So You Want To Adopt a Vanlife Stray…
So let me guess- you started feeding the street dogs you found on your travels, now you’ve fallen in love with one and you want to save him from the streets and bring him home with you to a loving forever home. I get it, we’ve all been there.
Unfortunately reality soon starts to set in, and you realise how complex, expensive and time-consuming rehoming a dog from abroad can be, particularly if it’s from outside the E.U.
Well don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with this in-depth step-by-step guide on how to bring a rescue dog from abroad back to the UK, written by someone who has done it– and lost many nights of sleep over it.
This guide mainly covers the common challenges of bringing a dog back to the UK from a non-listed country. There are plenty of guides online for pet travel from EU countries which is comparatively simple. This guide has been pulled together from many sources across the internet to simplify a lot of confusing and conflicting information out there. This guide may work for transporting a dog to or from other countries, but I have no experience of this and therefore cannot accurately guide you.
Firstly, a word of caution: be prepared for the months ahead as there’s a lot of waiting involved, stress can run high and and costs can rack up into the thousands. If you’re not prepared for the process then look into local dog rescue centres who might be willing to take on your street dog and rehome him. Making a donation to these rescue centres at the same time also allows them to continue the incredible work they’re doing.
Stage 1: Vaccinations
The very first thing you’re going to want to do is take your street dog to a local vet, get him checked over and, assuming he’s old enough, get the first round of core vaccinations complete to give you and him the best possible start. The vet will be able to tell you an approximate age and address any underlying health conditions, as well as administer worming tablets which is standard practice for strays. The core vaccinations can be done at 6-8 weeks and will protect your dog from a range of viruses, and should be topped up 2-4 weeks later to give complete immunity.
These vaccinations should not, if possible, be given to puppies younger than 6 weeks, as we found out when one of the two puppies we rescued sadly didn’t make it, having been too weak from his time on the streets to survive the vaccination process.
If you are unable to keep the dog with you you may struggle to find him a placement until he is fully vaccinated, as many shelters don’t take unvaccinated puppies or don’t have the facilities to quarantine them during this phase.
Once the dog is at least 12 weeks old, he can receive his rabies vaccine. This can be done at a local vet or via a local shelter if you chose to leave your dog there. Some foreign vets may be willing to write an earlier birth date for the dog in order to get him home to you quicker.
The dog must be microchipped before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination, or else he will need to be revaccinated.
Once 30 days have passed since the rabies vaccination, a blood sample must be taken by a vet and sent to an EU-approved laboratory for a rabies blood titre test. This is to confirm that the vaccination was successful according to levels of the vaccine in the dog’s blood.
Then, the agonising part: the dog must wait no less than 3 months from the date the blood sample was taken before he is declared ready to travel. Additionally the waiting period to receive the results could be as long as this or longer, depending how far the sample has to be sent to a laboratory. Our dog’s sample was sent to Russia from Armenia, and the vial was broken in transit, which meant that another sample had to be sent, causing us delays of over 4 months, in part due to the war situation with Ukraine.
This is the most challenging part for prospective adopters, as sometimes visa restrictions mean they are unable to wait with their dog during the quarantine period. This was the case for us, so one of us elected to fly back out to Armenia 7 months after originally rescuing the puppy to retrieve him. This is where things got complicated.
Timeline
- 6 - 8 weeks old: core vaccinations
- 8 - 10 weeks old: top-up vaccinations
- 12 weeks old: rabies vaccination
- 6 - 12 weeks old: microchip
- 16 weeks (or 30 days later): rabies blood titre test
- 28 weeks (or 3 months later): dog is fit to travel (from non-listed country)
Stage 2: Paperwork
If you think adopting a dog from abroad is all cuddles and chew toys, I’m afraid to tell you that’s not quite the reality. Think more bureaucracy and endless stacks of paperwork.
Firstly, you’ll need to identify whether you’ll be travelling from a Part 1, Part 2 listed or Not Listed country- this only applies to your country of origin, not any countries you will be transiting through. This list essentially equates to a list of countries that have a low or high risk of rabies. If you will be entering Europe, there is an equivalent list of territories and non-EU countries.
For arriving in the UK with your dog you will need to have a Non-Commercial GB Health Certificate issued within 48 hours of travel by a licensed or “Official” vet in the dog’s country of origin. Once issued and signed this document must be endorsed by the country’s government agency responsible for exporting live animals. The same applies for an EU Health Certificate which you will need for transiting through or arriving in the EU. A flight layover does not count as transiting as the animal will be held in cargo for the duration.
