Pet Transport

How big is your pet? Is it a dog?

Jim

It is a large dog,about 55-58 pounds,Kelpie (cowdog) mixed with vira latas,would like to take with me on plane,extra baggage,.It worries me that when I arrive in Sao Paulo,Guarulhos,pet will come along with the luggages-carrousel-what I am going to do,I am skinny,90 pounds,people would help me,concerned.

Your pet will not come to the luggage carousel.  your pet is not riding with the luggage it will have to be picked up in another area a vet will inspect it before you get possession.

Jim

It maybe best to check with the Airline your flying with also...that will solve the mystery as some airlines will not  carry  animals at certain times due to temperatures and seasons...most airlines have a pet section for shipping, maybe look under cargo or just go to the airlines questions and answers and Question:Shipping Pets...

I brought a Dog with me when I moved to Brail ,the 1st. time . that was over 10 years ago iirc . You need to put that dog in a carrier because (unless things have drastically changed it has to go in the cargo hold of the plane . Check with your airline . Since ADA allows some Dogs/animals to go with it's owner . Service and compassion animals . But check for a clarification before travel day so you don't have a mad rush to "fix" things .
Yup I paid a fee to the airline. I don't recall how much ,but it wasn't cheap .
100% you will need a Vet that deals in International inspections and doing the paper work to get the Dog on the plane and into the Country you are taking it into . IIRC this has to be done shortly before you plan to go (2 weeks or so, iirc).

The Airline or the Consulate should be able to give you a list of approved Vets you could go to .Online you should be able to find all the info you need. This paper work has to be submitted to (iirc) the USDA for clearance for travel . I submitted mine at the Airport in Miami at that time .

Yes , It can be a pita , BUT  having your dog with you is the best ..Worth everything you need to do to get it done. Good Luck

I'm planning to bring my corgi x lab dog with me when I move in April.  Different airlines have different requirements. Some (was it United?) insist on using a professional moving service, and there are crate size requirements. Also considerations regarding number of transfers.  Between Springfield, MO, USA to Governador Valadares is a complicated maneuver, I know, and I don't expect the process to be easy or cheap.  I will be talking soon to an agent for details, but the first rough estimate of costs was $6,000.  Yes, six thousand.  Obviously, I want safe, caring handling for the dog.  But I don't want to be ripped off.  Any thoughts?  Thanks.

Fly with your dog, stop in large cities to ease time and transport.. If the dog is flying with you.6,000 is exhorbenant.. You need to do more research..no way 6,000 to ship a dog..try different airline, I think excess baggage, freight a airline seat is cheaper... Good luck.. The airline of choice should have shipping of pets in the Cargo/ Shipping Pets in Travel..
http://miami.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/ent … brazil.xml

Thank you, Alascana!  You've confirmed my suspicions.  I guess the majority of the cost is not really the cost of the transport and service; it's the price of reducing the hassle!  Thanks for the feedback and the link to Miami's consulate. I'll be dealing with Chicago.

All good, if you query "Pets to Brasil"on the forum there are several articles on the subject. at 6k the Animal should have a seat in 1st class..slapping the passengers with the happy tail wag..you should find a list of Required Documents and the rest I would work with the airlines..the Independent shippers are about money..I was going to ship a dog from Cleveland and it was based on Documents and Health Checks.. It was a Cane Corso...good luck..
Also be aware of Weather conditions, some airlines will not carry animals based on weather.

