Bringing Pets To Thailand....requirements?

[rainman]

my mom is planning on moving/retiring to thailand within the next two months and she needs to bring her two mini yorkshire terriers with her (both less than a kilo, full grown). i assume there isn't any quarantine period in thailand for pets as long as they have the right vaccinations?

[BambinA]

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE IMPORTATION OF DOGS AND CATS INTO THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND

1) A health certificate in English, signed or further endorsed by a full-time authorized veterinary official of the government of the exporting country, if it is previously acknowledged by a veterinary surgeon, stating :-

1.1) number and species ,

1.2) breed, sex, age and color or animal identification,

1.3) name and address of the owner OR the kennel of origin,

1.4) certification of condition items (2) to (5).

2) The animals must come from an area where animal diseases are under control. They are found to be healthy, free from signs of any infectious and contagious diseases including ectoparasitism at the time of export and fit to travel.

3) The country has been free from Rabies for at least the past 12 (twelve) months OR the animals are vaccinated against Rabies with an official approved vaccine not less than 21 (twenty- one) days prior to the departure.

4) EITHER a ) The dog is vaccinated against Leptospirosis at least 21(twenty-one) days preceding departure.

OR b ) The dog is subjected to a test for Leptospirosis with negative result during the 30 (thirty) days prior to the departure.

5) The animals shall be vaccinated against other significant infectious or contagious diseases i.e. Distemper, Hepatitis, and Parvovirus, with an official approved vaccine at least 21 (twenty-one) days prior to the departure.

6) The animals must be conveyed in nose-and-paw proof crates designed to avoid any risk of injury or unnecessary suffering.

7) The animals are not allowed to expose to other animals if they have to be landed in transit at any approved intermediate port. They shall not be allowed to leave precinct of the port except to an officially approved transit quarantine area.

8) The animals are subjected to quarantine at approved premises for a period of at least 30 (thirty) days upon arrival during which they shall be submitted to tests and/or treatments deemed necessary. The importer/owner shall be fully charged for the incurred expenses.

9) Failure to follow the import procedures may result in returning the animals to the country of origin or destroying without compensation.

Contact detail : Bureau of Disease Control and Veterinary Services. Department of Livestock

Development Phayathai road, Ratchtavee 10400 Tel. (02) 653-4550 - 7 ext . 4175 Fax. (02) 653-4929

E-mail : [email protected]

[rainman]

yes yes yes ...sorry i just found your response on another thread. i should have searched before i asked as for the 30 days quarantine ...i dont think thats the case for all dogs? or is it? there must be a way to avoid that or have them quarantined "at home", right?

[BambinA]

...i dont think thats the case for all dogs? or is it? there must be a way to avoid that or have them quarantined "at home", right?

For all animal have to Q. ,

and i think animal has to Quarantine in the Q-section

maybe you should better email /phone and ask about info. from addy

Contact detail : Bureau of Disease Control and Veterinary Services. Department of Livestock

Development Phayathai road, Ratchtavee 10400 Tel. (02) 653-4550 - 7 ext . 4175 Fax. (02) 653-4929

E-mail : [email protected]

goodluck

Bambi

[Wes Turner]

Bringing any animals into any country is a pain in the ass. I used to work in a wildlife park years back and I did not envy the guy that would deal with the import and export/buying and selling of animals.

The paperwork for a mongoose is double that of the paperwork for an elephant.

Terriers, lots of paperwork but not so bad - good luck Mr Rainman and nice girl.

[mitmig]

I brought my 2 JRT's in june 2004 into Thailand. Only needed the rabbiesvacination and papers and a certificate of health. There was no quarantaine, but I don't know if they have changed the rules. Before we came to Thailand we asked around a lot: embassee, consulate etc.etc. Everybody gave us other answers, so we took our changes and it worked out. We collected the dogs from the lugagebelt and went into the office of the vet in BKK airport. He took our papers and that was it!

[N&M]

Well, either the rules have changed in a last couple of years, or they are wrong.

Firstly Thailand has rabies so the restriction on countries where rabies is present is not relevant. Fact..... 2 americans brought their dogs to Los from US for a 2 month holiday on an island, they came and went through checked in luggage.

Secondly the 30 day Q, I brought our dog over from Oz 3 years ago and no Q was required at all.