If you are employing a customs clearance agent for your dog’s arrival in the U.K. or you are paying for a pet transport service then you will need to have a Commercial GB Health certificate filled out instead. More on this at the end of this section and in section 3.
The health certificates cannot be forged or completed yourself and must be completed officially with a unique certificate number generated by the official vet. The versions linked in this article are models only and cannot be used for official purposes, but they can be useful for demonstrating to a local vet what you require.
You will need the dog’s vaccination record, his microchip number, the official document from the laboratory confirming the rabies blood test result, your passport and flight details for the certificates to be filled out. All of this information will likely be recorded in the dog’s passport, but this passport is not a valid form of ID for travel to the UK and EU from a non-listed country.
You will also need to sign a declaration for the non-commercial movement of animals and ask the vet to sign an IATA Veterinary Certificate for Airline Travel (this is required by some airlines but not required for entry to the UK or EU).
My best piece of advice to you here is to find an English-speaking local who is passionate about helping animals and ask them to help you find an Official Vet and identify the correct government department, as well as assisting with translations. Had we not had a guardian angel helping us in Armenia we would’ve been totally lost at this point. Try asking on local Facebook animal rescue pages to find someone. The Official Vet will have access to the required documents online and be familiar with filling them out correctly.
As these offices will vary by country I cannot give specific advice here, other than to say that the Official Vet I found in Armenia was Vahe Mkrtchyan and the government agency was located in a nondescript office in the Cargo department of Zvrartnots International Airport in Yerevan. These were both very helpful as most people in Armenia recognise the plight of their animals and want to do everything they can to help them, even despite me being told they were officially unable to authorise the GB Health Certificate, which they stamped anyway.
If you are in Armenia it’s also worth contacting PAWS Medical Centre who speak English and are very helpful.
What’s the difference between commercial and non-commercial movement of animals?
Non-commercial movement means the pet is accompanied by its owner, or will be arriving within 5 days of its owner and should not be intended to sale or transfer of ownership upon arrival.
Commercial movement means that the animal is being moved with the intention of sale, rehoming or transfer of ownership on arrival. Be very careful here not to tell DEFRA that your dog is being adopted from a shelter; this is classified as commercial movement, and commercial movement of animals from any non-listed country is outright BANNED. The animal may only be brought home if he is your pet i.e. you are relocating. Commercial movement also means you must employ an agent to complete customs clearance on your behalf when arriving directly in the U.K., and this can cost thousands of pounds (more below).
Relief: documents signed & stamped
Documents and resources:
- Part 1 listed, Part 2 listed and Not Listed countries (arrivals into UK)
- List of territories and non-EU countries (arrivals into Europe)
- List of high-risk rabies countries as defined by countries including U.S., Canada and Australia
- Pet health certificate for the non-commercial movement of animals to GB
- Results of rabies blood titre test
- IATA Veterinary Certificate for Airline Travel
- Declaration for the non-commercial movement of animals (UK only)
- Commercial GB Health certificate
- Transfer of residency ToR1 (no payable VAT on entry)
Stage 3: Travel & logistics
If you’ve made it this far through this article then it’s more than likely you’re stuck on stage 3: arranging travel for your pet. Things are about to get complicated here, but stick with me and I’ll guide you through.
Also there will likely be a lot of crossover time-wise between stages 2 and 3, but I felt it easier to divide the sections this way for ease of guiding you through this minefield.
For all journeys it is a requirement that the dog be administered a tapeworm treatment containing praziquantel 24 - 120 hours before travel. This must be recorded in the vet’s official documents.
The dog must fly in an IATA-approved crate with food and water bowls attached to the door and absorbent pads lining the bottom of the crate. Airlines may also have additional requirements detailed in their individual pet policies so it’s important to check these too.
Here are three options for different routes to bring your dog back to the U.K or the E.U.
Option 1: drive back
Now, if you’re planning to drive your dog back home then you likely won’t need this part of the guide. However do be aware that for transiting through multiple countries by road there may be additional vaccination requirements and you may need to have tapeworm treatment administered by local vets along your route. We can’t guide you through every country, but here are guidelines for bringing a dog from Unlisted Third Countries into the EU: arriving in Bulgaria from Turkiyë, arriving in Greece from Turkiyë and arriving in Spain from Morocco.
Option 2: fly in
For flying to the U.K. firstly you’re going to need to find an approved route and an approved airline that carries animals as manifest cargo in the hold. Animals cannot travel in the cabin into a U.K. airport, it is illegal and the U.K. is the only country to enforce this restriction, which makes things somewhat more difficult.
