Permit

[HeijoshinCool]

No one reads the pet forum anymore, and this matter has become urgent, so I am posting here in hope of someone relating their recent experience.

 

I am bringing my dog into Thailand. The Thai Embassy website states the following:

 

4)  A Copy of the Pet Owner’s Passport
>> For those who wish to import pets into Thailand, but not travelling with them, will need to obtain an “Import Permit” before their departure by submitting an e-mail request with subject “Request an Import Permit” to email: [email protected] along with the following documents

 

In other words, if you are traveling with your pet, as checked baggage, the Import Permit will be issued on arrival based on presentation of proper documentation.

 

But now they tell me the permit is required for everyone prior to departing home country.

 

True or False? Will the airlines demand an import permit?

[DrJack54]

Old thread but might provide related information.

[HeijoshinCool]

55 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Old thread but might provide related information.

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I bought dogs over in 2010 and not required now. Thanks, but thread's too old. 

 

I need input from someone who traveled with their pet in the last few months.

[Salerno]

15 minutes ago, HeijoshinCool said:

I need input from someone who traveled with their pet in the last few months.

Just so happens I just posted a link in a similar thread:

 

If you ask in the FB group I mentioned I'm sure you'll get a reply.

[ubonjoe]

Not related to visas and extension of stay. Move to the correct forum.

 

[animalmagic]

8 hours ago, HeijoshinCool said:

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I bought dogs over in 2010 and not required now. Thanks, but thread's too old. 

 

I need input from someone who traveled with their pet in the last few months.

You might find it difficult to get an answer based on those criteria.  People have had enough trouble trying to travel alone in the last couple of years; I'd be surprised if many had brought in a pet to quarantine with them.

But I wish you the best of luck.

[Polar Bear]

You need an import permit. It's all done by email, and they are very responsive (but it's a holiday today, so you might not get a reply now.) If you don't have an import permit and a health certificate, they will quarantine your pet on arrival.

All the requirements, the form, and the email address you need to write to are here
 

 

[2BOB]

The process is quite simple, in Australia you have to quarintene  for 2 weeks prier to flight and have all paper work checked . ok . thaialand you will get an email saying they have arrived and go to bankok air port ( cant rember which one ) to collect. NOW the problems starts , you will be asked to go and wait in the coffee shop next door, about 10 min 2 men will come and be very friendly and chat, sorry you cant take them problem with paper work come back in 2 weeks or i can fix now for 40.000 bt. Yep i paid.

[eddiesdad]

It's been a while but I'll try and remember.  Here are a few points.  I brought two Boxers into Thailand.  One came with me on the plane when I first moved here. The second came by air later (bought second dog and imported). Both dogs came from Taiwan - important as Taiwan is Rabies free.  You need to be aware of this if you are coming from a country WITH Rabies as you will probably have to go through a quarantine period.   

Your dog will need certain vaccinations from a registered vet and paperwork to go with it. Also your dog must be chipped.

As already stated, you can do import permit online.

There are regulations as to size of travel box relative to the size of the dog (dog must be able to stand and have water). That's if the dog is travelling in the cargo hold. If it's a small dog and can go with you inside the plane then I am not sure re size regulations.  Only some airlines will transport livestock so check which airline you can use first. They will then give you the regulations.

First Boxer I brought in was waiting to be collected at customs inside the airport just after I collected my luggage.  They will check that the chip code matches your import paperwork.  My dog was released to me (still in the cage) but I then had to declare him at customs. It cost me 1000 Baht.

Second Boxer I collected at Airport Customs at the Customs Building outside of the airport. Yes, it is true that there are many con men waiting and will tell you you need them to receive your shipment.  They are not needed. Just ignore them. If you have done the job correctly with import papers then Customs will already have been in touch with you previously to tell you where to go and who to contact. You deal with customs DIRECT, no one else.

Both times I had a company who deal with import/export of livestock help me.  Reason I say this is they will take your dog the night before you fly. They will then deliver your dog to the airport in it's travel box ready to fly on the day of your departure. All paperwork done and in order.  Yes, it does cost money to do this but it makes the whole thing much much easier.