So, unless things have changed that much.

[Sheryl]

I take my cat in and out of the country on a regular basis (most recent time less than a month ago).

In theory, you are supposed to stop at the Animal Quarantine station which is located near the luggage carousels, fill out some forms, show proof of current vaccination and have the pet "examined" by a vet on staff there (examination consisting at most of teaking the animal's temperature). If all goes well this whole proceeding will take about 1 hour but there have been posts reporting big hassles due to arriving after hours..the Animal Quarantine staff only work Mon-Fri 9 - 5 and except holidays...so any other time, there's no vet on duty and one couple apparently had to pay a huge sum to bring a private vet in (long delay, too).

In practice, I simply walk on out with my cat and have never had a problem. It helps if the carrying case soes not look like an obvious animal case (I have a black leateher case which from a distance could easily be luggage. If you are caught doing this, you could theorectically be fined 10,000 Baht but more likely, if you smile and look confused, you'll just be directed over to Animal Quarantine.

It's up to you -- either time your arrival to be during hai government working hours and dutifully turn yourself & your pets in at Animal Quarantine, or just proceed on out with them like I do. In either case, though, do have a rabies certificate on hand.

It doesn't matter whether or not you went through the formalities on arrival when it comes time to take the pet back out of the country -- they don't ask to see any documentation of the pet's "import". But you do need to get paperwork permitting the " export" of the animal in order to get it on a plane going out. Requires a trip to the Animal Quarantine HQ which is in the argo terminal, takes about an hour and costs 50 Baht, you must bring the pet for them to " examine" plus proof of rabies vaccination. Main inconvenience is their working hours - government working days 9 - 4:30 and closed for at least an hour at lunch.

carry them on through customs along with your luggage

P.S. Forgot to add -- Animal Quarantine officials have the right to put the animal in quarantine if they feel there is a health risk, but I have never heard of that happening to anyone.

Sorry for all the typos -- I'm using fast reply mode

[rainman]

thank you SO much, i really appreciate it. the two dogs have all their regular vaccines done already, so we'll get the certificate a few days before departure in english (i hope they dont expect it in thai) ...hope it all goes well. i couldn't imagine the two 1-kilo yorkshire terriers being forced into quarantine and they likely wouldn't survive it as they're very fragile and only 14 and 16 centimetres tall.

does anyone have experience flying with two pets *in the cabin* from north america? either Canada or the US ...unfortunately most of the airlines only accept one pet, no matter how heavy or big, per person in the cabin, all others would have to go cargo, which is obviously also a problem for these dogs ...on an 18-20 hours flight. coming from north america, its also impossible to go through hong kong, which most airlines fly through, as hong kong has a quarantine for all dogs whether they're in transit or not. wouldn't it be so much easier without pets

[udon]

I wish I could find out the deal with bringing captive bred parrots (closed ringed) in to Thailand.

[Sheryl]

thank you SO much, i really appreciate it. the two dogs have all their regular vaccines done already, so we'll get the certificate a few days before departure in english (i hope they dont expect it in thai) ...hope it all goes well. i couldn't imagine the two 1-kilo yorkshire terriers being forced into quarantine and they likely wouldn't survive it as they're very fragile and only 14 and 16 centimetres tall.

does anyone have experience flying with two pets *in the cabin* from north america? either Canada or the US ...unfortunately most of the airlines only accept one pet, no matter how heavy or big, per person in the cabin, all others would have to go cargo, which is obviously also a problem for these dogs ...on an 18-20 hours flight. coming from north america, its also impossible to go through hong kong, which most airlines fly through, as hong kong has a quarantine for all dogs whether they're in transit or not. wouldn't it be so much easier without pets

Each airline has their own rules. Thai airways seems to be one of the best regarding pets in the cabin, and they have a non-stop flight from NY to Bangkok, eliminating the stopover issue. I know their limit is 10 kg for the per & case, case has to be within the size limits for carry-on baggage. I have never heard of a limit on number of pets if they fall within the weight limit and case size -- but best call them to find out.

I have a friend who brought 2 large and ailing old cats with her in the cabin from the East Coast U.S. to Indonesia. She bought an extra seat fior them (Thai Airways) but I think this was because of their size (wouldn't fit into one case).

