Has anyone done this before? We're moving to Finland early next year but all of the pet transport companies seem to charge A LOT and i been looking into taking care of all that by myself. We'll be flying via London, does anyone know if we need to follow the UK quarantine requlations as well or only Finland?
The whole process is becoming really painful, it would be great to hear if anyone has done this before.. Leaving my kitty behind is not an option.
moving with a cat from australia
Re: moving with a cat from australia
I did it almost four years ago and we used an Australian pet transport company (can't remember the name now). I HIGHLY recommend you factor in the cost of using a pet transport company over doing this all yourself - it is a very complicated process and the results could be disastrous if you miss a step. If leaving your cat behind is not an option, then make sure you do the right thing and pay somebody to take care of every detail for you. Your cat is unlikely to be travelling on the same plane as you (even if you do it yourself), and the most likely route would be via Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong - if you decide to take the route via London you are looking at a lot more money and more time too. Much better to minimise the amount of transit time your cat has to endure.
If you get a good transport company to take care of it then they will make sure that all the vaccinations and micro-chipping are correct for Finland, and they will also be able to arrange for accommodation for your cat prior to the flights - at least a few days will help, because when you get to Finland you will be exhausted and trying to find the place where you have to collect your cat from is NOT easy for a foreigner. A good tranport company will also know exactly how big the crate has to be (it has changed over the last few years).
All up, i think we paid around $3000 to have our cat shipped over - that included 2 weeks boarding, correct size crate, transport from boarding place to Sydney airport, cost of the flight, vet check at Sydney airport, vet check at Singapore airport, vet check at Helsinki, the processing of the paperwork at each venue, as well as changing the micro chip in Australia, and the extra vaccinations.
A word of warning though. We just returned to Australia without our cat. The cost associated with sending her back was going to be almost twice as much as bringing her to Helsinki. Australia is very strict when it comes to importing animals, and quarantine costs are extensive. Also, Finland doesn't like exporting animals straight out of the EU - preferring instead to send them via London, where i think the processing is easier because of the language and they just seem to be geared up for the processing. You should take a look at the whole picture before making any decisions.
One more thing ... is your cat an inside cat or outside? It's not as common for cats to wander around outside in Finland as it is in Australia.
If you get a good transport company to take care of it then they will make sure that all the vaccinations and micro-chipping are correct for Finland, and they will also be able to arrange for accommodation for your cat prior to the flights - at least a few days will help, because when you get to Finland you will be exhausted and trying to find the place where you have to collect your cat from is NOT easy for a foreigner. A good tranport company will also know exactly how big the crate has to be (it has changed over the last few years).
All up, i think we paid around $3000 to have our cat shipped over - that included 2 weeks boarding, correct size crate, transport from boarding place to Sydney airport, cost of the flight, vet check at Sydney airport, vet check at Singapore airport, vet check at Helsinki, the processing of the paperwork at each venue, as well as changing the micro chip in Australia, and the extra vaccinations.
A word of warning though. We just returned to Australia without our cat. The cost associated with sending her back was going to be almost twice as much as bringing her to Helsinki. Australia is very strict when it comes to importing animals, and quarantine costs are extensive. Also, Finland doesn't like exporting animals straight out of the EU - preferring instead to send them via London, where i think the processing is easier because of the language and they just seem to be geared up for the processing. You should take a look at the whole picture before making any decisions.
One more thing ... is your cat an inside cat or outside? It's not as common for cats to wander around outside in Finland as it is in Australia.
"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."
Re: moving with a cat from australia
I have not moved out from Australia with (or without 
) cats, but i have moved with my cats several times.
Moving to Europe is very straight froward, see below the requirements
http://www.evira.fi/portal/en/animals_a ... countries/
The problems might arise in your own country, arranging the transport etc. I think they should not be too overwhelming issues. At least i have managed to do them alone without any instructions.
London is a good transport hub, because they treat animals there well (in my opinion better a longer way via London than a transfer at an airport in a developing country). Animals on transfer do not enter into quarantine.
My cats have flown as manifested cargo, which means that the flight numbers have been designated, and you can choose the same flight as you are flying (if they take animals on that route). In practice i don't know if it matters, as you can very little once they inside the cargo, but i believe because of instructions between commercial and non-commercial import you have to fly the on the same fllght. check it..
In short:
check the regulations in both countries, do necessary health preparations if any
check the exit and entry points, and corresponding air companies
contact the air companies and ask their info/advice
when you have decided which company, get the crate according to their instructions (to make it sure, you can even take it there and get their approval)
reserve the cargo place and your ticket (double check this, my cats spent once a day in london because the cargo space was not reserved after all)
have all the papers, keep copies for yourself
prepare the crate, enough name+ destination stickers etc, good lock, something warm, the usual water, food cups etc (i believe cats do not eat very much/at all when traveling, but water is extremely important)
take the cats to the airport with the papers
in helsinki the cargo arrives at a separate terminal, a bit further away from the passenger terminal.
