International Pet Relocation
Moving abroad is stressful enough without worrying about the family member who cannot read the itinerary. For most of our clients, the dog, the cat, or the pair of house rabbits are not “cargo” — they are the reason the move has to be done properly. At Flyto Relocation, we have been coordinating international household moves since 2018, and pet relocation is one of the parts we take most seriously. We do not fly animals ourselves and we are not veterinarians; instead we coordinate your pet’s journey with accredited pet-relocation specialists (IATA-familiar, IPATA-type pet shippers) so that the paperwork, the crate, the flight booking, and the welfare checks all line up with the rest of your relocation.
What international pet relocation actually involves
Shipping a dog overseas or flying a cat internationally is rarely a single booking. It is a sequence of tightly timed steps: microchipping, vaccinations, an official health certificate, import permits where required, choosing between cabin and cargo, an IATA-compliant travel crate, airport handling at both ends, and — for a handful of destinations — quarantine. Each destination country sets its own rules, and those rules change. The role of a good coordinator is to sequence everything correctly so a vaccine is not given a day too late or a blood test drawn a week too early, because a single mistimed document can delay a flight by months.
How Flyto coordinates specialists as part of your move
Because pet relocation sits inside a wider household move, we keep it joined up with your shipment, your travel dates, and your arrival address. We coordinate with accredited pet-relocation specialists who handle the regulated, hands-on work — the export paperwork, the airline manifest booking, the climate-controlled handling, and collection or delivery to the door where offered. Flyto stays your single point of contact, so you are not chasing three companies while also packing your home. In practice that means:
- We map your pet’s requirements against your destination and your moving timeline.
- We brief a vetted pet-shipping partner and gather quotes with clear, itemised costs.
- We keep your pet’s schedule aligned with your flights, temporary accommodation, and container arrival.
- We flag anything that needs a vet appointment or an official government endorsement well in advance.
Documentation, microchip and vaccination requirements
Rules vary by country and change often, so the following is general guidance only — always confirm the current requirements with the destination’s authorities and with your vet before booking anything. That said, most destinations share a common backbone:
- Microchip: an ISO-standard microchip, implanted before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination, so the two records are linked. This is almost universally the first step.
- Rabies vaccination: an up-to-date rabies vaccine, given after the microchip, with a minimum waiting period before travel that differs by country.
- Official health certificate: an endorsed veterinary health certificate issued within a tight window before departure, often counter-signed by a government body.
- EU pet passport: for travel within the EU, the pet passport scheme records the microchip, rabies history and treatments in one recognised document.
- Rabies titre (blood) test: stricter and rabies-free destinations require a blood test proving antibody levels, sometimes months ahead of travel.
- Import permit: countries such as Australia issue advance import permits that must be applied for and approved before the animal can travel.
- Parasite treatment: some destinations require tapeworm or tick treatment inside a defined window before arrival.
Quarantine destinations
Most European and North American routes do not require quarantine when the paperwork is complete and correctly timed. A minority of strict, historically rabies-free destinations do. Australia is the best-known example, requiring an import permit and a mandatory quarantine stay on arrival even for fully compliant animals; several rabies-free islands and territories apply similar rules. New Zealand and some island nations also impose post-arrival quarantine or extended pre-export conditions. Where quarantine applies, the timeline lengthens considerably — often to several months of preparation — which is exactly why starting early matters.
Cabin versus cargo, and the IATA-compliant crate
How your pet travels depends mostly on size, breed and the airline’s policy. Small dogs and cats within a strict weight-and-carrier limit may travel in the cabin with a passenger on some airlines and routes. Larger animals travel as manifest cargo in a dedicated, temperature-controlled and pressurised hold — a regulated, routine part of aviation, not the passenger luggage compartment. A specialist selects an airline and routing that treats animals well and, wherever possible, keeps connections short.
The travel crate must be IATA-compliant: rigid, correctly sized so the animal can stand, turn and lie down naturally, well ventilated, secured, and fitted with water. We strongly recommend crate-training in the weeks beforehand so the crate feels like a familiar den rather than a surprise on flight day. One important welfare note: snub-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds — such as Bulldogs, Pugs and Persian cats — face airline restrictions or outright embargoes on cargo travel because their airways make heat and stress riskier at altitude. If your pet is brachycephalic, tell us early so the route can be planned around it.
Timelines — start early
The single most common cause of a delayed pet move is starting too late. Straightforward EU-to-EU moves can sometimes be arranged in a few weeks, but destinations requiring a rabies titre test, import permit or quarantine routinely need three to seven months of lead time. As soon as you know your destination and rough moving date, that is the moment to begin — not after the shipment is booked.
What drives the cost
There is no honest fixed price for pet relocation, because the variables are large. We do not quote invented flat fees. As a realistic market guide, an in-cabin move on a short European route can start in the low hundreds of euros, a typical cargo move for a medium dog to a moderate-rules destination commonly runs into the low-to-mid thousands, and a strict long-haul route with a titre test, import permit and quarantine (for example to Australia) can reach several thousand euros or more once every stage is counted. Your firm quote depends on:
- Species, size and breed — crate size and cabin-versus-cargo eligibility.
- Destination rules — permits, titre tests, endorsements and quarantine fees.
- Routing — direct versus connecting flights and airline pet policies.
- Ground services — vet visits, door collection and delivery, boarding around the flight.
- Quarantine — facility fees and length of stay where required.
Because so much depends on specifics, we give a firm, itemised quote once we know your pet and your exact destination. Ask about relocating your pet and we will map out the requirements and costs for your route.
Requirements at a glance by destination strictness
| Destination | Typical key requirements | Quarantine |
|---|---|---|
| EU (intra-EU) | Microchip, rabies vaccination, EU pet passport | Not normally required |
| USA | Microchip, rabies vaccination, health certificate; extra dog-import rules by origin | Not normally required |
| Australia | Microchip, rabies titre test, advance import permit, endorsed health certificate | Mandatory quarantine on arrival |
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General guidance only — rules vary by country and change; always confirm current requirements with the destination’s authorities and your vet.
Welfare comes first
We understand that handing your pet to a travel process feels daunting. That is precisely why we work only with specialists who treat animal welfare as the priority, not an afterthought: proper crate acclimatisation, sensible routing, climate-controlled handling, and clear updates so you know where your companion is. Done properly, and started early, an international pet move is calm and predictable — and your pet is waiting for you when you arrive in your new home.
Planning a move abroad with a dog, cat or other pet? Ask about relocating your pet and we will coordinate accredited specialists as part of your relocation, so every step is timed correctly and your pet travels safely.