Having said that, there is nothing about this that is difficult if you are prepared to do the research and spend the time getting everything in order.

[Nong Khai Man]

2 hours ago, 2BOB said:

The process is quite simple, in Australia you have to quarintene  for 2 weeks prier to flight and have all paper work checked . ok . thaialand you will get an email saying they have arrived and go to bankok air port ( cant rember which one ) to collect. NOW the problems starts , you will be asked to go and wait in the coffee shop next door, about 10 min 2 men will come and be very friendly and chat, sorry you cant take them problem with paper work come back in 2 weeks or i can fix now for 40.000 bt. Yep i paid.

Same Same 2BOB.....I Brought our Welsh Corgi over on the SAME Flight as Us a few years back, Cost MORE Than BOTH Our Airfares for Her ( Holly ) When we got to Don Muang Airport I Was told to go upstairs to an office where we were met by 4 Men,They told me I Had to pay 10,000 Baht ( To each of them ) for Customs & import Duty, I said & What Happens If I Refuse,They Just said then You Dog will DIE !! My Wife ( Thai ) Argued with them & They settled for 5,000 Baht ( Each ) Which of Course I Paid Under Duress...I Even Informed the Media ( Bangkok Post ) to relay my Story which of course they totally ignored !! TIT !!............So I Would just say IF Anybody is thinking of bringing their Dog / Cat Over Be VERY VERY Careful IF You are told to go to an office in the Airport BEFORE They have released your Pet....

[h3ith]

We brought our dog to Thailand this year.

Because of ASQ (not for the dog, but for us), we had to arrange its transport on a cargo flight, since we could not have picked it up after our own arrival at Suvarnabhumi, nor taken her for a wee walk on any ASQ hotel's small balcony. 

The requirements for the dog are the same, with or without ASQ. Also the import permit is required no matter how the dog arrives.

Bringing Pets Into Thailand - Royal Thai Consulate-General, Los Angeles (thaiconsulatela.org)

 

 

1) Import permit: see further below

 

2) Transport as cabin luggage:

If yours is smaller than 8kg (7kg for some airlines), including the weight of the box, and it fits in a IATA-conforming transport box, then some airlines allow them in the cabin. Middle Eastern airlines plus some others don't allow pets in the cabin. 

Theoretically, you can transport the dog as cabin luggage, but I guess for dogs larger than a yorkshire the box will be difficult to stow near or beneath your seat in practice. Not sure if the cabin crew would put the pet box in some luggage cabinet. 

 

3) Transport as checked baggage:

If heavier than 8 kg, as checked luggage in a IATA box. You pick up its box at the luggage belt in Suvarnabhumi, with your suitcase, but you MUST go to the veterinary office at Suvarnabhumi office to clear him for import. I suppose some airport or customs employee will make sure that you don't abscond with your dog. They may take the box and bring it from the luggae center to the Quarantine Station, with or without you directly in tow.

Tax: theoretically, the import tax will be much lower if the dog flies on the same plane as you,not as cargo. If as cargo, customs will charge 30-35% import tax, quite officially, not inofficially, on what they estimate is the combined value of the dog plus its freight cost according to the freight letter.

If you are on the same flight, they may charge a few hundred or thousand Baht of administrative processing fees, but not 20+ thousand.

 

4) Cargo flight:

The airline cargo staff will bring the box with your dog to the Animal Quarantine Station at Suvarnabhumi airport. Be prepared for several hours of waiting time in their Animal Quarantine Customs office before you can finally show the papers for your dog and finally pick him up. Probably, we could have sped up the waiting time, if we had foreseen it, by hiring a Thai agent who knew how the "speedier" process works. We had all the necessary papers, nothing was missing. My wife is Thai, so it was not language barriers, either. She arrived at the office half an hour before it opened and half an hour before the plane landed. After more than 6 hours, with the help of some external agent she met there, she got the stamps and the dog, with a fee paid to the helpful agent.

I don't suppose a plane full of hungry hyenas had landed before the quarantine office opened and had to be processed with priority.

