PLEASE NOTE: you ll need to book a cargo spot for your dog and notify the airport/arrival authoritie

But I digress. The reason for this post is all of the research I ve been doing on traveling abroad with your dog. Obviously, it s a couple months before thrifty car rental discount coupons I leave, but I thought this information would be useful to a number of you so I m posting thrifty car rental discount coupons it early. Once I actually travel with Luna, I will update this research to reflect anything unforeseen and/or talk about my own journey as well. But, for now here s what my research has yielded.
Please note that these directions are for taking your dog from the US to the UK. BUT, they also generally apply to the EU or listed non-EU countries (like Argentina or Australia). You should double-check things if you are coming from an unlisted third country.
1. Research the UK s current regulations.  I m going to tell you what they are. But things thrifty car rental discount coupons change. So you should always double-check the requirements before you take my word for stuff. For current UK requirements, visit DEFRA .
2. Get your pup microchipped. Microchips must comply with international standards (for Europe in general and the UK specifically, this means ISO norms #11784 and #11785, thrifty car rental discount coupons which is a 15-digit chip). Note that you must have your pet microchipped FIRST —before you do any of these other steps.
3. Get your pup vaccinated against rabies. After he/she is microchipped, thrifty car rental discount coupons you'll have to get a rabies shot…even if he/she thrifty car rental discount coupons is already vaccinated. Make sure to do this at least 21 days before you leave the US, as the UK has a 21-day waiting period after the shot before your dog can enter.
4. Have your vet fill out a veterinary thrifty car rental discount coupons certificate. If you're coming from the US (or another approved country), you'll need to have your vet fill out a certificate ( download it here ). This lets the UK know that your dog is healthy and has its microchip and so forth.
5. Treat your dog for tapeworm.  Tapeworm treatment should happen one to five days before you leave. Your vet will need to put the tapeworm information on the vet forms he s filled out. And, then, after you have the treatment and your paperwork, your vet will fax the paperwork to the USDA to make sure everything is correct. Once the USDA responds with either changes thrifty car rental discount coupons (which your vet should make and then fax the paperwork back) or approval, you will need to call the nearest USDA office and ask for a time to get your paperwork stamped.
Once you have a time, take your paperwork and your checkbook down to the USDA office and get everything stamped. They ll charge thrifty car rental discount coupons a small fee (around $35) and they only take checks or money orders, so don t forget your checkbook!
6. Travel on an approved route.  You can get a list of approved routes on the embassy website. As of this writing, they include: Manchester thrifty car rental discount coupons or London via plane, as well as a number of ferry or train destinations from mainland Europe thrifty car rental discount coupons (and Cunard Cruise Lines from New York).
PLEASE NOTE: you ll need to book a cargo spot for your dog and notify the airport/arrival authorities of your arrival date and time to get pre-approval. For Manchester airport, thrifty car rental discount coupons the appropriate authorities are Pets on Jets . You ll need to pay a fee (as of this writing, 300 pounds) and fax over your vet forms and they ll send you a form which approves your dog for transport thrifty car rental discount coupons (letting the airline know it s okay to send him/her over). Then, they ll meet you at the airport, make sure your dog s microchip matches thrifty car rental discount coupons your paperwork and approve your dog for entry into the country.
PLEASE NOTE: as of this writing, the UK  does not allow animals to come in as carry-ons , even if they are tiny. If you don t want to have your 20-lb-or-less dog be cargo, you can often carry him/her on to other European countries and bring him/her into the UK via ferry or train on certain approved routes. This means going first to somewhere like France or Belgium, getting a pet passport (and the tapeworm treatment), and then heading to the UK on an approved ferry or train.
[After I wrote this, I found this lovely post on the topic . It's a little out of date with the new UK rules (no serological test, for example), but has some thoughts I didn't explore above...So, another resource for you!]
* This blog entry and other entries on this site are not intended as legal advice and may contain incomplete information. It is your responsibility to research and confirm all information thrifty car rental discount coupons provided herein. This is just the results of my own inquiries.
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