Traveling with my dog internationally

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qphxxt
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2016 10:30 pm

Traveling with my dog internationally

Post by qphxxt » Mon Jan 08, 2018 4:58 pm

Hi all,

I brought my dog (small pomeranian) to live with me here from the States in July 2017. It took me a little over a month in New York getting all her paperwork done and she was able to safely fly and get to Helsinki with me internationally.

I travel back to New York often and I would like to be able to take her with me at times if possible. This would mean that I fly with her to the States, stay there a couple of weeks, and then fly back to Helsinki together. I would not be able, however, to go through that initial process that I went through in NY at all times because of the long processing times.

I heard about an EU passport. Is this utilized in Finland? If she is up to date on all necessary vaccinations, shots, etc., would she be able to acquire one here? Is it just possible to go to a veterinarian and get it from there? If so, how much are the costs associated?

I apologize in advance for so many questions but I would be lost without her being able to travel with me. Many thanks!



Traveling with my dog internationally

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heretostay
Posts: 637
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 12:54 pm

Re: Traveling with my dog internationally

Post by heretostay » Mon Jan 08, 2018 5:08 pm

My dog has an EU passport and has had to go through the same process when we returned to Finland from a short trip to USA. Maybe the rules have changed since then? Call Evira and they will advise you
if there is any easier way. It was such a pain that we don’t even consider taking the dog abroad anymore. Good luck
Last edited by heretostay on Tue Jan 09, 2018 8:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

ruusu25
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2013 11:54 pm

Re: Traveling with my dog internationally

Post by ruusu25 » Mon Jan 08, 2018 8:49 pm

Your dog must have a microchip to travel into and out of Finland. Because she's not originally from the EU, the passport isn't explicitly required, but it will make your life much easier if you get her one. You can double check with a vet to make sure they can issue one to a non-EU animal. At the veterinarian I use, the price of a pet passport is 80€ by itself, but if you get the passport at the same time as a visit for another reason (e.g. checkup, vaccine), it's half price. You can Google out vets in your area and check their price lists (or call them to ask). As you probably already know, without the EU pet passport you'll need to provide alternative documents to get back into Finland.

Evira info on pet passports: https://www.evira.fi/en/animals/import- ... -passport/

Evira has limited information available about pet transport rules in English: https://www.evira.fi/en/animals/import- ... -movement/

And a bit more in Finnish:
1) In general: https://www.evira.fi/elaimet/tuonti-ja- ... -matkalle/
2) Exporting from Finland to outside EU: https://www.evira.fi/elaimet/tuonti-ja- ... opuolelle/
3) Importing from outside EU to Finland: https://www.evira.fi/elaimet/tuonti-ja- ... ja-fretit/

It may be easiest for you to just call or e-mail Evira, explain your situation, and ask them to confirm the list of things you need. You can contact them at, for example, [email protected].

To import your dog to the US, you need to follow these rules: https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringin ... /dogs.html
And additionally, assuming New York is your final destination, you need to follow these rules: https://www.agriculture.ny.gov/AI/impor ... nimals.pdf

It's very important to note that the certificate of veterinary inspection cannot come from just any veterinarian in Finland. It must come from a government vet (valvontaeläinlääkäri). If you're in Helsinki, you can find their phone numbers here: https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/fi/kulttuur ... nlaakarit/ . The numbers you'd want are listed under "Valvontaeläinlääkärit" on the right side of the page.

Finally, also make sure to check with the airline you're using to see if they have any additional requirements to the ones above.

Good luck!

tavastia
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2016 1:54 pm

Re: Traveling with my dog internationally

Post by tavastia » Tue Jan 09, 2018 7:52 am

What a big business is this dog business...


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