Importing A Pet Into Thailand

[gp6755]

In the next 2 to 3 years my husband and I are planning on selling our home and moving to Thailand. Could you please inform me of the rules and regulations regarding bringing animals to Thailand. At the moment we have 2 Budgerigars and 1 Senegal parrot. Would we be alllowed to bring them with us?

[StrongView]

hi gp6755:

I myself have not brought birds into Thailand. I have a dog and on my two moves to Thailand I've brought my pet (Golden Retriever) into Chiang Mai and Bangkok respectively.

Going to Chiang Mai (first trip) I had no one to answer to in Thailand (nobody checked my dog or any papers at all). However, for the airline I had to show paperwork with vaccines and sign some paperwork. I refer you to your airline for info on this. On the way out (back to US) I just had to have a vet check my dog and get the paperwork up-to-date (again, by US standards...so I just checked the US customs website for this information) and got through customs no problem.

On the way back (1 year later), my final destination was Bangkok. Again, had the dog checked at the vet in the US and got all paperwork up to date for the airline. Upon arrival and Don Muang, my dog was in her crate at the baggage belt. I put her on the cart and pushed her through toward the exit. An airport attendant guided me toward a different part of the airport, to the airport veterinarian. I got there, they looked at the paperwork and I paid a 150 baht fee for the license (not really sure what this was for...something to make the entrance official I guess) and that was it. I was told previously though, that it's a 50/50 chance you'll be stopped and asked to go to the vet. Sometimes you just walk right through.

Anyway, I know this isn't exactly what you're asking about, but this was my experience bringing a pet into Thailand. Given that Thailand is not very good about animal well-being, you should really probably have no problem bringing your birds into Thailand as long as they aren't endangered or stolen. Good luck!

[masterblaster]

Hello. Me = long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm curious about your experiences getting the dog there. Can you just crate it in the US and pick it up in Thailand? Is there a concern about how many hours that is, or whether it's too hot or not fed/water for that long? Are there services available to care for the animal while it's en route?

[Curious George]

I would also like to know of experiences when importing pet birds into Thailand. I have several African Greys that I would like to bring with me in a couple years. I have asked on several forums in the past, including here, with no response. Surely, someone on this forum must have brought birds in before and have some information to share with us.

[bina]

I've shipped a boxer from finland to israel unaccompanied; and a staff. bull terrier from usa to israel w/stop in paris along the way. most companies have a maximum temperature level (months of july august here for instance )at which beyond, they wont carry the animal ifits in the stomach of the plane depending on outside temps..

some tips:

dont feed before shipping;

provide water in spill proof water container if possible

the vets i work with do not recommend tranquilizers as they say the animal can not cope as well with stress but every dog and vet is different.

use a quick release collar not a regular one so if something happens the dog has the collar but if something drastic happens, cannot hang or strangle itself cause the collar can break easily releasing it

put copy of paperwork in pocket of travel box and original with you

bring own dog food for few days and also some water from home

put shirt with your SWEATY dirty personal (familiar) smell in box; most dogs sleep thru times of high stress and the smell is a good pacifier.

for birds; check make sure that it isnt a CITES (endangered animal) and you can prove ownership (note from vet stating has been in your possession etc.

parrots react badly to stress so talk to bird vet . small budgie types are flexible little creatures so shouldnt be as problematic.

checks for psiticosis, chlmydia ???

dont think the thai officials really care about this stuff, no?

[StrongView]

hi again. i echo bina's suggestions and add a couple of my own. per my experiences bringing my dog from the US to Thailand and back (two times), I had very little trouble. I would suggest avoiding United Airlines at all costs. Also, don't send the dog without you on the same flight...sometimes shippers will do this for you. I suggest against it, because if you care about your dog enough to bring it with you around the world, you should definitely ensure you are with him/her at every moment you can be.