Don't worry. My experience is that international removal with animals is far more stressing for the owner than the pets themselves.
) cats, but i have moved with my cats several times.Moving to Europe is very straight froward, see below the requirements
http://www.evira.fi/portal/en/animals_a ... countries/
The problems might arise in your own country, arranging the transport etc. I think they should not be too overwhelming issues. At least i have managed to do them alone without any instructions.
London is a good transport hub, because they treat animals there well (in my opinion better a longer way via London than a transfer at an airport in a developing country). Animals on transfer do not enter into quarantine.
My cats have flown as manifested cargo, which means that the flight numbers have been designated, and you can choose the same flight as you are flying (if they take animals on that route). In practice i don't know if it matters, as you can very little once they inside the cargo, but i believe because of instructions between commercial and non-commercial import you have to fly the on the same fllght. check it..
In short:
check the regulations in both countries, do necessary health preparations if any
check the exit and entry points, and corresponding air companies
contact the air companies and ask their info/advice
when you have decided which company, get the crate according to their instructions (to make it sure, you can even take it there and get their approval)
reserve the cargo place and your ticket (double check this, my cats spent once a day in london because the cargo space was not reserved after all)
have all the papers, keep copies for yourself
prepare the crate, enough name+ destination stickers etc, good lock, something warm, the usual water, food cups etc (i believe cats do not eat very much/at all when traveling, but water is extremely important)
take the cats to the airport with the papers
in helsinki the cargo arrives at a separate terminal, a bit further away from the passenger terminal.
Don't worry. My experience is that international removal with animals is far more stressing for the owner than the pets themselves.
Re: moving with a cat from australia
That's really comforting to hear! My cat's already used to his crate as i try to play with him in it a bit and take him to short trips so hopefully that will make it a bit easier for him...inkku wrote:Don't worry. My experience is that international removal with animals is far more stressing for the owner than the pets themselves.
I've had a good look into all of the preparations i need to make for the transport and i was pretty happy to do it all myself but i was talking with a travel agency couple days ago and she pointed out that some airlines don't do it at all or don't have anyone to take care of the pets during the stops.. So i went and made some calls to the airlines and Singapore airlines said they don't transport live animals at all because they got some toxic substances in the cargo? I thought it was a bit weird and gave a call to Qantas. They had actual 'department' for transporting pets and the lady was really good at helping me. She told me that Qantas only transports them via London which is why i started the looking for the regulations of going via London. Obviously via Asia would be better but if they don't fly that way with pets there's not much i can do.
The Qantas lady and travel agent both agreed that going through a pet transport would be the best option. Cheapest quote i got was around 1000 and i thought they we're ripping me off but then I discovered all these airport fee's (700$ for Brisbane alone!) so it's prolly gonna work out to be pretty much the same if i go thru pet transporters. But if sorting out all the vaccine's myself is gonna save me money i don't mind taking care of that myself..
I don't think we need to put our cat in boarding, I don't think there's any requirements for quarantine.. Unless if i've missed that part...Kupcake wrote:All up, i think we paid around $3000 to have our cat shipped over - that included 2 weeks boarding, correct size crate, transport from boarding place to Sydney airport, cost of the flight, vet check at Sydney airport, vet check at Singapore airport, vet check at Helsinki, the processing of the paperwork at each venue, as well as changing the micro chip in Australia, and the extra vaccinations.
Re: moving with a cat from australia
Er, sorry to be a spoilsport here, but I suggest you read the UK regulations.
Importing pets to the EU, you abide by the arrival destination rules, not the final port. So in this case, the UK.
http://www.qantas.com.au/freight/pdf/Pe ... eFlyer.pdf
I would propose it would be easier to fly direct to finland from asia as they do not have the strict anti rabies law that the UK does.
Importing pets to the EU, you abide by the arrival destination rules, not the final port. So in this case, the UK.
http://www.qantas.com.au/freight/pdf/Pe ... eFlyer.pdf
I would propose it would be easier to fly direct to finland from asia as they do not have the strict anti rabies law that the UK does.
Re: moving with a cat from australia
Import process to Finland is relatively easy, I'd prefer to fly to Finland instead of UK. Custom officials are able to check the papers and microchip free of charge. Just check evira carefully and prepare everything required...