[rainman]

thanks everybody. i had my wife call the airport vet. and he said they will be there during the arrival time and the dog (if any of them comes cargo) would come out on "belt 6" (i assume that's where the baggage comes out) and all they would require is a health certificate. note he didn't mention any rabbies vaccination, but i'll be sure that those are present as well. thanks again

[udon]

Rainman,

pls update us after arival.

thanks

[rainman]

will do just to let you know, thai airways only accepts one pet in the cabin, the other one will have to go cargo, even though on their website they state that two pets in one bag are okay, its not.

[udon]

In a lot of instances it's up to the check-in staff at the airport, who may wave the one Toy rule and allow 2 if they are medicated.

It's a pity Maerim is offline, he has brought a lot of Toys in from the UK.

[TAWP]

If the cage + animal is over 10 kilo they will be put in the hold, but not just thrown in...so you still have to book ahead.

Call the airport ahead and tell them when you are comming, to make sure they are on place. (Especially if you arrive 5am, not fun waiting around for a couple of hours with a dog that badly needs to pee and pop and mostlikely has done some in the cage already due to the looong flight.

My boy + cage weight some 19 kilo, and he is only a 'medium' dog.

Always check with the airline exactly what they demand - different between the companys. Usually they require some food, that the dog is able to stand up and turn in the cage, some water, cage clearly marked as 'LIVE ANIMAL' and that the cage is approved(!). When you purchase it the spec-sheets for all approved cages usually state this, since they are a little extra sturdy.

No Q needed per defualt, unless the vet. is unsure if the animal is alright.

Remember that it's not allowed to drug the animal with any strong prescribtion-drug and that it might have an adversal effect in the thinner and dryier air of the airplane.

[rainman]

update...

my mom arrived in thailand after nearly 30 hours of flight and because of a thai airways "screw-up", they nearly didn't let her board the airplane in los angeles to bangkok because they only allowed "one dog per airplane", either cargo or in the cabin....but they charged her for both of them over a month before the flight date. anyways, the thai airways captain, after departure delays of 50 minutes, decided to allow both of them in the cockpit for the entire flight as an exception they arrived in bangkok, not cargo but in a hand bag and she asked immigration on where she would have to see the vet for inspection ...the immigration officer looked in the bag for a second and said there was no need, she could just walk out...and she did. that's it...no inspection or anything....maybe just lucky.

[MYMA]

Well it seems that I may have to return to the US for several months.

Anyway, I have a 1 1/2 year old dog that I got here in Chiang Mai. I have been following this post and have made some calls to the airlines . Now I am trying to make the best decision regarding bringing her with me. She weighs 17 kilos but I can't seem to get a straight answer about whether I can bring her in the cabin or not. ( I would be flying the Thai Air nonstop to NY).

Upon returning to Thailand, would I still need all the paperwork that you mention here? Or just the vaccination certificate that I have from my vet here? Is it easier on the return because she is a "Thai" dog?

Has anyone had any problems with their pets as far the climate difference between the different countries? Any specific pet carriers that you recommend?

I would greatly appreciate any info or tips that anyone has that will make this trip less stressful for me and the dog.

Thanks.

[rainman]

i guess when returning you would need the same documents, but you see on my post above how tough they are on actually checking it, but you should have it anyways just in case. 17kg is a lot of weight, the dogs my mom brought are 2kg together and that caused problems already with thai air, i seriously doubt they will allow a 17kg dog from bangkok to ny in the cabin. you need to call them a few days (or more, better) before departure to ensure they heat the cargo room for the dog, otherwise if you arrive the same day with no mention of the dog they won't accept it.

[Sheryl]

Their official policy states a 10kg limit, pet and case together. In addition, the latter has to meet the limitations on carry-on package. I don't think you can manage that with a dog of this size so I am afraid it may have to be cargo hold for him.

I do have a friend who brought 2 large cats (don't know weight but together would certainly exceed 10 kg) with her on TG but she bought an extra seat for that privlege, which apparently they let you do. But of course that's costly.

Returning it is same as if you were bringing the animal in for the first time, although as noted elsewhere they are pretty lax about that. I wish there was some way to get a pet officially decreed a Thai national, as I bring my cat in & out of the country regularly, but alas seems not.