I used EVA Air on my way into Thailand the first time (June 2002) and they were great. We went from Newark to Seattle for a 1 hour layover. My wife and I were waiting in terminal so we could get back on...just talking...it was about 1:00 am or so. A baggage handler walked by us and says "Are you Emma's parents?" (Emma is the name of our dog) and we said "Yes" and she went on and on about how the handlers were talking to her and giving her a refill of water and that they made sure she was away from the loud noises during the layover. The reasons she knew that Emma was our dog was because, as we have read in the past, it is advisable to put pictures of you (the traveller) and your dog on the top of the crate with a note...something like "Hi, I'm Emma and this is my first time flying...so I might cry a little...but don't worry...it's just because I miss my parents"...something like that. This serves two purposes. 1) it makes sure that if your dog is able to get out of the crate (this is almost impossible these days) there is a photographic record on the crate of whom is the owner (so they can notify you) and 2) so that it explains your dogs experience with flying. The baggage handlers will get to know you and your dog by reading it, and may treat him/her better when loading him/her on the flight. It worked for us and is highly recommended. Just go to Office Max or some office store and have them color copy your photos and laminate them. Then get double-sided tape and some crazy glue (to ensure it won't come off) and affix them right on the top of the crate. Easy.

When I went back to the US (a year later), I went on EVA again, and in Taiwan (layover) coming down the jetway to board the plane again (onto San Fran) a baggage handler was running down saying "who has the dog?" and my wife and I said "We do". He is holding a bottle of water asking "Is it ok if she has bottled water?". It made me feel at ease and happy knowing that the attendents were paying attention to this...because as we know...on these flights..you need a lot of fluids. A word about the flight attendents though. When you get on the flight, it is advised that you ask the attendent to check if your dog has gotten on the flight too (this is very important). On EVA, the attendents would always say "Oh, I'm sure she's on." Well, she was...but they were not checking to be sure. This could be read either that they definitely know that their service is so great that they are sure the dog got on, or that they could care less. I think they are confident in their service...but it made me a little uneasy. Nevertheless, they came through.

Now, when I came back to Thailand in August of 2003, I had gotten a job with a US gov't agency. I was only allowed to fly a US carrier (United or Northwest). United had the better frequent flyer mileage plan...so I went with them. When we boarded (again in NY) the flight attendent was very helpful and checked with the pilot to make sure the belly of the plane where my dog was of the correct temperature and that he would monitor it thoughout the flight. She was a dog lover and gave us updates throughout the flight. Well, when we finally got to BKK, her water dish was empty and she was panting and crying loudly like crazy. I've never heard her like this at all in the 5 years we had had her (she usually doesn't cry at all when in pain). Since she had already made 2 long haul flights with no problem on EVA, also in the summertime both times....I presume that either the cabin she was in was either too hot, or she did not get water in her dish (in the crate) as was told to me. Either way, if you can fly a non-US carrier, go with EVA...great service, great seats...and they take care of your pet.

Hope this helps!

[masterblaster]

Thanks for the replies... excellent info.

[StrongView]

I'd also like to add...

We ran into a problem that most do. When we got to Thailand (usually late in the evening) we had to stay in a hotel for a few weeks while looking for somewhere to live. A great American guy named Patrick Bundock runs a kennel-less kennel at his home right outside of Bangkok. Rates are reasonable and he met us at the airport to pick up our dog when we got here. Nice guy and he is a dog trainer as well. He works with Soi Dog Rescue too. I use him often, as I go out of town once every one or two months. If you'd like his contact info, please PM me. Also, if you go to Chiang Mai, I've got a person up there who offer the same service. Again, if you want the phone numbers...PM me and I'll let you know.

[diogenes]

Greetings,

I am bring in my Golden in later this month and all the best hotels are major leauge dog unfriendly. No Peninsula, no Sukothai, no Oriental, no Four Seasons, no...well you get the idea.

I did find one hotel but it does not really meet the concept of splurging to celebrate my arrival in Thailand.

So either i immediately fly to Phuket and skip a few days in BKK, or find a place for her to crash.

I am a little concenred because she will have spent over 30 hours in a create and she has never been created before. Not sure I want her to spend time with a stanger because she has never been in a kennel before either. (Yes - she is major leauge spoiled.)

