Pet Travel Scheme

Answer
When the flight lands, the pets are collected from the flight as the passengers get off. Pets are then delivered to the Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow where they are looked after by trained animal handlers and each animal is released from their flight kennel into their own run. They are offered food (normally dry food) and water while they wait to be given the all clear by the vet. If the pet is particularly dirty they will be cleaned.

Animal Health, the authority here in the UK, check the pet’s microchip and compare it against the paperwork for the animal. Once they give the thumbs up, the paperwork is cleared through customs and then is free to be collected. The process from arrival to clearance can take up to 6-8 hours for pets arriving from outside the EU. Please note: Pets arriving from within the EU are not released from their flight kennels in order to keep your costs down, since they are normally ready for collection around 2 hours after the flight lands.

Answer
We are the customs clearance agents for a number of airline arrivals at Heathrow, such as British Airways, Qantas, Air Canada, Emirates and Northwest (to name but a few!). We are responsible for the collection of pet paperwork from the airline, delivery of the documents to Animal Health and presentation of the paperwork to HMR & Customs.

This process involves driving the paperwork around the airport and the use of our direct access to the customs computer database, which is the primary reason why clients are unable to arrange the customs clearance themselves. We have excellent relations with the staff at the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre (ARC) and Animal Health; and we are in the unique position of having an office located inside the Animal Reception Centre so that we can provide the best service.

Once you get to the Animal Reception Centre our staff members are in green shirts whilst the Animal Reception Centre staff wear blue- they're responsible for your pet's welfare during their brief stay at the ARC.

We can also arrange delivery of your pet to your home once they have cleared through customs and stretched their legs at the Animal Reception Centre. Please contact our staff for a delivery quote.

Answer
Some airlines will quote a "JCS fee" or a "clearance charge" as part of their fees, which they will take when you pay for your pet's trip. Other airlines require us to take these charges when you collect your pet from the ARC. The fees include all arrival charges at Heathrow, including the paperwork check fee, airline fees, ARC charges and our clearance charge, so the money doesn't all go to us- we get billed by everyone involved and pay them on your behalf.

Answer
Unfortunately we are only licenced to carry animals, so you will need to arrange your own transport.

Answer
You can download instructions and maps in our documents page.

Answer
We always suggest bringing ID with you but you don't normally need it. Just bring a lead with you for your dog and consider the amount of space needed for your pet's flight crate in your car. If you are sending a lead with your dog it should be attached to the outside of the crate, but this doesn't necessarily mean that it will reach Heathrow.

Answer
Unfortunately your pet must be kept in isolation until clearing both the vet check and customs procedures, so you will be unable to see your pet until procedures are completed.

If your pet has any medical issues or dietary requirements please let us know what they are and how urgent they are. We can arrange veterinary assistance or special food if required. Veterinary assistance can be expensive, so please call us to discuss your pet's needs and we can give you advice.

Answer
Customs clearance can take up to 5 hours but can vary considerably depending on the number of pets coming into the airport on the day, so please bear with us. We would recommend calling ahead if you can and certainly waiting for at least two hours after your flight lands (pets coming from outside the EU). Please make sure that we have a contact number in case there are any problems- if in doubt, please contact us.

Pets coming from within the EU are normally ready to collect about 2 hours after flight arrival and they must be collected within 4 hours of arrival to avoid any further charges.

Answer
All imports are subject to VAT from outside the EU. Basically this applies to pets being shipped for breeding or showing and also to those being rescued.  The VAT will be based on the value of the animal and the cost of shipping to the UK.

There are mainly 2 forms of VAT relief on arrival subject to conditions and eligibility. Please read this document Notes on preparing to import pets from 1 April 2017 which explains the new procedures in more detail.

Answer Assitance dogs are dealt with directly by the authorities, who should meet you at the flight to inspect your pet and your paperwork. Assistance animals must meet the Pet Travel Scheme requirements. Emotional support animals fall under a slightly different category but must also compy with the regulations. Each of these categories have specific airlines that they can travel on- we're unable to give advice on this I'm afraid, so please contact the airline or DEFRA directly.

Tip
Yes. All pets entering the UK from outside the EU must have a completed 3rd Country Health Certificate. The only exception is if your pet has a valid Pet Passport that complies with the Pet Travel Scheme.If a pet entering the UK does not have a Pet Passport or endorsed 3rd Country Health Certificate then a passport will need to be issued. This can result in delays (and extra costs) as a vet will need to be called out and proofs of the date of microchipping, appropriate valid rabies vaccination and blood test result will need to be supplied.

Tip
No, the old-style certificate is no longer valid.

Tip
No. At some stage an official vet will need to endorse the Health Certificate. This means that a practice stamp from the vet is not sufficient- there must be a second stamp- this is the endorsement by the "competent authority". There are examples of these stamps on the right hand side of this page. If a 3rd Country Health Certificate has not been endorsed then a Pet Passport will need to be issued. This can result in delays (and extra costs) as a vet will need to be called out and proofs of the date of microchipping, appropriate valid rabies vaccination and blood test result will need to be supplied.

Tip
Not necessarily. Depending on the location of the place of endorsement, this can be done at different times. For instance, your vet can complete the majority of the certificate (all except the tick and tapeworm treatments) in one location, the certificate can then be endorsed, and a separate vet could complete the tick and tapeworm treatments (at the appropriate time) **Please note that this must now all be done in the same country USA/Canada overlap is no longer applicable**. Please note- the procedure may differ between countries- for instance, some endorsements are done at the airport at check in. You should check with your vet/authorities. The main points are that the certificate MUST be endorsed and there MUST be a certificate reference number on each page. The reference number comes from the endorsing vet and the format varies per country.

Tip
If a rabies blood test is required, it must be done at an approved lab. The labs in the UK can be found on the gov.uk website.

Tip
A satisfactory blood test result must show the rabies antibody titre was equal to or greater than 0.5 IU/ml. If the test result is satisfactory, the date the blood sample was taken will be recorded by the vet in the official third country veterinary health certificate and the vet will sign the certificate to show that the pet passed the blood test.

Tip
Yes, if your cat is coming from an unlisted country, there must be a rabies vaccination, a 30 day wait and then a blood test. 3 months must pass after the blood test before the pet can enter the UK.

Coming to the UK from a listed country, the cat will just need a rabies vaccination then must wait 21 days before coming to the UK.

Tip
Yes.

Tip
If this happens outside of the 24-120 hours prior to arrival in the UK then your dog will need to stay in isolation at the airport, with no contact with any other animals. The airline or the shipping company responsible for this isolated boarding will need to write a letter to the effect, so that essentially the treatment will remain valid. If there are no facilities at the airport or you would rather your pet not stay at the airport then it will need re-treating for tapeworms. This should not be harmful to your pet.

Tip
This is to double check that the information in the 3rd country health certificate is correct. The rabies vaccination certificate must have the pet's microchip number on in order to identify the animal, as well as the product name, batch number and batch expriry date. Without this information further proof may be required, which may result in delays and costs.

If you do not have a microchip certificate then a set of patient notes with the date of microchipping (along with the chip number) will suffice. If you have neither then we reccomend that you get the vet that vaccinated your pet to write a note on headed paper stating all the pet's details and that the chip was checked when the vaccination was given.

Supporting paperwork can be copies, but the 3rd Country Health Certificate must be original (and endorsed!).

Tip
As per the DEFRA site, the vaccination must be given when the pet is at least 12 weeks old, NOT as per the manufacturer's instructions.