You must fly into either Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW), Edinburgh (EDI), or Glasgow airport. These are the only airports equipped with animal reception centres and approved live animal Border Control Posts who are able to process your pet through customs.
Additionally if entering the U.K. in this way, a Customs Clearance Agent must be nominated to undertake the process on your behalf; it cannot be done by yourself. Companies such as AirPets and Animal Aircare Ltd handle this for a fee. Customs clearance will take 2-4 hours on arrival during which the agents will check your pet’s health, documents and compliance.
All of your pet’s documents must be emailed in advance to the relevant reception for processing by APHA. These are:
Heathrow: Heathrow Animal Reception Centre
Gatwick: Animal Aircare Ltd
Edinburgh: Extrordinair
Glasgow: Pets on the Move
Alternatively pet courier companies such as PetAirUK will handle the process of importing the animal for you, however you will need to find an equivalent company in the country of origin to arrange the transport and loading of the animal to and at the airport. Using a pet courier company without accompanying your pet yourself means that the import will be classified as commercial movement, and this is entirely banned from non-listed countries, so if this is the case you must travel with your pet.
In either case you will be asked to pay import tax on the value of your pet; simply saying that he is a street dog does not wash with HMRC and a value will be assigned to the pet. You will need to complete a Transfer of Residence form (ToR1) to claim the tax back, but this will not be possible if you are not relocating from abroad.
Option 3: fly and drive in
Now if all of this sounds complicated and expensive, that’s because it is. Fortunately I have an alternative route that is somewhat less expensive and complicated. This is the route I used to bring my dog from Armenia to the U.K.
Providing you have an EU Animal Health Certificate and meet the entry requirements you can fly into an E.U. country such as France then drive to the U.K. via a ferry or the EuroTunnel. I’m not saying the process is any less stringent, but you won’t have to deal with customs clearance agents and pet courier companies which can save you money and added layers of bureaucracy. Your dog also won’t need to travel as manifest cargo, which frees up your choice of airline.
Firstly you will need to identify your traveller’s point of entry into the EU, and book a flight accordingly with an airline that takes pets. Check their pet policy and make sure to tell them your dog’s exact weight so you don’t end up with extra fees at the airport. There will be an extra charge for pets on top of your ticket and it’s easier to book and pay for this by phoning the airline directly as many of them will not have this option available to book on their website. Some airlines will also not carry pets in winter due to low temperatures in the hold.
Some options for pet-friendly airlines in Europe include:
- Aegean Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Air Baltic
- Austrian Airlines
- British Airways
- Turkish Airlines
Of these Austrian and Lufthansa I found to be the most expensive, and Aegean and Air Baltic were the cheapest.
Budget airlines such as Ryanair and EasyJet do not carry animals full stop (except for service animals).
If you are continuing on to the U.K. will also need to book your crossing for you, your car and your dog; EuroTunnel, Brittany Ferries, P&O Ferries and DFDS all take pets and have their own individual pet policies and pet reception centres (click the links for more information). Be prepared for a long wait at the reception centre while they check your dog’s documents, as most owners will have pet passports and will not be travelling these routes from a non-listed country.
Once you’ve booked your travel, arranged all your paperwork and stowed your dog in a correctly-sized crate you are ready to take him to the airport and check in. I feel it’s worth reiterating here that if you need to book a flight with a layover en route this does not count as entering a country, and the entry requirements for the dog will only apply to your destination country, so don’t fret. Any transit countries will be marked on the dog’s health certificate though, so make sure you let the vet know your full itinerary.
Once you land your pet will be taken to the airport’s animal control centre then once processed he will left for you to collect at baggage claim. You are then free to drive onwards to your channel crossing. It’s worth noting that if you plan to take public transport in France dogs must be leashed and muzzled on trains, and booking a ticket could be difficult for larger animals (speaking French helps). Train tickets also sell out quickly so it’s best to book well in advance.
Once you arrive at your crossing point you will need to take your dog to the pet reception, get his documents checked and then you’re free to board!
So that’s it for our guide on adopting a stray from abroad and bringing him home with you. All of this information is true to the best of my knowledge after many weeks of research, phone calls, emails and lived experience.
I hope that this guide is useful to you, and remember throughout this process that you’re saving a life, and that is an incredible thing.
Bowie 1 year after rescue.
Useful contacts:
Animal AirCare Ltd (general advice) – 01293 555580
DEFRA – 08702 411710
SIVEP (French equivalent of DEFRA, helpful for EU advice) – +33 3 21 46 18 10