Returning a pet to the UK

Hello to all PET PASSPORT Holders.
I have spend nearly a full day, ringing Airlines, trying to find a way to send my cat back to the UK.
I cannot get throught on the Pet Passport helpline.
Then problems with communication as I dont speak German, and getting mixed messages with the wonderful germans who speak english.
Could anyone help me please? Im getting no where fast...

i'm sure the germans will have no problem with letting your cat out of the country, it's the brits letting it in that will be the problem. try getting in touch with hm customs and excise.

I know it is different going back into UK but we brought our cat out of the UK on the pet passport scheme and flew him out accompanied by my eldest son. He flew Lufthansa Manchester - Munich and cost the price of excess baggage (cat and airline approved cat box).

Information can be found at this address:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm

Also you can ring the UK for advice on this number:

Telephone: +44 (0)870 241 1710 (Monday to Friday - 8.30am to 5pm UK time) but be careful of the (0)870 if it is your home phone as it will be expensive.

Hope all goes well, PM if we can help any further

Jimi-in-Toytown

good luck! i never tried to get a pet permanently into or out of the UK, but while flying here my flight went throw Heathrow. Lufthansa/United couldn't get Brennan through there unless he went some super special type of cargo (which also meant even higher than already super expensive cargo prices). While trying to negotiate this, since i wanted my dog on my flight and not on a diff one, I emailed people at Heathrow and said now b/c of the new Pet Scheme thingy there should be no prob b/c he's allowed to transfer through the airport w/o a prob and wen on and on about even bringing animals in. so contact your embassy or the airport itself for the info and what vaccinations you'll need.

(not related, but-- Brennan ended up flying on a diff flight than me- darn dog got a direct flight to Munich while i didn't! )

I found a lot of info here: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm

The thing to be careful with the UK is the six-month rule. Effectively this means your pet avoids quarantine in the UK by having it at home after the vaccination before travelling to the UK. After the first vaccination, you just have to make sure you get subsequent jabs done on time and your pet can go anytime.

Is there any way to get around this 6 month rule? The website also mentions something about a 21 day rule.. which is applicable?

The six month rule for entry or re-entry to the UK
Your dog or cat may not enter the UK under PETS until six calendar months have passed from the date that your vet took the blood sample which led to a satisfactory test result (see below). Once the vet has issued the PETS documentation and that six month period has passed, the PETS documentation is valid for your pet to enter the UK.

The 21 day wait before moving from one EU country to another.
There is a 21 day wait before your pet can enter other EU countries.

Aha I think I figured out what they mean.. the 21 day wait is for pets entering other EU countries from the UK, right? So when they say 'from one EU country to another', they actually mean from the UK.

Hi

In March I moved here and brought my 2 cats with me, I was told I needed to get them a rabies jab and it had to be 21 days old before they could fly to anywhere in the EU, But before I could return to the UK I have to have a blood test done on them and that had to wait six months otherwise they would go into quarentine.

If no one this end can help you on the phone then I would call the airline in the UK who you are flying with and speak to them tell them you are having trouble with the language.

we are now doing this as i'm already in the uk and mrs grazz is following in december with catty grazz following in february.

the animal needs to be blood tested by an authorised laboratory for rabies 6 months before travel to the uk. there is no way around this. if you want to move the animal before the 6 months are up, you will need to put it in quarantine in the uk or leave it in germany in a kennel until the 6 month period is up.

you can also only transport the animal by authorised routes as listed on the defra website, linked above. from munich that means with klm via amsterdam and dhl taking on the second leg into heathrow. alternatively, there are a couple of firms in franfurt who will pick up your pet, take it to frankfurt and then it's a direct flight into heathrow.

it will cost you a lot of money, we're looking at nearly 2k euros in total due to our circumstances!

wow thats a lot of money we flew in by lufthansa and the cats where on the same flight are you saying this is different going back?

Hi,

We have taken our dog Lily in and out of the UK quite a few times.

Read the Defra site for the exact details, but dont forget the pet must be microchipped, and take tablets at a vets I think one day before travelling.

After the initial Rabies jab, blood test, 6 months wait & documentation its easy as long as you remember the yearly rabies boosters.

The 6 months wait is to check that the animal didnt have rabies before the inocculation as the signs can take up to 6 months to show so I was told by the vet

We used to go on the ferry from Hook of Holland to Harwich so Lily didnt have to be drugged & go in hold of plane, but I guess cats, like smaller dogs can go in the cabin. The Routes that are set up for the scheme are on the DEFRA website I think.

