The following are some tips to consider when planning your pet’s move.

 

1.  A pet move may involve required paperwork to be delivered to two or three places and not just one. You may have requirements in the country of origin, a connecting country, if it is necessary to change planes, and at the final destination.

 

2.  When planning a pet move, the first thing a person will do is search the Internet. Be aware that it is likely each website may provide different information about this same process, causing you to lose time, perhaps money and perhaps putting the animal at risk.

 

3.  It is very common to hear that a health certificate should be obtained 10 days before departure. In most cases, this is correct. But this should be confirmed with both the airline and the country of arrival, because all do not necessarily have the same requirement.

 

4.  Many countries require you to take the pet travel documents to a Consulate. However, people find that having the 10 day restriction does not give them enough time to obtain the health certificates, send them to a Consulate and wait for the return document by mail. In most cases, you will need to find a way to accomplish this within the 10 days, but first check with your airline, it might be that they don't require the 10 day window.

 

5. Rabies shot for pets are usually required but depending upon the age of the pet, countries may have different requirements on when the shot must be given.

 

 

7. It is common to assume that the same documents or costs involved in moving a pet from A to B will be the same when moving the pet from B to A. Do not make this assumption.

 

8.  If a country asks you to take the travel documents to a Consulate, ask if the document can be apostilled. The apostille is an international convention that can replace the validation from the Embassy. It might be easier in some cases to obtain an apostille than to get the validation from the Embassy.

 

 

10.  Information changes very fast. Websites, airlines, embassies, etc. are often not up to date with pet import requirements. Your best source of information is a Pet Relocation company that is reliable and is experienced at providing the service.

 

For information about moving pets to Panama or departing from Panama, visit us at www.panamapetrelocation.com