My husband and I are seriously considering moving to Finland. He came to the United States on a K-1 visa back in June so we could be married but now we are seriously considering moving back. Arrangements have not been made yet for the move but I do have a question to you all...
Have any of you had to move your pet to Finland? In my case, I have a small parakeet. I read in some instances I could take her as a carry on and she wouldn't need to go in cargo and through quarantine. But then I read something else that contradicted this. I much prefer she come as my carry on because a lot of people tell me she won't survive the trip. This would kill me!!! I am so attached to this little bird. If any of you can advise about this I would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to leave her behind!
Moving pet bird to Finland
-
Hank W.
- The Motorhead
- Posts: 29973
- Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2002 10:00 pm
- Location: Mushroom Mountain
- Contact:
Ah,
short version: you're in trouble...
long version: for a bird you need to apply for an import permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, which may or may not grant it but they will still charge you for the opinion,
http://www.mmm.fi/el/raj/tuo_muut_elaimet_en.html
Then also if the parakeet has made it on the CITES list there is more or less no use applying as they're pretty strict on the endangered species part, and you have to apply for a special permit from the Ministry of Environment, come in at a specialized entry point, then the quarantine...
http://www.ymparisto.fi/default.asp?con ... 644&lan=EN
not to mention you probably in the CITES case you would need an export permit for a parakeet from the USA to EU as well.
cliff notes: getting the parakeet on the plane is the last thing to worry about...
short version: you're in trouble...
long version: for a bird you need to apply for an import permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, which may or may not grant it but they will still charge you for the opinion,
http://www.mmm.fi/el/raj/tuo_muut_elaimet_en.html
Then also if the parakeet has made it on the CITES list there is more or less no use applying as they're pretty strict on the endangered species part, and you have to apply for a special permit from the Ministry of Environment, come in at a specialized entry point, then the quarantine...
http://www.ymparisto.fi/default.asp?con ... 644&lan=EN
not to mention you probably in the CITES case you would need an export permit for a parakeet from the USA to EU as well.
cliff notes: getting the parakeet on the plane is the last thing to worry about...
Cheers, Hank W.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
I'd like to add soem of the things I learned about moving a pet bird from USA to Finland just in case anyone else should need answers. A big thank you Hank W for getting me started in the right areas!
I did contact the US Fish and Wildlife at 703-358-2104 to inquire about CITES import and export certificates. (Contact number in Finland is 358 9 199 19372, or their website: http://www.fws.gov/). They emailed me a form which can be found (PDF format): http://forms.fws.gov/3-200-46.pdf. You could also review the information at http://www.le.fws.gov/Contact_Info_Ports.htm.
Since I'm concerned about the safety of my bird during shipment, I contact a Pet Relocation Counselor: Air Animal Pet Movers at 813-879-3210 ext 231 or the toll free number: 800-635-3448.
There is also a company called Airborne Animals LLC that will ship the pet and take care of all the details. They gave me an estimated of $1200-1300 to ship my parakeet. They would need to fly her from Boston (where I live now) to Newark, NJ and then transfer to an international airline like SAS to go to Helsinki. Not all airports accept birds.
I hope this helps out for those of you in the same situation as I am.
I did contact the US Fish and Wildlife at 703-358-2104 to inquire about CITES import and export certificates. (Contact number in Finland is 358 9 199 19372, or their website: http://www.fws.gov/). They emailed me a form which can be found (PDF format): http://forms.fws.gov/3-200-46.pdf. You could also review the information at http://www.le.fws.gov/Contact_Info_Ports.htm.
Since I'm concerned about the safety of my bird during shipment, I contact a Pet Relocation Counselor: Air Animal Pet Movers at 813-879-3210 ext 231 or the toll free number: 800-635-3448.
There is also a company called Airborne Animals LLC that will ship the pet and take care of all the details. They gave me an estimated of $1200-1300 to ship my parakeet. They would need to fly her from Boston (where I live now) to Newark, NJ and then transfer to an international airline like SAS to go to Helsinki. Not all airports accept birds.