Although we did the initial jabs and blood test in Portugal (the latter was sent to UK to be done), I know it didnt cost anything like 2K, more like 150 Euro, is it really so expensive here?

If it had cost 2k I would have said we can just buy a new dog each time we fly
Actually, thats just me trying to sound cool & hard - despite what I thought when we got the thing, I am now totally in love with my little dog!

Thanks for all the feedback everyone!

eurotunnel is also an option (obviously not super practical in this case when travelling Munich to Scotland)


not neccessarily (if I recall correctly). As long as you are reasonably well organised and plan in advance (ie 6 months before you move) then the only costs are chipping, vaccination and blood test, which I don't remember being that much. Travel doesn't cost much extra with the cat

I would advise to then keep up with boosters (once a year) as then the cat can travel all over europe pretty easily

You also have to get a 'Bescheinigung' from the Amtstierarzt on Thalkirchner Strasse:

Städtisches Veterinäramt München
Thalkirchner Str. 106 / Ecke Zenettistr.
80337 München
Tel.: 089 23325950
Fax: 089 23321364
Vet-amt-muc@reg-ob.recos.net

Verkehrsanbindung: U-Bahn U 3/U 6, Bus Nr. 31
Parteiverkehr: Mo – Fr: 08.30 – 12.00 Uhr, Do: 14.00 – 18.00 Uhr
Wochenendbereitschaft Tel.: 0177 8350747

with the possibility of your chosen airline (from Munich KLM via Amsterdam only is approved currently) requiring a declaration that your pet has not een abroad during the quarantine period (cotnact the airline company for more info).

Sorry to show my ignorance, but what is a 'Bescheinigung'? Is it just something you need if flying?

We have two cats who have had the rabies jabs to come over here (we brought them from the UK, via eurotunnel), but have not had the blood tests yet. So I understand they need to be wormed and de-ticked before returning to the UK, but does anyone know if they also have to be up to date with other vaccinations like the Felv one? I've looked on the defra site, but I can't seem to find the answer to this.

Thanks in advance

A Bescheinigung is certificate. Yes you need it if flying.

Just an update on this topic. I just returned my dog and cat to UK. Booked the cat onto Lufthansa under Pet Passport rules, all injections etc all checked and in date etc. After a precautionary phone call to Lufthansa they told me although I had booked my cat on the flight they were not allowed to take it because (as mentioned earlier) Munich to London is not an 'approved route'. The only airline that can be used Munich to London is KLM via their centre in Amsterdam. I drove all the way with him in his carrier and with a little help from the vet and her special medicine he was fine. Be warned though the airline DID NOT RING ME it was me checking up.

Good Luck to anyone else trying it

Jimi

The Amtstierarzt as posted from above has changed its phone number to 089 2176380.

I'm most likely going to be getting the train MUC-Frankfurt airport, then fly direct with LH to London with my cat on board. Anyone done this?

Ok after 4 phone calls with conflicting information, I *think* this is the final, correct information:
Cats cannot travel on board at all to the UK; only as cargo whether LH or KLM.
LH misinformed me - they said it was possible and would cost €25! A company called Pet Air said no, only as cargo and for €550. Still trying to find out who Pet Air are and if my cat has to fly with them etc. Will let you know.

Also called the Amtstierarzt and he said that you don't need a Bescheinigung at all. After my recent experience, I'm beginning to think that no one really has a clue about this subject, so I'm going to call back later.

instead of airlines and German authorities I think its easier to get it from the horses mouth so to speak and contact the ministry of agriculture in the UK for details of pets and approved routes

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm

I contacted them already, and they told me the approved routes (which I had already seen on their website) and then said any information on HOW the cat will be transported should be obtained from the airlines and transportation companies themselves. He didn't know who Pet Air were exactly, how they were affiliated with LH for example.

I spoke again to the Städtisches Veterinäramt München and they confirmed on the phone that no Bescheinigung is required any longer. I mistyped the phone number above:

Staatl. Veterinäramt
Thalkirchner Str. 106 / Ecke Zenettistr.
80337 München
Tel. 089/2176-3860
Fax 089/2176-3901

Verkehrsanbindung:
U-Bahn U 3/U 6
Bus Nr. 152

Parteiverkehr:
Mo - Fr: 08.30 - 12.00 Uhr
Do: 14.00 - 17.00 Uhr

Wochenendbereitschaft: Tel. 0177/835 07 47

Website.

So next time dress up as a dog!