 

5) Papers:

 

5a) Import permit from Department of Live Stock,

some weeks before the flight:

A maximum of 60 days (and a minimum of probably 7 days) before the flight, you need to send an Import Request Form to the Department of Livestock, via email. Permit-form-R-1-1.pdf (thaiembdc.org)

They answer relatively fast, by email, within 1-3 days, with a stamped PDF document: "NOTIFICATION FOR IMPORTATION OF ANIMAL(S)". In our case, within 2 days.

Your dog needs to arrive in Bangkok within 60 days, or else you would need to request a new permit. Your airline would not accept the dog without the Notification document.

I was advised that the import permit would be necessary no matter how the dog arrives, whether as cabin luggage, checked-in on the same flight, or as cargo.

You will still need to get through animal customs clearance in Bangkok. 

The PDF import permit you request is just your announcement that you plan to request clearance for a pet on the day when the flight arrives. To leave the Airport Animal Quarantine Station with the dog, you need to go through the "real" customs clearance process, get stamps on "real" papers, and pay the fees.

 

5b)  Veterinary health certificate:

A few days before the flight (not more than 1 week), a government-accredited veterinarian in your home country (not only a private pet doctor, but a veterinary office of your city or state) needs to confirm with signature and stamp the vaccination status and fit-to-fly status of your dog.

At least 21 days before the flight and no more than 1 year before:

vaccinations against rabies, leptospirosis, distemper, canine hepatitis and parvovirus

dog must be at least 4 months old (because they must not be vaccinated against rabies if younger than 3 months).

no pitbulls or staffordshire

For leptospirosis, a test no more than 30 days before the flight may replace a missing lepto vaccination. But dogs can get a combi vaccine for lepto, distemper, hepatitis and parvo, so you can cover all requirements with 2 shots: rabies and then all others. Note that there must be 4 weeks of time between the 2 shots.

The same veterinarian needs also to confirm that the dog is fit to fly regarding its general health status.

Without the confirmation of these vaccinations by your local government veterinary office, your dog may go into quarantine in Bangkok or worse - unless your airline already refuses to transport him when you try to check him in without all vet documents.

At your home airport, on the day of the flight, another veterinarian will check your dog's health after check-in, probably just by glancing at him while he stays in his transport box. He will not issue papers to you or to Thai offices. His job is only to prevent liabilities for the airline should your dog appear to be in a precarious state.

 

5c) Other papers you need to attach to your dog's transport box, with copies in your own bag:

copy of shipper's passport 

copy of pickup person's passport

address in your home country

address in Thailand where the dog will stay

flight itinerary, with date, time, any connection flights (book a direct flight)

the bill of lading, which the airline will prepare during check-in; perhaps just a baggage tag on the box if it is not a cargo flight

 

 

[h3ith]

14 minutes ago, Nong Khai Man said:

They settled for 5,000 Baht ( Each )

times 4, that might be the tariff

[h3ith]

17 hours ago, HeijoshinCool said:

But now they tell me the permit is required for everyone prior to departing home country.

 

True or False? Will the airlines demand an import permit?

These are Thai regulations, not airline requirements. The airlines just check if your dog's documents are complete to avoid import problems at the destination.

[h3ith]

2 minutes ago, h3ith said:

But now they tell me the permit is required for everyone prior to departing home country.

The import permit is free, unlike the process at the airport.

You just send the filled PDF form by email to the Department of Live Stock and get the reply email with the Notification for Import 1-3 days later. 

It's the easiest step of the process. Even if someone claims it is not required for a pet on the same flight (which I haven't read in any English-language guidance), you should send the email. 

[HeijoshinCool]

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Thanks to all...........

[Salerno]

@HeijoshinCool

 

Another report (posted 2 days ago) in that FB group I posted a link to seems to suggest she did it on arrival:

 

Quote

Another 15-20 mins for Cali’s import certificates (Bt510 for animal control and Bt1,000 for customs-keep the paperwork for this if you plan on doing more international travel, no need to pay this again). My chaperone called my pet sitter, Nick Nigaosuphanvongs while i was doing all the paperwork so he could be ready for pickup. Wheeled everything out, my hotel vehicle was there and I handed Cali over to Nick (they do allow you to say goodbye and I was able to talk to Nick from a distance and my chaperone handed Cali over to him along with her carryon.

