Pet Relocation: Update to the original article

This is a short update to the original article based on my experience of relocating my kitten from India to the UK.

Before I proceed to the gist and further details of pet relocation, a few words about a particular category of people who do not really want to do anything practical about pet relocation themselves but just email me and want me to do things for them.

What I did in 2020 is describing my experience of relocating my pet from India to the UK. I did this so that other people who want to take their pets with them to the UK but can not afford the fees of agencies could do the whole process themselves if they simply followed the steps described based on my experience.

This of course does not mean that you cannot email me and ask me a few questions or guidance if you get stuck somewhere in the process of preparing for pet relocation. I am always happy to hear from people who found my experience useful and are ready to make queries, do research on their own for their particular situation and make an effort to relocate their pet. And there have been some really nice and dedicated pet owners making queries with whom I had a privilege to communicate as a result of creating this website.

What I would like some people to understand is that firstly I am not an agency that will take money from you and do everything on your behalf. Secondly, I am not an agency that will take no money from you and will do the whole relocation for you on your behalf.

Thirdly, I am not an agency at all! This website and a blog were created to share my experience and understanding of the world and life and to connect with like-minded people.

I always reply to all email queries. However, what started bothering me as described above, is some queries of certain people that do not want to do anything by themselves. For instance, below is a few examples of the emails received recently:

"Message:i would love to take my pet traditional long hair kitten now. what is the procedure? from india to UK as im planning to go for study visa."

"Message: I would like to bring my pet to UK from India (kerals) could you please help me for this"

Then I responded what steps described in the article with my experience the person had already taken and if they had done microchipping and vaccination as these 2 steps one must do in India before one proceeds with anything else. No response followed.

The point is that if you are a type of the person who does not want to make queries with airlines, read about their requirements for pet travel such as crate dimensions, weight of the pet allowed, etc. BASED ON YOUR OWN SITUATION, contact them if you have any queries, etc. and just want to get things done for you, I suggest you just pay an agency because one can never do something by himself successfully if one does not want to invest time and effort into the process. It is with every single area of our lives, not only with pet relocation...

I guess my experience and articles are only useful for those who sincerely want to take action and understand that if they don't take action, they will be left with no pets in the country where they are going.

Here are a few bits of information regarding pet relocation based on the questions I received in the emails and to which I responded over the last few months. Hope you will find this information useful. Any issues, just respond in comments to the article below so that others would be able to see responses too.

"Can microchipping and vaccination of my pet be done on the same day?"

You could call the vet before you go to them and tell them that you would like your pet to be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies. You can do both-microchipping and vaccination on the same day.

"What papers are needed when my pet is microchipped and vaccinated?"

You need to check with a vet if the vet could give you a letter saying that such and such cat was microchipped with whatever the number is on such and such date and vaccinated against rabies on such and such date(Indian rabies vaccine is the same as in any country). Also when you call them tell them that 30 days after rabies vaccination you will need to collect a blood sample and see if they can do it or you will have to go to a lab, etc. All of this you can find out when you call vets in India.

As I mentioned above, you can book microchipping and a rabbies vaccine in the vets and get a document confirming it.

"Which lab can I can the blood samples?"

You will need a UK approved lab to where you will have to send their blood samples from India. Use DHL or any reliable courier. I would also check if it is ok to send pet blood samples with that courier.

Here is the lab I used to send a sample:

https://biobest.co.uk/rabies-testing/

There are rules for international postage of blood samples on their website. You could get in touch with them-they will advise.

"What information should be there on a vaccination record?"

This is a UK government website to use for further info and details:

https://www.gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain/rabies-vaccination-boosters-and-blood-tests

You will see on there all the details you need to have on the certificates, etc.

For instance:

Vaccination record

Your pet’s vaccination record in their pet passport or health certificate must show:

• your pet’s date of birth

• microchip number, date it was put in or read, and where it is on your pet’s body

• vaccination date

• vaccine manufacturer and product name, for example Nobivac

• vaccine batch number

• date the vaccination is valid until

• the vet’s signature and contact details

Here is the updated version(12th March 2021) of the guidance on pet health certificates:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pet-travel-apply-for-a-gb-pet-health-certificate

You can always call DEFRA if you get stuck in terms of their paperwork: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs

Some information regarding airlines rules for pet travel

You would need to call the airlines or email them to check the requirements for the size and weight of the crates, etc.

As I transported my cat more than 6 years ago, rules and policies could have changed and you will need to deal with each airline separately on this. I guess you need to decide how you are going to travel to the UK-directly or via Europe. 6 years ago there was a rule that if you travel from India to the UK by direct flight you would need an agent to collect your pets. I described that in the original article. As I wanted to travel with my pet on board and didn't want anybody to collect her but always be with her, I was coming back from India to the UK via Europe.

Stay safe everyone and happy travelling with your pet!