So can you tell me more about your recommendation and provide an email address if you have one?

Many thanks.

PS. Does anyone know if i can go see her during the 11 hour layover in London?

[BoomerangThree]

I have two Poodles and was wondering on such a long trip, rather than crate them, can you carrry them on board as long as they are in a carrier?

Thanks...

[bina]

DIOGENES and those for those of you w/ dog not used to crate;

buy the crate ahead of time, condition the dog to sleep in the crate:

1. put a tasty snack in the crate and have the dog get used to going freely in and out

2. when they are used to that, let the dog go in, say 'in' or 'place' or whatever, then close the door of the crate for a minute or so, then open, say 'out' or 'free' or whatever'

3. do this often, and extend the time the dog remains in the crate, up to four hours... stay near the dog's crate, but go in and out of room; after dog feels comfortable, u can leave for a an hour but come back and release

4. dont make a fuss about 'poor doggy stuck in prison' ... dogs are den animals and become very fond of their crate/box and if u treat the dog as if it is their regular bed and not a punishment place, they will feel happy and secure.... this all makes it easier for shipping any time any where....nero, my finnish boxer, loves his crate and sleeps there at nite, the same crate he was shipped in

5. if u go to dog sites, they can reccommend flight companies with good or bad records, etc... BTW, My first dog was a staff. bull terrier and people were too afraid to approach him near the crate....

6. never unleash a dog that has been travelling as they can get lost very easily and after many hours of flight, they may be stressed and disoriented and even well trained dogs may 'act out' or not respond to commands or requests

african greys? arent they the birds that pluck their own feathers and suffer from separation anxiety problems (had one like that).... better check a bird specialist site as i'm not big on birds, just goats, dogs, etc. birds seem to me to be less flexible in changes of schedule food water etc.

[monkeygirl]

All good tips, just adding:

1. if you've never crated before, start doing it NOW before you go, a little each day, so they get more comfortable and aren't traumatized

2. you can put one of those giant gerbil water bottles on the cage so they can lick the water off, instead of using a water bowl that will for sure spill and not only leave them wet, but with no water -- don't think that anyone is going to care for them en route, if they do, you got lucky

3. try to fly in cooler weather but not cold -- many dogs die on hot runways and other areas where they are put before they are loaded

4. most airlines allow a max of two small dogs or cats inside the cabin but it is a first-come, first-serve thing, so contact the airline well ahead of time and find out their policy

About the birds, contact your vet, the airlines and the Thai embassy/consulate. it probably won't be a problem, but with avian flu (although gone now), they may have initiated some new rules.

it's so awesome there's no quarantine in thailand or in the US for pets. kudos to these countries and kudos to you for shipping your pet instead of abandoning it!! i hope some day the UK will stop being buttheads and lift their 6 month quarntine between thailand and them.

[DJ Pat]

My cats may join me after Xmas.

[Jimbo]

Depending on the airline and the size of the dog, you might be able to take you pet onboard with you in a cage. Its depends on the the dimensions of the cage. I was able to take my mini Schnautzer on boards and the cage was on a empty chair between my wife and I. We flew KLM

[DJ Pat]

You mean my cats can sleep on my knee in flight?

[udon]

I will put a caveat...... Pre Bird flu.

[tuffy]

We have pretty much gotten all our ducks in a row now. I must admit finding a vet with the Leptospirosis vaccine was a bit of a challenge here in Alaska as they don't normally give that vaccine.

The one issue i haven't completely resolved yet is # 6 of the requirements for importation of dogs into Thailand.

6. The animals must have identity certificates signed in the country of origin by a registered veterinary surgeon and further endorsed by a veterinary authority describing the age, breed, sex, color and markings or other points of identification of the dogs or cats.

Anyone have any info on this? Do I need to hunt down a state vet to endorse the health certificate I received from my vet?

[Lost in LOS]

We have pretty much gotten all our ducks in a row now. I must admit finding a vet with the Leptospirosis vaccine was a bit of a challenge here in Alaska as they don't normally give that vaccine.

