Alternatives to flying your dog/cat direct to Ireland
I get a lot of questions about moving to Ireland with pets, in particular about moving with dogs. Previous articles I wrote on the topic seem to get people wondering if there are alternative ways to bring their dogs to Ireland from the USA, as well as from other non-EU countries. I think the main reason for searching for an alternative to flying is due to the high cost of transport to Ireland. This is totally understandable. I spent a lot of money bringing my dog over with me in 2014. See the details here. I even wrote an ebook on the topic, which documents ways in which you can minimize your pet move expenses. I also hear from people who are concerned about the toll a long flight will take on their pet, and are unwilling to hand their furry friend over to an airline cargo crew.
You'll be glad to know that you do have other options to take your pet to Ireland other than flying here directly (or flying at all). You may even be able to avoid using the services of a pet transport company. I'm sure they serve a purpose, but if I could have avoided using a pet transporter last year, I would've. I brought dogs to and from Ireland in the past without their help, and had no problems.
Option 1 : fly somewhere else first
Your primary alternative to flying directly to Ireland is to fly/travel to another EU country first, and then travel to Ireland from there. I called the Irish Department of Agriculture (pet travel dept) today (+353-1-6072827) and got some clarifications on taking this approach. I asked if I were to fly to the U.K. or another EU country first, then travel on to Ireland from there, what would I need to do. Michael at the department of Agriculture gave me the following advice:
- You need to satisfy the requirements of the initial country of entry in to the EU with your pet (this applies to cats and ferrets too). At a minimum this will include having your pet micro-chipped and providing a completed Veterinarian health certificate for your pet in the form of the Annex IV document (available for download at ec.europa.eu). There may be other requirements including evidence of tick/tapeworm treatment. You will need to check with the department of agriculture of the country you intend to arrive in for full details.
- Once you have satisfied the requirements of the original destination EU country, your pet will be released and can travel within the EU, including Ireland, with minimal restrictions.
- If you plan to travel onward from your original EU port of entry, then your pet is bound by the following European Union restriction "For the purpose of further movements into other Member States the certificate is valid from the date of the documentary and identity checks for a total of four months or until the date of expiry of the anti-rabies vaccination or until the conditions relating to animals less than 16 weeks old cease to apply, whichever date is earlier." (note: this information may change, so check this link for most up-to-date info)
- When travelling to Ireland from other EU countries (with a few exceptions) you may need to have the tapeworm treatment re-administered and documented on the Annex IV form. At the time of writing this (May 2015), this treatment must be performed "not more than 120 hours (5 days) and not less than 24 hours (1 day) prior to scheduled arrival time in Ireland". Source and most up-to-date info here.
Thank you, Michael, for the information.
Option 2 : set sail on the high seas
An alternative to flying to Ireland/EU with your pet dog or cat, is to come by boat (a big one). Site member @dorzak mentioned he might be doing this, and was given a figure of $500 for pet transport from NYC to Southampton, UK. From there, he'll have to find a way to Ireland with his pet.
I was interested in finding out more about this way of transporting a pet internationally, so I got in touch with someone who has done it. Nikki Moustaki of www.nikkimoustaki.com was kind enough to respond to my email, and shared a pretty neat video of the conditions you can expect for your pet on board Cunard's Queen Mary 2, which I must say look quite nice. The journey might be long, but at least your dog gets to run around, have fun, and you can visit them often.
Regarding costs, Nikki said "I think it was about $500 US to take Pepper at that time." Pepper is her dog : ) Read more about Pepper's travels here.
And regarding onward travel within the EU, Nikki had the following message: "Bringing pets into the UK is the hard part -- it's much easier taking them out."
And finally, here's Nikki's video showing what life is like on the QM2 for pets
Also available at: youtube.com/watch?v=wtfTgI2wB18
Thanks, Nikki!
Important note! Keep all documents, receipts, vet certs, and anything else pertaining to your pets travel. I'd recommend keeping a digital file with copies of everything, including contact names/details of everyone you will interact with (vet, travel agents, agricultural depts, etc).
As usual, any helpful information you can add to the topic is much appreciated. Please use the comments (or contact form) to add to this topic.
image credit: flickr/cogdog
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I’m very interested in the boat Idea.
It’s definitely one of the more economical ways to do it, and you could turn it in to a holiday too. Those boats have a bit of everything including nightlife, entertainment for kids, pools etc.
