How to take dogs to UK?

[jak2002003]

Does anyone have experience or know of a good company / website that can tell me what is needed to take dogs to the UK from Thailand? 

 

I have 2 small dogs and we are relocating back to the UK to live, and want to take the dogs baxk with us as we have had them for many years and are very attached to them. 

 

I found UK government website about the proces, but it's so complicated and I can't get my head around it lol. 

 

I just need a clear, concise list of the steps I need to complete. 

 

Also need to know if any companies can help organise the travel, such as which airline to use etc. 

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

 

 

[marty147]

 

Qatar was recommended to me as a good airline for pet transport.

 

You need to advise separately that you have animals to travel with you and of course, there will be an additional charge.  They can go on another flight but I preferred to travel on the same plane.

 

I used them when coming to Thailand from Saudi Arabia which included a stopover and change of aircraft.  Everything went smoothly and I have no complaints with their service.

I was hoping for an option to take him in the cabin with me but that wasn't possible at the time,

 

The paperwork was all done via an agent so not sure if a similar service exists in Thailand or the UK.

 

[Polar Bear]

The rules for the UK are complicated and very different from other countries.  The dogs have to fly as cargo (not excess baggage), which is expensive. They cannot travel in the cabin. And they will be rejected for the tiniest error on the paperwork. 

 

They can only travel on specific routes with specific airlines. Each route is licenced individually. So just because an airline can fly pets from City A to Gatwick, doesn't mean they can fly them from City B to Gatwick or from City A to Manchester. The list of licensed routes is on the gov website. 

 

A lot of people avoid flying them into the UK by flying to Europe and then travelling to the UK via ferry or train. (That's what I would do if I had to take my dog back to the UK.)

 

If you don't want to do it yourself, look up Action For Dogs. They specialise in Thai-UK pet transport.

 

They re-home Thai dogs to the UK but also transport pet dogs at the same time. They occasionally have flights straight to the UK. However they have flights via Europe & ferry/train pretty much every month. Because they transport multiple dogs regularly, they have better prices than most pet transport services can offer. 

 

They will help you with the paperwork as well. 

 

You need to allow 6-12 months to get the paperwork together. They need to be chipped, vaccinated and have the rabies titer test. It has to be done in that order, and the vaccination record has to be completed in a specific way. 

 

Good luck!

 

 

[Eloquent pilgrim]

I can’t offer any practical advice, but just wanted to say well done fella for taking them with you and not abandoning them.

I’ve lost count of the Facebook appeals in the Hua Hin area for people trying to re-home their “beloved” dogs because they are leaving Thailand. Best of luck to you. 

[jak2002003]

20 minutes ago, Polar Bear said:

The rules for the UK are complicated and very different from other countries.  The dogs have to fly as cargo (not excess baggage), which is expensive. They cannot travel in the cabin. And they will be rejected for the tiniest error on the paperwork. 

 

They can only travel on specific routes with specific airlines. Each route is licenced individually. So just because an airline can fly pets from City A to Gatwick, doesn't mean they can fly them from City B to Gatwick or from City A to Manchester. The list of licensed routes is on the gov website. 

 

A lot of people avoid flying them into the UK by flying to Europe and then travelling to the UK via ferry or train. (That's what I would do if I had to take my dog back to the UK.)

 

If you don't want to do it yourself, look up Action For Dogs. They specialise in Thai-UK pet transport.

 

They re-home Thai dogs to the UK but also transport pet dogs at the same time. They occasionally have flights straight to the UK. However they have flights via Europe & ferry/train pretty much every month. Because they transport multiple dogs regularly, they have better prices than most pet transport services can offer. 

 

They will help you with the paperwork as well. 

 

You need to allow 6-12 months to get the paperwork together. They need to be chipped, vaccinated and have the rabies titer test. It has to be done in that order, and the vaccination record has to be completed in a specific way. 

 

Good luck!

 

 

Thank you. That is very helpful. I will look up that organisation. 

 

So far they are chipped, vaccinated against rabies and the vet is ready to send the blood test off to rabies test place in Bangkok. 

 

 

[jak2002003]

6 minutes ago, Eloquent pilgrim said:

I can’t offer any practical advice, but just wanted to say well done fella for taking them with you and not abandoning them.

I’ve lost count of the Facebook appeals in the Hua Hin area for people trying to re-home their “beloved” dogs because they are leaving Thailand. Best of luck to you. 

When we moved here 17 years ago, we though it was best to rehome our jack Russel terrier rather than put him through the stress of travel and the change in climate. He also liked to escape and run away a lot.ans we were sure he would kill neighbours chicken. 

 

I regret that decision to this day, and swore I would not ever leave a pet dog behind again. 

[topt]

9 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

and the vet is ready to send the blood test off to rabies test place in Bangkok. 

Presumably you have checked that the test result from a Thai test house is acceptable for the UK?

 

The only reason I mention it is I had to organise for 2 dogs to go to Italy about 6 years ago and the blood test had to be done by an accredited European test house - which added some stress/cost due to timings. 

As another poster mentioned UK probably has different requirements.

 

I used these people to organise and you may wish to try them for a quote.

They were very helpful with the Thai export permit part but if you have a Thai speaker you can do it yourself. They responded fairly promptly to emails at the time.

 

Dynamic Air Cargo Co.,Ltd.
Bangkok, Thailand.
Tel: 662 693 5999 # 102
www.dynamicaircargo.com
www.hellobaggage.com

www.thailandpetmover.com

[Polar Bear]

The National Institute of Animal Health in Bangkok is accredited now for the rabies titer test by the UK/EU/USA (but not Japan).

 

You can take them there for the blood draw, or another vet can take the blood and send it to them. (The USA has other restrictions on who can do the blood draw, but the UK doesn't). 

 

The blood has to be taken at least 30 (or 31, check the gov site) days after the last rabies booster. Then you have to wait (3 months? 90 days?) after the blood test. That's from the date the blood was taken, not from when you get the results back. 

 

Once you've got the titer test results back, they are valid indefinitely as long as you always have the rabies booster done on time. One day late with a booster and you have to start again.