The one issue i haven't completely resolved yet is # 6 of the requirements for importation of dogs into Thailand.

6. The animals must have identity certificates signed in the country of origin by a registered veterinary surgeon and further endorsed by a veterinary authority describing the age, breed, sex, color and markings or other points of identification of the dogs or cats.

Anyone have any info on this? Do I need to hunt down a state vet to endorse the health certificate I received from my vet?

my vet in hawaii [seeing them tomorrow] is fedexing papers with the info on it to the state vet and getting them to issue a certificate and fedexing it back to us just to be safe.

[tuffy]

We have an appointment with the Federal vet next week just to be safe. I don't know that it will really matter BUTTTTTT.... i would hate to deal with the what ifs.

Thanks for the reply Jimmys

[tuffy]

I don't know if any one has run into these problems bringing their dog to Thailand but I am running into brick walls everywhere.

Now I am told by eva and China air cargo that i need to obtain an import permit from Thailand before they will accept the dog. Can't find this permit anywhere. From what i have learned I need to get it from the Department of Livestock (DLD) in Thailand. They won't respond to my email and when i and even my Thai wife try to call them they just hang up? Typical gov office?

http://www.dld.go.th/webenglish/index.html#home

we are days away from leaving now and I can't seem to get my dog (poompuy) a ride.

We are flying out of Alaska and my last hope is Thai air will accept him and we can fly out of LA on the non stop. I am trying to find that out presently if they will take him or not.

Anyone have any suggestions of info it would be greatly appreciated!

[Nienke]

Dear Tuffy,

Just saw your messge yesterday... I have consulted one of my American customers who has imported her dog about 2 years ago. Another has just send their dog back to the States.

There seems to be a company in the States (Florida) that is very knowledgeable and helpfull when it concerns sending animals from and back to the US. They are not cheap, she said, though.

Anyway, you can contact them thorugh their website:

www.airanimal.com or toll free (phone) 800 635 3448

I hope this will be of help to you and in time,

With friendly Greetings,

Nienke

Manager LuckyDogs Prt. Ltd.

I don't know if any one has run into these problems bringing their dog to Thailand but I am running into brick walls everywhere.

Now I am told by eva and China air cargo that i need to obtain an import permit from Thailand before they will accept the dog. Can't find this permit anywhere. From what i have learned I need to get it from the Department of Livestock (DLD) in Thailand. They won't respond to my email and when i and even my Thai wife try to call them they just hang up? Typical gov office?

http://www.dld.go.th/webenglish/index.html#home

we are days away from leaving now and I can't seem to get my dog (poompuy) a ride.

We are flying out of Alaska and my last hope is Thai air will accept him and we can fly out of LA on the non stop. I am trying to find that out presently if they will take him or not.

Anyone have any suggestions of info it would be greatly appreciated!

[tuffy]

Thanks Nienke

[Sheryl]

Ironically, once you get here you may well be able to just walk on through customs (many people do; some have even been told to when they asked); if not, the most that is likely to be asked of you by the animal quarantine officials is a rabies certificate and that you fill out a simple form.

At least, this has been my experience and that of others who have posted on this forum. The only trouble I( have heard of was one case where the people arrived in the middle of the night and there was no animal quarantine official on duty. Even that could probably have been avoided if they hadn’t tried to stop at the animal quarantine station in the first place. Personally I never do, I just walk on through with my pet, although I should add mine is a cat and obviously a lot smaller and less noticeable than a large dog. For your info, should you (or anyone else) opt to do this, the worst that can happen is a 10,000 (about $250) fine and acting like a dumb foreigner who didn’t know better would probably avoid that.

The import certificate is what the Thai animal quarantine officials will issue you. It is a very simple form giving the details of the pet and owner and stating that the vet has examined the animal and finds no sign of disease. In my experience, the “examination” is limited to taking its temperature (although no doubt there would be more involved if the animal looked ill). Anyhow since the whole point of the certificate is to attest to its health on arrival in Thailand by a Thai govt vet, it can’t be gotten in advance. The airlines don’t know what they are talking about. Thai airlines should know.