I hope this helps out for those of you in the same situation as I am.
You're not crazy, you're going sane in a crazy world
I recommend moving to a subburb. Rent is cheaper and it's nice to have easy access to a city for lots of stuff to do. It's been a very snowy season in MA. so you might like that 
NH, I don't know too much about except skiing, hiking, shopping. New England is an ideal place to live in my opinion (except the congestion, lol) But if you want congestion you got it here. One thing though, the air isn't so good. My husband had a hard time adjusting to the pollution and the pollen.
You can PM me anytime for advice and I hope that I can help. I could even look into some stuff around here if you want. I have access to Boston papers.
NH, I don't know too much about except skiing, hiking, shopping. New England is an ideal place to live in my opinion (except the congestion, lol) But if you want congestion you got it here. One thing though, the air isn't so good. My husband had a hard time adjusting to the pollution and the pollen.
You can PM me anytime for advice and I hope that I can help. I could even look into some stuff around here if you want. I have access to Boston papers.
You're not crazy, you're going sane in a crazy world
MPballet wrote:I recommend moving to a subburb. Rent is cheaper and it's nice to have easy access to a city for lots of stuff to do. It's been a very snowy season in MA. so you might like that
NH, I don't know too much about except skiing, hiking, shopping. New England is an ideal place to live in my opinion (except the congestion, lol) But if you want congestion you got it here. One thing though, the air isn't so good. My husband had a hard time adjusting to the pollution and the pollen.
You can PM me anytime for advice and I hope that I can help. I could even look into some stuff around here if you want. I have access to Boston papers.
Ok, thanks! I'm actually a native of the western region of MA, and I haven't been to the eastern region that much, but I remember you saying you are from there, so that's why I thought I'd ask.
Best of luck with immigrating your bird...and let us know how things go. When we move we'll be trying to immigrate our pet chipmunk so we're interested in hearing about others' experiences transporting small animals.
Former expat in Finland, now living in New Hampshire USA.
I can't go any further without warning you that you'll need to earn a lot of money to pay the rents. Have you looked at the prices? I definitely would recommend a subburb...or better yet, a place in the stix is more affordable in New England. Oh, great luck with you little chipmunk. how cute!
p.s. I'm not moving to Finland yet because my husband has not received his perminent residency (Green card) and it's been 4 months now! They said it could be another year or more and he has to stay in this country until then or else he can't ever come back. But since I can't afford an apartment here we have to move in with my sister's family. Things reaaly suck right now but that's another tpoic.
p.s. I'm not moving to Finland yet because my husband has not received his perminent residency (Green card) and it's been 4 months now! They said it could be another year or more and he has to stay in this country until then or else he can't ever come back. But since I can't afford an apartment here we have to move in with my sister's family. Things reaaly suck right now but that's another tpoic.
You're not crazy, you're going sane in a crazy world
MPballet wrote:I can't go any further without warning you that you'll need to earn a lot of money to pay the rents. Have you looked at the prices? I definitely would recommend a subburb...or better yet, a place in the stix is more affordable in New England. Oh, great luck with you little chipmunk. how cute!
I grew up in the Berkshire hilltowns, and my family owns property there which we might have a chance to buy or inherit someday, but for a place to live I want to be near a city like Boston. The problem is that the places where prices are "affordable" or reasonable, the economy is terrible and there are few jobs. In places where the rents are ridiculous, the economy is healthier and there is more to do.
The same is true here in northern Finland. The rent prices seem wonderfully low, but when you consider that the salaries suck and that there is something like a 20% hidden unemployment rate, everyone still ends up broke unless they come from rich families or are really clever with money management.
Speaking of immigration issues, I'm starting to file papers for my husband, and he heard that once you get a greencard (temporary I guess), you can't leave the country without permission? It sounds something like what you and your husband are going through at the moment, so I was wondering if you could clarify that. Once you get the permanent greencard you can come and go as you like?