Your dog sounds pretty large and it's a long flight, so better have a cage big enough for him to stand up and turn around in plus to contain some food and water. And plenty of newspaper for the inevitable consequences of the latter. Good luck.

[MYMA]

Thanks for your replies.

I spoke with yet another person at Thai Air who advised me that there is no way to get the dog into the cabin. I asked about the extra seat but she said that was not possible. She said to buy a carrier and bring the dimensions with me when I buy my ticket and that the dog will count as extra baggage for which I will have to pay. The cost is really not the issue for me, it's the length of the flight. I really worry about how she will make it. She is a healthy dog but she has never been in a cage before and never away from me for more than 5 hours. ( I know, my fault) But still, I am concerned. And leaving her here is not an option.

As you can tell, I am not happy about going back and hope to avoid it if possible, but it's not looking good.

[Don Bird]

If the cage + animal is over 10 kilo they will be put in the hold, but not just thrown in...so you still have to book ahead.

Call the airport ahead and tell them when you are comming, to make sure they are on place. (Especially if you arrive 5am, not fun waiting around for a couple of hours with a dog that badly needs to pee and pop and mostlikely has done some in the cage already due to the looong flight.

My boy + cage weight some 19 kilo, and he is only a 'medium' dog.

Always check with the airline exactly what they demand - different between the companys. Usually they require some food, that the dog is able to stand up and turn in the cage, some water, cage clearly marked as 'LIVE ANIMAL' and that the cage is approved(!). When you purchase it the spec-sheets for all approved cages usually state this, since they are a little extra sturdy.

No Q needed per defualt, unless the vet. is unsure if the animal is alright.

Remember that it's not allowed to drug the animal with any strong prescribtion-drug and that it might have an adversal effect in the thinner and dryier air of the airplane.

You stated, "No Q needed per default, unless the vet. ..." how is that possible when item 8 of requirments allowing importation of animals states they must be quarantined 30 days? I am desperate to find the "answers" prior to bringing my beloved dog. I will be beyond upset if somthing bad happened to him. I'm only going to be in bkk for a few months, but I don't want to leave him behind unless the threat to his health and safety is a good chance say 10%. Any advice?

[tuffy]

thanks everybody. i had my wife call the airport vet. and he said they will be there during the arrival time and the dog (if any of them comes cargo) would come out on "belt 6" (i assume that's where the baggage comes out) and all they would require is a health certificate. note he didn't mention any rabbies vaccination, but i'll be sure that those are present as well. thanks again

We are planning to bring our dog with us to Thailand soon as well. I called EVA airlines and they told me one of their requirement is to have a Import certificate from Thailand before they would accept our dog. Has anyone heard of this?

[Sheryl]

I can only repeat, as one who brings a pet in and out of Thailand on a regular basis, that there is no automatic or routine quarantine. However, they reserve the right to quarantine an animal for 30 days at their discretion, which is very rarely invoked. If you giooglew this forum you will find many past threads with accounts of bringing in pets that back this up.

Re the import certificate -- I am familiar with it (in fact I regularly get it; it is the same form for both import/export). However one gets it from Animal Quarantine officials in Thailand. It is a very simple matter here -- just fill out a simple form, a vet "examines" the pet for 2 minutes, then you pay 50 Baht and get the papers. However, I don't know how you could get one in advance, since the form is issued after "inspection" by a Thai official and has a Thai government stamp. Even if you have friends here, they can't get it without bringing the animal. The normal procedure is to get it on arrival at the airport.

Have you tried Thai airlines? They are pretty pet-friendly and morel ikely to be up to date on Thai regulations,

[tuffy]

I can only repeat, as one who brings a pet in and out of Thailand on a regular basis, that there is no automatic or routine quarantine. However, they reserve the right to quarantine an animal for 30 days at their discretion, which is very rarely invoked. If you giooglew this forum you will find many past threads with accounts of bringing in pets that back this up.

Re the import certificate -- I am familiar with it (in fact I regularly get it; it is the same form for both import/export). However one gets it from Animal Quarantine officials in Thailand. It is a very simple matter here -- just fill out a simple form, a vet "examines" the pet for 2 minutes, then you pay 50 Baht and get the papers. However, I don't know how you could get one in advance, since the form is issued after "inspection" by a Thai official and has a Thai government stamp. Even if you have friends here, they can't get it without bringing the animal. The normal procedure is to get it on arrival at the airport.