[HeijoshinCool]

9 hours ago, Salerno said:

@HeijoshinCool

 

Another report (posted 2 days ago) in that FB group I posted a link to seems to suggest she did it on arrival:

 

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They refused to allow me on the plane without an Import Certificate, so I had to produce one.

 

Having said that, I am currently sitting in a transit airport. My pup is downstairs.

 

I'll post more once I'm in LOS.

 

There is much unnecessary confusion surrounding this process. I do appreciate all the lengthy answers, but this post is really about one question and one only, and it is a simple yes or no answer:

 

Is an import certificate from BKK vets required prior to departure if the pet is traveling (with its owner) as checked baggage?

 

It is definitely required if the pet is traveling alone as cargo.

 

The rest of the process is straightforward.

[Salerno]

40 minutes ago, HeijoshinCool said:

Having said that, I am currently sitting in a transit airport. My pup is downstairs.

Excellent news, have a great trip ????

[Polar Bear]

7 hours ago, HeijoshinCool said:

Is an import certificate from BKK vets required prior to departure if the pet is traveling (with its owner) as checked baggage?

 

It is definitely required if the pet is traveling alone as cargo.

 

Yes it is required. Otherwise, the pet has to travel as cargo and go to quarantine, even if you are on the same flight. You cannot bring a pet as hand luggage or checked baggage without an import certificate. 

 

(Related to that, if you are traveling on the same flight as your pet, but they are in the hold, make sure they are going as checked baggage and not cargo, otherwise it's a lot more complicated.)

Glad to hear you are on your way!

[HeijoshinCool]

.

 

Got in without a permit.....

 

Too tired to write more at the moment, but little Jing is safe and sound and probably already asleep after her arduous trip.

 

Now it's my turn.

[Polar Bear]

Wow, well done. Did you have any issues arriving outside the official open hours for animal inspection?

[HeijoshinCool]

20 hours ago, Polar Bear said:

Wow, well done. Did you have any issues arriving outside the official open hours for animal inspection?

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Well, let's just say I had to use some PDF software to, ahem, make it possible for me to get my dog on the plane.

 

I had submitted all the paperwork a number of times, and it was perfect, but BKK kept sending me an unsigned form letter stating the vax certificates were not signed. Well, yes, they were signed and in perfect order.

 

I was not about to lose a few thousand dollars rescheduling everything and staying in a hotel in Los Angeles for God knows how many days, so I contacted a buddy who is very computer literate and....well, use your imagination. It was a bit tense at the check-in counter....

 

When I got to the vet section at Belt 8 with my pup in tow, he asked for my import permit and I said I didn't have one. He frowned at me for a moment, asked for the vax and USDA docs, took them in his office and 10 minutes later came out with the permit.

 

I gave him 600 baht, and he, contrary to what other posters have said, gave me change.

 

Also, contrary to what many posters have stated, they are open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Their own website says otherwise, but they always have to have someone on duty.

 

As to whether or not permits really are required for pets traveling with their owners, that question remains unanswered, although my airline required it. 

 

But not having one after arrival at Swampy did not present a problem, though I would not recommend my tactic to anyone. I was half expecting the Boys in Brown to be waiting to drag me and my pup off to the Greybar Hotel.

 

All's well that ends well. 

[HeijoshinCool]

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Maybe they overlooked the lack of permit because Jing is so cute?

 

[Polar Bear]

I would have over looked it ❤️ 

As always, there's pretty much no relationship between the official info/rules and what actually happens, but I'm so glad it all worked out for you and Jing! Thanks for posting back with the info.

[Nong Khai Man]

On 10/13/2021 at 8:17 PM, h3ith said:

times 4, that might be the tariff

O.K. So Let's just call it " LEGAL THEFT "........