[tuffy]

Thanks Sheryl!

We have a booking on Thai Air and there will be no problem with the import permit with them. China Air would be much more convenient for me coming from Alaska but they are still trying to sort out their issues with this import permit.

[sramkok-pratum]

hope everythings go smooth , good luck

[tuffy]

Well we made it through and are settling in and the dog is shedding like a cancer patient (sorry bad joke) but we are all getting settled.

Going through customs I decided to meet the bull at his horns and me my wife and 2 friendly porter types rolled on through with 12 boxes 4 carry ones and a partridge in a pear tree. Nothing was said when asked the wife told then both of us were moving back to Thailand; they scanned a few of the boxes on my cart and shut me down before i could send them all through and sent us on our merry way. On official did corner my wife and start asking a bunch of questions but when i showed up and started asking questions of my own he sent us on our way again.

The dog in cargo on the other hand is a entirely different story! 6 Hours later we walked out of there with our dog and 3 pounding headaches.

First we found the correct Cargo terminal (Thai air) and a help full fella got us started on the right track with getting the import permit taken car of and checking on the whereabouts of the dog. Everything was good until he took us to his office, slab of wood on top of a couple saw horses to do the customs forms. And low and behold there was going to be a $400 duty fee on this shipment. The old lady shut them down right there and we made another trip to the Thai air cargo office asked a few questions and an official TA guy came out and took over case. (for a fee of course). He got all it all sorted and we got the dog and he got a B 3K tip from us. The duty was about B 2000 including paying overtime.

So we got through it but it was not painless. I thought my old lady and the first shyster we going to get into a straight up fist fight!

But all if forgiven and we are in our new home.

[mori]

Please let me know how to bring my pet to Thailand ? Does my dog need any document ? What is the official procedures ? Please let me know. Thanks.

[tuffy]

How big is your dog? Ours is 100# and that caused us ALOT of extra problems (too big for baggage on most airlines overseas).

The first thing you need to do is find out the restrictions and requirements for the airline you will be taking to BKK for pets. Depending on the airline you may need to request space/ apply for paperwork 2 weeks prior. Some airlines only accept health certificate 10 days prior.

It will be a different scenario if you can ship the dog as baggage, from what i gathered that would be a lot easier than the process i went through.

Here are a couple sites that list all the requirements for Thailand.

http://www.thai-la.net/etc/dog.htm

http://moacdc.thaiembdc.org/animal.htm

Read through these old threads

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=66023

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=66466

The best and easiest way would be to hire a pet moving company to ship your pet for you.

Make sure you buy the shipping kennel way ahead of time and get your dog accustomed to spending time in it.

[Nienke]

How big is your dog? Ours is 100# and that caused us ALOT of extra problems (too big for baggage on most airlines overseas).

The first thing you need to do is find out the restrictions and requirements for the airline you will be taking to BKK for pets. Depending on the airline you may need to request space/ apply for paperwork 2 weeks prior. Some airlines only accept health certificate 10 days prior.

It will be a different scenario if you can ship the dog as baggage, from what i gathered that would be a lot easier than the process i went through.

Here are a couple sites that list all the requirements for Thailand.

http://www.thai-la.net/etc/dog.htm

http://moacdc.thaiembdc.org/animal.htm

Read through these old threads

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=66023

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=66466

The best and easiest way would be to hire a pet moving company to ship your pet for you.

Make sure you buy the shipping kennel way ahead of time and get your dog accustomed to spending time in it.

hi,

I would like to add to this the threads on this subject:

'Import permit'

'Moving to Thailand with our dog' and

'Bringing pets to Thailand ... requirements?

Wishing you good luck and a wonderful time in Thailand,

Nienke

[taitai]

Please let me know how to bring my pet to Thailand ? Does my dog need any document ? What is the official procedures ? Please let me know. Thanks.

also interested in this topic, particulalry how to avoid quarantine ?

could anyone please inform about actual experiences on how it is best done ?

many thanks