Anyway, I hope everything gets better for you; keep us posted!
Former expat in Finland, now living in New Hampshire USA.
Hi Caroline,
Sorry for my late reply, my life is in shambles at the moment. About the green card issue, the I-485 form for permanent residence. It is true that one can NOT be allowed back into the United States once they leave and do not have a green card yet. Even if it is in process they still won't let them back.
My husband applied for the card back on Nov. 2004. BCIS is only working on Dec. 2003 cases the last time I talked to them which was last month. It will take a year or more as they are very back logged and this really sucks. So, we are currently filing for a I-131, re-entry permit so that he can leave to visit his family and come back. That alone is $165.00. I think we are just going to leave USA to move to finland once we get that re-entry permit b/c our lives here are going crappy. He was earning awesome money at a big company there and he will be able to get his old job back. I don't know what I'll do but I know that we can live on his salary. I'm interested to know if you are leaving finland due to financial issues?
Sorry for my late reply, my life is in shambles at the moment. About the green card issue, the I-485 form for permanent residence. It is true that one can NOT be allowed back into the United States once they leave and do not have a green card yet. Even if it is in process they still won't let them back.
My husband applied for the card back on Nov. 2004. BCIS is only working on Dec. 2003 cases the last time I talked to them which was last month. It will take a year or more as they are very back logged and this really sucks. So, we are currently filing for a I-131, re-entry permit so that he can leave to visit his family and come back. That alone is $165.00. I think we are just going to leave USA to move to finland once we get that re-entry permit b/c our lives here are going crappy. He was earning awesome money at a big company there and he will be able to get his old job back. I don't know what I'll do but I know that we can live on his salary. I'm interested to know if you are leaving finland due to financial issues?
You're not crazy, you're going sane in a crazy world
Does that rule also apply for Direct Consular Filing? Sorry I forgot to mention that before. The instructions I have from the U.S. embassy here says that the resident alien needs permission to leave the country before they get a permanent green card if they filed their application after arriving in the USA. It doesn't say anything about that condition for aliens who use DCF from their home countries.
The reasons we are leaving...well, a little bit of everything. I feel like I've achieved all I'm going to and there's little room left for growth; in the long term we are both really unhappy here. Low standard of living, rough, long winters (Massachusetts winters are comparatively mild), lousy environment for small businesses ("Taxachusetts" doesn't hold a candle to Finland). We have a big imbalance in our relationship at the moment because my husband has never lived outside of Finland (we met and got married here). I've worked hard to learn fluent Finnish but have found that in the long run it hasn't helped me much to feel integrated here; I've been here a total of 5 years and lately I feel like I have the culture shock of someone who has just arrived in Finland, and I know that's a sign that something's not right. Another reason is to be closer to my family for a while.
So in some ways it sounds like we are in the opposite situation as you. Anyway, I wish you luck, hope everything turns out ok, and remember that going through hard times helps you appreciate the good times more
The reasons we are leaving...well, a little bit of everything. I feel like I've achieved all I'm going to and there's little room left for growth; in the long term we are both really unhappy here. Low standard of living, rough, long winters (Massachusetts winters are comparatively mild), lousy environment for small businesses ("Taxachusetts" doesn't hold a candle to Finland). We have a big imbalance in our relationship at the moment because my husband has never lived outside of Finland (we met and got married here). I've worked hard to learn fluent Finnish but have found that in the long run it hasn't helped me much to feel integrated here; I've been here a total of 5 years and lately I feel like I have the culture shock of someone who has just arrived in Finland, and I know that's a sign that something's not right. Another reason is to be closer to my family for a while.
So in some ways it sounds like we are in the opposite situation as you. Anyway, I wish you luck, hope everything turns out ok, and remember that going through hard times helps you appreciate the good times more
Former expat in Finland, now living in New Hampshire USA.