How to Travel With Pets to Europe

Richard Thomas

Pets are among our closest companions, so traveling with them can be an especially rewarding experience. Other people need to bring their pets abroad because they are moving and cannot bear leaving them behind. Moving a pet to the European Union (EU) will require a lot of planning and extra effort, but in the end it is entirely worth it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

USDA-certified veterinary certificate Travel pet kennel
USDA-certified veterinary certificate
Travel pet kennel

Step 1

Call around and find a veterinarian who can provide USDA-certified animal health certificates, as this will be required for entry into the EU. Then go visit the vet, get an electronic identification chip installed if your pet does not already have one and bring their rabies shots up to date.

Step 2

Plan on a six-month quarantine if you are traveling to the United Kingdom or Ireland. The rest of the E.U. does not require this, but these two island countries have eliminated rabies and take their animal import precautions very seriously.

Step 3

Plan your flight so that you make the entire flight on a single, nonstop flight, if at all possible. This will minimize the trauma and potential for accidents or neglectful treatment of your pet.

Step 4

Make any flight plan that requires connections on the same airline if you are traveling with your pet as checked baggage. Because different airlines have different regulations regarding pet travel, transferring an animal between them will likely be complicated and may be impossible. Do not take the chance of running into unforeseen problems by switching airlines.

Step 5

Get a crate (kennel) that matches the requirements of the airline you will be using and the needs of your pet.

Step 6

Start crate-training your pet several weeks prior to the trip, if it is not already so trained. Either carried in the cabin or as checked baggage, an air flight is no time to be introducing your pet to life in a kennel.

Step 7

Make the necessary reservation to bring your pet into the cabin, assuming it is small enough to meet your airline's specific requirements. Most airlines have a finite number of slots available for bringing animals into the cabin on a given flight. If you do not reserve your slot in advance, you may find that you are not allowed to bring your pet on the plane when you get to the gate.

Step 8

Appear at the airport's cargo terminal to drop off your pet at least three hours prior to departure. Some airlines may require four hours. You can usually stay with your pet there until two hours prior to departure.

Tips & Warnings

Some passenger cruise liners have kennels, and this is another way to travel with your pet to Europe. However, this is often a much more expensive option than flying and is not necessarily possible for every country. For example, no cruise liners running between the United States and Spain or Portugal offer the service, and this is obviously not an option for landlocked countries such as Austria or Switzerland.

Article Written By Edwin Thomas

Edwin Thomas has been writing since 1997. His work has appeared in various online publications, including The Black Table, Proboxing-Fans and others. A travel blogger, editor and writer, Thomas has traveled from Argentina to Vietnam in pursuit of stories. He holds a Master of Arts in international affairs from American University.

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