Have you tried Thai airlines? They are pretty pet-friendly and morel ikely to be up to date on Thai regulations,

We looked into thai airway but that 17 hour flight from LA to Bkk is less than appealing and after we added it all up it was nearly as cheap to ship our pup cargo and fly china air from Alaska (where we are).

I will have to look into the Eva thing with the import Cert. Hopefully they have their facts wrong, but i would hate to have Poompuy (our dog) another horor story of being stuck in the LA airport for 30 days trying to get the paperwork sorted out.

Thanks for your help Sheryl!

[snowbuddy27]

Hi! I found all the info I was freaking out about on this board, so thank you to everyone who posted before. Now that I know how to bring my doggy into Thailand with me, I was wondering if anybody could tell me about vet care and boarding facilities within the country? Are there decent vets and boarders I would be able to bring my dog to in Thailand? If I leave the country for a few days I would want to have my dog boarded but it has to be a safe clean facility as she is very small (5lb). Also can anyone tell me how liberal towards dogs they are there: do they have dog parks; is public walking acceptable; is it safe to leave her alone in my house; are they allowed in any public places - restaurants, theaters shops, etc; is it generally safe to have a small dog there (predators, crime towards animals, diseases???? Thank you so much for your help!

[rainman]

Hi! I found all the info I was freaking out about on this board, so thank you to everyone who posted before. Now that I know how to bring my doggy into Thailand with me, I was wondering if anybody could tell me about vet care and boarding facilities within the country? Are there decent vets and boarders I would be able to bring my dog to in Thailand? If I leave the country for a few days I would want to have my dog boarded but it has to be a safe clean facility as she is very small (5lb). Also can anyone tell me how liberal towards dogs they are there: do they have dog parks; is public walking acceptable; is it safe to leave her alone in my house; are they allowed in any public places - restaurants, theaters shops, etc; is it generally safe to have a small dog there (predators, crime towards animals, diseases???? Thank you so much for your help!

As for vet care and boarding facilities, we've only used one vet which is in the Soi right before Carrefour Ladprao. Nice house and very clean and good service. They also offer boarding facilities and make an overall good impression.

As for predators/diseases, I personally wouldn't let a dog walk on the public street here ...too many stray dogs around that will probably attack it.

[tampasailor]

I can only repeat, as one who brings a pet in and out of Thailand on a regular basis, that there is no automatic or routine quarantine. However, they reserve the right to quarantine an animal for 30 days at their discretion, which is very rarely invoked. If you giooglew this forum you will find many past threads with accounts of bringing in pets that back this up.

Re the import certificate -- I am familiar with it (in fact I regularly get it; it is the same form for both import/export). However one gets it from Animal Quarantine officials in Thailand. It is a very simple matter here -- just fill out a simple form, a vet "examines" the pet for 2 minutes, then you pay 50 Baht and get the papers. However, I don't know how you could get one in advance, since the form is issued after "inspection" by a Thai official and has a Thai government stamp. Even if you have friends here, they can't get it without bringing the animal. The normal procedure is to get it on arrival at the airport.

Have you tried Thai airlines? They are pretty pet-friendly and morel ikely to be up to date on Thai regulations,

We looked into thai airway but that 17 hour flight from LA to Bkk is less than appealing and after we added it all up it was nearly as cheap to ship our pup cargo and fly china air from Alaska (where we are).

I will have to look into the Eva thing with the import Cert. Hopefully they have their facts wrong, but i would hate to have Poompuy (our dog) another horor story of being stuck in the LA airport for 30 days trying to get the paperwork sorted out.

Thanks for your help Sheryl!

Want to bring cats in and out: Siamese, Burmese, Korats, Tonks etc., with papers. Hobby cat breeder in LOS half each year and looking to meet cat people who can steer me in the right direction. email me if you like. krub

[frenchfarangjomtien]

Hi,

Somebody has brought his cat lately ? Can you confirm that just vaccination and letter from Veterinary stating that the pet is healthy are needed ?

And can you bring the cat even when you have a tourist visa ? Can I know much you paid for the cat trip ? Cabin or cargo ?

Thanks for all info.