By the way, some airlines let pets travel inside cabin (if they are under some weight 6 or 7 kg), check that as well, that would be the easiest way in my opinion... I think a pet can't travel to UK inside cabin but to Finland they don't care...
I strongly agree that bringing a pet back to Australia will be really much more difficult and expensive...
Cheers
Serkan
By the way, some airlines let pets travel inside cabin (if they are under some weight 6 or 7 kg), check that as well, that would be the easiest way in my opinion... I think a pet can't travel to UK inside cabin but to Finland they don't care...
I strongly agree that bringing a pet back to Australia will be really much more difficult and expensive...
Cheers
Serkan
Re: moving with a cat from australia
Pets DO NOT NEED to enter into quarantine while on TRANSFER in the UK when pets do not enter the country but they stay in the pet travel center in Heathrow. My cats, when returning from Africa, spent one day at Heathrow without any problems. That Defra page is for import, not for transfer.
I personally think cargo is better than cabin for a longer route, because the cargo space is dark. As as Serkan say you cannot take animals on cabin while transiting in the UK.
I personally think cargo is better than cabin for a longer route, because the cargo space is dark. As as Serkan say you cannot take animals on cabin while transiting in the UK.
Re: moving with a cat from australia
Actually, i have to disagree with you on this. Transit time for our cat was 32 hours for our cat from Sydney to Helsinki - that is a very long time and our cat arrived very stressed. Losing fur and just wild-eyed. It was awful. Perhaps anything under 32 hours is a bit less stressful?inkku wrote:Don't worry. My experience is that international removal with animals is far more stressing for the owner than the pets themselves.
Iluvatar - $1000 is a very good price and you should go for it and let the professionals do the job. They will take care of watering and feeding and all the checks along the way.
I'm pretty sure that when the animal is travelling from outside the EU to an EU country the animal is not allowed to travel inside the cabin. I thought the only time that animals were allowed to travel inside the cabin was between EU countries.serkank wrote:By the way, some airlines let pets travel inside cabin (if they are under some weight 6 or 7 kg)
These services are not free of charge. I can't remember how much it was, but we had to pay before we could collect her.serkank wrote:Custom officials are able to check the papers and microchip free of charge.
If you do this you have to make sure you allow enough time between connecting flights for the vets at each stop to check (and feed and water) your cat and process the paperwork.inkku wrote:you can choose the same flight as you are flying
"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."
Re: moving with a cat from australia
So do they actually have vets at the airport who do all this? My travel agent said something about the pet agencies arranging someone to go on the flight with the animals to take care of them.Kupcake wrote:If you do this you have to make sure you allow enough time between connecting flights for the vets at each stop to check (and feed and water) your cat and process the paperwork.
Yeah i don't think i would take him in the cabin, it's much better for the animals if they're in dark rather than meowing in the cabin! That would be just as stressful to us i think..
Yeah i don't think i would put him thru that again.. Once he's in Finland i'd rather keep him there. hopefully don't have to do any big moves after that.serkank wrote:I strongly agree that bringing a pet back to Australia will be really much more difficult and expensive...
Also i'm not sure about flying via Asia because the Qantas lady said they do animal transport only via London. Unless she didn't realise that u can get to Finland via Asia as well. Another option is looking into Cathay pacific's pet transport scheme, maybe i'll give them a call today. I discovered with Singapore airlines that what's on the website means nothing.
I e-mailed a pet travel agency that i got a quote from previously but i guess they're interested anymore cause it's been a while and no reply! They we're the cheapest tho but i guess i'll have to try another one..
Re: moving with a cat from australia
I'm not moving my cat from Australia (I'm moving from the US with my kissa), but since I've been researching this stuff like an obsessed nerd before my move, I still dig reading over (and now rambling in) threads like this.
Evira also has nothing on their site stating that the animals must be importerd as cargo or extra baggage either from what I've read (and I'm pathetic/paranoid enough to have practically memorized everything on the site by now, heh). They just look as though they require that the animal enters through the Helsinki-Vantaa airport if you're flying from outside of Finland. If they don't have that particular restriction on their site for all to see and reference I'd like to think it'd be hard for them to throw a nice "hey, that animal should've been in cargo" into the face of a cat/dog carrying schmoe fresh off the place at HEL (especially if the passenger is saavy enough to print out the Evira requirements and keep it with their paperwork for proof), but I officially get to find out if I'm right about all of this jazz when I get to Helsinki.
Sorry to ramble about this when I'm not moving from the same country AND the OP had already decided to skip the cabin trip altogether, haha. I was just dying to talk about pet importing/exporting, I guess.
