If you’ve flown internationally with a dog

[Anonymous]

There is so much misinformation posted here.

If you’re on Facebook, I’d join (or just view, it’s public) the page “flying with dogs”. Do a search for the country you’re moving to and you’ll probably be able to find other people who have made the same trip recently and get their experience. I’ve not seen anyone on there use a service, it is doable by yourself.

You’ve got this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're expats and have cats. We absolutely use a service each time we move, and have taken two cats to live in multiple countries with us.

You need a service because:

1. Every country has slightly different requirements. Know that some countries, such as the UK, will require a blood titer test to show that the rabies antibodies are present, and the test needs to be done well in advance of the trip (there's a certain amount of time). So start the process months ahead of time.

2. The paperwork is a pain. There will be a list of vaccinations the pet needs, and the service will know what is required for the specific country where you are going. There will need to be some documents and stamps, depending on where you are and where you are going. Just let the service arrange this.

3. You aren't allowed to sedate the pet for the flight, so ignore what that other poster said.

4. We take our cats in cabin whenever possible, but they had to fly in cargo a few times because some countries, such as the UK, will only allow dogs and cats to arrive from cargo.

5. Many people will tell you to leave your pets behind because it is cruel to fly them to another country, but our cats were always fine. They are loved family members and would find it much more distressing to be left behind. Remember, most people themselves don't move to another country and can't fathom doing this, so don't listen to the naysayers.

6. Some vet clinics have import departments, so see if you can find one of those. That will make it easier.

This was not required for the UK in May 2025 bringing a cat from the US. It might be required from other countries, you should caveat your list as its not definitive.[/quote]

We were moving from a post in Kyiv, Ukraine to London.

And the UK has different requirements depending on which country you are coming from before entering UK. See, I don't know the list and you don't either, which is why OP needs to pay a service.

After UK we were in Germany, and didn't need the blood titer test. From Germany we moved to Dubai, and the UAE did require the blood titer test. From Dubai we moved to our current post in Asia, and they also did require the blood titer test. The requirements are always different and depend where you are coming from and going to for your move. All this underscores why you need the agent.

I did try to do the documents/paperwork myself in Germany, and it was extremely difficult because I had to find a vet who was authorized to do some of the official paperwork (something about having the right "stamp"), and also take the cats to some kind of state vet for more paperwork. We almost didn't get the blood titer test done because our original vet, who was NOT authorized to do the official docs with the "stamp", gave us incorrect info. I will always use a service after that.

[Anonymous]

Yes. US to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to EU, and EU to the U.S. (same dog). We used different pet companies each time because it was arranged by HR, but I would highly recommend using a company.

There are a lot of logistics involved and it’s important to realize that, assuming you are also relocating, you will be very busy with your own move and might not have time to deal with all the details for your pet. Also, if something unexpected happens, like your pet gets sick the morning of travel or has an injury, they can help you pivot.

We have used petsfly (petsfly.com) 4-5 times for domestic flights, and I see that they do international flights as well. They were very easy to work with and have a lot of experience. We also used a company called Aeropet, but I don’t know if they are in business anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're expats and have cats. We absolutely use a service each time we move, and have taken two cats to live in multiple countries with us.

You need a service because:

1. Every country has slightly different requirements. Know that some countries, such as the UK, will require a blood titer test to show that the rabies antibodies are present, and the test needs to be done well in advance of the trip (there's a certain amount of time). So start the process months ahead of time.

2. The paperwork is a pain. There will be a list of vaccinations the pet needs, and the service will know what is required for the specific country where you are going. There will need to be some documents and stamps, depending on where you are and where you are going. Just let the service arrange this.

3. You aren't allowed to sedate the pet for the flight, so ignore what that other poster said.

4. We take our cats in cabin whenever possible, but they had to fly in cargo a few times because some countries, such as the UK, will only allow dogs and cats to arrive from cargo.

5. Many people will tell you to leave your pets behind because it is cruel to fly them to another country, but our cats were always fine. They are loved family members and would find it much more distressing to be left behind. Remember, most people themselves don't move to another country and can't fathom doing this, so don't listen to the naysayers.

6. Some vet clinics have import departments, so see if you can find one of those. That will make it easier.

I’m
The PP with friend using Bark airline to go to UK from here. Her dog will not be in cargo, she’ll be in the regular part of the plane. And she’s going to UK. So that part of your post isn’t true.