please read over this pet travel advice and also take a look at this overview of the arrival process for pets at Heathrow airport. When pets clear customs they must pass through the Heathrow Animal Reception Center, which can take a few hours.

Hopefully this helps to clarify a few things, but we understand if you still have questions! If you'd like some assistance arranging your move, feel free to fill out our pet travel consultation form.

Good luck and we hope to hear from you!

Pet Travel Question Details:

Name: Nick
Number of Pets: 2
Pet Type: Dogs
Pet Breed: Welsh Corgi and German Shepard
From: Memphis, TN
To: London, England, UK