Ater doing my homework about this stuff for over a year now, I'm under the impression that it's all up to a combination of the airlines and the countries and that in-cabin travel should be OK if the airline is ok with pets in the cabin/can fit the pet on board and the countires involved don't require a quarantine or have other related restrictions. I booked a flight through Polish Airlines for my cat to travel in the cabin with me from Chicago to Helsinki (with a stop to Warsaw in between) for the end of this month and they are OK with him being with me as long as his soft carrier can fit under the seat in front of me and that I have my t's crossed and my i's dotted regarding his vet certficate for both the US and Finland and that he's identified/microchipped etc...Kupcake wrote:I'm pretty sure that when the animal is travelling from outside the EU to an EU country the animal is not allowed to travel inside the cabin. I thought the only time that animals were allowed to travel inside the cabin was between EU countries.serkank wrote:By the way, some airlines let pets travel inside cabin (if they are under some weight 6 or 7 kg)
Evira also has nothing on their site stating that the animals must be importerd as cargo or extra baggage either from what I've read (and I'm pathetic/paranoid enough to have practically memorized everything on the site by now, heh). They just look as though they require that the animal enters through the Helsinki-Vantaa airport if you're flying from outside of Finland. If they don't have that particular restriction on their site for all to see and reference I'd like to think it'd be hard for them to throw a nice "hey, that animal should've been in cargo" into the face of a cat/dog carrying schmoe fresh off the place at HEL (especially if the passenger is saavy enough to print out the Evira requirements and keep it with their paperwork for proof), but I officially get to find out if I'm right about all of this jazz when I get to Helsinki.
Sorry to ramble about this when I'm not moving from the same country AND the OP had already decided to skip the cabin trip altogether, haha. I was just dying to talk about pet importing/exporting, I guess.
Re: moving with a cat from australia
^ Yeah i think the cabin part should be fine for you since the only airline that i've seen allowing it (altho this is from the website again) was Finnair. And if i recall right it was up to the aircraft whether ur allowed to or not. So logically thinking I doubt they'd make a fuss if other airlines allow you to carry ur pet in the cabin when arriving in the country. Overall the Finnish import rules are pretty relaxed, in my opinion..
I e-mailed another pet transport company and they gave me the same quote of 1000aud. And they actually quoted via Bangkok... The downside is there aren't really any flights via Bangkok, all go thru Hongkong or London/Frankfurt... The the European flights are about 500 cheaper
I guess it will be easier once we get the right flights booked.
I e-mailed another pet transport company and they gave me the same quote of 1000aud. And they actually quoted via Bangkok... The downside is there aren't really any flights via Bangkok, all go thru Hongkong or London/Frankfurt... The the European flights are about 500 cheaper
I guess it will be easier once we get the right flights booked.Re: moving with a cat from australia
I've brought my 2 cats from outside of EU (Turkey) and one of them was in cabin with me. I wasn't able to get 2nd one to cabin because 1 person can get only 1 pet to cabin, so other one was in cargo. That's the rule of my flight company which was Turkish Airlines. For Finland, cabin decision is made by airline company, as Naddy said, there isn't rule about that in Evira.Kupcake wrote:I'm pretty sure that when the animal is travelling from outside the EU to an EU country the animal is not allowed to travel inside the cabin. I thought the only time that animals were allowed to travel inside the cabin was between EU countries.serkank wrote:By the way, some airlines let pets travel inside cabin (if they are under some weight 6 or 7 kg)
These services are not free of charge. I can't remember how much it was, but we had to pay before we could collect her..serkank wrote:Custom officials are able to check the papers and microchip free of charge.
Anyway, we arrived to Vantaa airport without any prior notice, just took the red line, custom officials checked the microchips and papers in about 5 minutes, then they said it's ok to enter. I didn't pay any pennies for that. But maybe if you don't bring them with you in the same flight, different rules could apply..
Cheers
Re: moving with a cat from australia
Has anyone gone thru the vet check in Helsinki-Vantaa? How much was that.. The pet company has basically given me two options either Frankfurt or Bangkok, which is good cause I'd rather avoid London if possible.. The Bangkok flights are exier so we'll prolly choose to go via Frankfurt.
Re: moving with a cat from australia
I don't understand, what vet checks you are talking about?
The pets will be inspected in their COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, not on the way. In Finland, there will be only customs check, where the check the papers and microchips. No vet check.
The pets will be inspected in their COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, not on the way. In Finland, there will be only customs check, where the check the papers and microchips. No vet check.
Re: moving with a cat from australia
The pet travel agency informed me that the cat will have to go thru a vet inspection once it enters EU (in this case Frankfurt). They check for physical condition and int. + ext. parasites, check the papers are all good. Apparently this costs 680aud but we don't have to go thru it again in Helsinki.