Moving with pets: microchips, vaccinations and quarantine

Bringing an animal across a border is one of the most regulated parts of a move, and the timelines run to months because of how the requirements are sequenced.

The standard chain

1. A microchip, to a recognised standard, implanted before anything else — vaccinations given before the chip are frequently not accepted.
2. Rabies vaccination after the chip, with a waiting period before travel.
3. A blood titre test in some destinations, taken a defined period after vaccination, with a further waiting period after a satisfactory result. This is the step that adds months.
4. Treatments — tapeworm and parasites — within a narrow window before departure.
5. A veterinary health certificate, issued within days of travel and frequently endorsed by the government veterinary authority.
6. An import permit, where the destination requires one, applied for in advance.

Where it goes wrong

• Sequence errors. A vaccination before the chip, or a titre test too soon after vaccination, restarts the clock.
• Breed restrictions. Several countries prohibit or restrict specific breeds, and airlines maintain their own lists that are stricter.
• Snub-nosed breeds, which many airlines will not carry in the hold at all, and in heat embargoes not at all.
• Quarantine. Some destinations require it regardless of paperwork, and the facility must be booked in advance.
• Cabin, hold or cargo. Different rules, different bookings, and cargo frequently requires an agent.

Practical notes

• Start six months before the intended move for a destination with a titre requirement.
• Check the airline's rules as well as the country's; they are separate and the stricter one governs.
• Rental accommodation that accepts animals is scarcer in most cities than people expect, and this is worth solving before arrival.
• Register the animal locally on arrival where required, and update the microchip database with the new address.