There’s probably a little bit of planning required though, especially if the boat does not stop in Ireland like in Pepper’s case. You’d then need to figure how to get over to Ireland from there, either via another boat, plane, a bus, etc. Let us know if you end up doing it. Would love to hear how it went. Cheers.
New York to Southampton on the queen Mary 2 is about 1700 per person and I’m not sure about how much the dog would be or for kids and babies per person. Flying him would be around 1400 + 300 for the vet fee when we land. Flights would be 800-1000 per person. Then I haven’t looked yet but there should be a ferry from Southampton to Dublin.
Flying = 5200 for us all
Ferry = 6200 with 2 kids included but they won’t allow me to quote the baby so I pretended she was 2 online to get the estimate. This is also including my 500 estimate for the dog.
Oh wow! So unless you were planning to make a holiday out of it anyway, then it’s just as well flying. Thanks for the update.
For using the Queen Mary 2 it can actually be cheaper.
First two in a cabin can be found for about $800 US. 3rd and 4th in Cabin are half price such as for kids.
Doesn’t cover the travel to New York or Southampton to Ireland.
That last comment was per person.
There is no direct Ferry from Southampton to Ireland when I was looking.
Last time it looked it was train to Fishkill, then ferry from there.
Cunard just sent me an email with the lowest price I have seen so – $599 for an inside stateroom per person, double occupancy.
We have a very nervous Chiweenie (Dachshund/Chihuahua cross). Apparently you can fly with dogs in cabin with Air France from Canada to Paris. Then have to get from there to Ireland, but something we have considered.
Any move by me has been delayed for now, but I still keep my estimates current.
David,
Thanks for your input, as always. Best wishes with your move plans whenever it comes about.
David & Cfin,
I am in the same situation and will be travelling via Cunard. To get to Ireland take the ferry from Fishguard/Pembroke to Rosslare with Irish Ferries, or Holyhead to Dublin with Stena Line. Stena Line will allow you to travel as a foot passenger with your pet as long as they are secured in the appropriate crate. Irish Ferries will not allow this; instead you must travel by car with the pet being kept in the car at all times.
Here is the major cost difference. Each ferry is about $150 one way, but to rent a car from England to Ireland is about $1300! as you are dropping it off in a different country. You can also fly from Southampton to Dublin with Flybe, but again the pet must fly in the hold. I guess the only difference is that they will fly at a much lower altitude… no mention of the breeds they accept.
I have been thinking of moving to Ireland. All depends what happens here. I live in Sweden, are there anyone who know if one dog and one cat can fly with me. In a plane, not my broom stick lol
Hey Suzanne, and welcome!
Check with a few airlines. I’m sure there are options.
I just checked with SAS, and they have a piece on their pets page telling you to check with trustforwarding.com
https://www.flysas.com/en/ie/travel-info/other/travel-with-animals/
With them, your animals would have to fly in cargo, not on board with you.
Hope this helps get you started.
Liam
Thanks Liam. That’s the only I have found to and as cargo it cost a fortune. I had hoped Ireland didn’t have the same rules as UK when it came to fly with animals.But I found a lot of great things on this webpage. I will check around. Probably more questions will come.
Are there any ocean options from Sweden ( or nearby) to Dublin?
First, since Sweden is a member of the EU, your options are little wider than coming from outside the EU. You can come in on a registered airline or ferry. If you are willing to take a longer journey, you might be able to go via ferry from France to Ireland.
Here is the general information:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_to_ireland/coming_to_live_in_ireland/bringing_pets_to_ireland.html
Glad to see there are others who are also using the Cunard QM2 as an option of traveling with their pet from the US to Ireland (via Southampton). As of this writing there have been numerous problems with animals flying arriving dead or being lost. We’ve decided to take the QM2 next year (the kennels book up rather quickly). It will take 7 days but we can spend quite a few hours with our dog during the days while traveling. From Southampton we will get ourselves to one of the ferries over to Ireland. As this will be after Brexit is in place we will have to wait and see whether we will have to go through Dublin or whether we can arrive at at the southern port. There is quite a bit of paperwork involved, timing is crucial but the overall knowledge that we and our pet will arrive together and well is worth it all.
Hi Madeleine,
I’d be interested in hearing how it all works out for you and your pet. Would you come back and update us after the trip?
Where have you heard the negative stories about air travel? Is that information published in some form? Personally, I have never heard of issues, but I could see how it wouldn’t be something that businesses would be eager to make public.
Best wishes,
Liam