Hi Vera,
I have good news for you I think.
We flew from Miami to Sao Paulo two weeks ago with our 52 lb mixed breed dog and it was a good experience.  She flew in the hold on our flight and the area she was in was well lit and temperature controlled.  It cost us $300 to fly her.  She did come out with the oversized luggage and we then took her through customs.  There are luggage carts in the airport and staff helped us lift her and the crate on the luggage cart bc the combined weight was almost 100 lb.  There are bagage handlers there to help.
So this is our story.  My husband came to Campinas for a sabbatical year for a year from NCSU.  He loved it so much that he decided to retire from his job at NCSU and take the job here full time.
The year he was here for sabbatical I flew back and forth every few months and our dog stayed with our daughter when I was in Brazil.
Once we decided on a permanent move my husband I both knew we would not leave our dog behind.  I was very worried about getting her to Brazil.  She is a mixed breed and definitely has some Pitt in her.
All airlines have restrictions on flying pets and they don't except certain breeds.  Our first decision was to fly her directly with no stops.  We drove to Miami from NC so we could fly direct. 
Azul is not flying any dogs in hold right now so we decided to fly Latam.  usually we fly to Campinas, VCP but we flew to GRU instead and rented a van to drive to Campinas.
The process to fly a dog has several steps.  The first is the health certificate you have to get within 60 days from flying.  Our vet had done this paperwork before for another family who flew two dogs to Brazil so that was very helpful.  He knew exactly what to do and when to do it.  The vet also had changed the dogs breed on paper a few years ago from Pointer/boxer mix to mixed breed which saved us bc you can't fly boxers.  Also we did experiment with few meds beforehand so the dog wouldn't be as stressed.
There are specific crate restrictions.  You have to measure the dog to make sure the crate is big enough, and yes they do check this at the airport.
We bought a collapsable metal Impact dog crate a few years ago.  Expensive but worth every penny.
Once we got to MIA we checked in and the Latam staff was great.  They were very reassuring and kind.
They said they would board the dog last so she did not have to be in the hold as long.
They also communicated with the pilot that there was a dog in the hold, which is a different area then the suitcases so the pilot made sure the light was on and a comfortable temperature.
The flight crew came and told us when our dog had boarded.
After landing in GRU I went to the oversized luggage and it took a little while but she came out with my bike.  We then went through customs with her which required rechecking her paperwork and we were on our way!  We now have a candela!
Long story but I had nightmares thinking we would never make it to Brazil with her and I just want to encourage you it can be done and doesn't need to cost much.
Good luck!

Nice story and details!  Thank you

I meant to say we now have a cadela!

So what the best way to bring my dog and what documents do I need ?

02/03/23 So what the best way to bring my dog and what documents do I need ?
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The general requirements are as @Droplover described them above. The exact requirements are always subject to change, so you should check with the Brazilian Consulate in the country where the dog is, and with the airlines to determine what their restrictions are, or if they will transport dogs at all.

@Droplover   I read on a Brazil government website that the veternarian who signs the transit papers in the home country has to be an official of the government. But that appears to not be the case for you. Has anyone else been able to clear customs with just the papers from a  very experienced vet? I want to bring my cat to Curitiba next summer from Paraguay.

@Droplover Great story and lm so happy your dog is ok! I love my dog more than most people

@Getting on From the US the vet has to be USDA certified. So I guess that's like a government official. Brazil is relatively easy on customs. The main requirement is rabies. If your pet is not up to date and needs to get re immunized, know that they require a booster something like 21 days before travel. Side note: The only thing they wanted from my wife before clearing customs at GRU was a picture of her with our dog.

@Vera GauchaAmerican

Ok, I have to be the resident expert on this.

I brought Simba (Beagle/Cocker Spaniel Mix) from Logan Airport ((Boston)) to Jericocoara (Ceará).

The first thing is that you should add up all the great CPF, Visa etc. advice you get on Expat.com, multiply it by 10 and you will be halfway to how difficult it is to transport a live animal internationally.

• First Simba is 35 lbs., so this is cargo  advice.
• We went American Airlines which is considered the best for this.
• You will need…
• Rabies Vacination Certificate.
• Shippers Certification for live animals.
• Breed verification form.
• Customer acknowledgement form for animal transport.
• Acclimation Letter. (Temperature).
• The correct size crate.
• Need to measure your pet first.
• Need specially designed water and food dish's.
• NOW comes the hard part.
• Most of the documents need to be      signed by your Vet.
• YOU CANNOT DO ANYTHING else until the 10 days before your pet flies.
• This includes buying the ticket for your pet.
• The ticket is purchased the day of the flight once ALL HEALTH guidelines are approved.
• Schedule your visit to the Vet to get the Health Certificate.
• Everything else is 10 days out.
• Mine was $400.
• Lots of testing.
• Once it is signed it goes to the USDA (mine was in upstate NY by FedExp) Make sure you have a FedExp account. You MUST include a Return Label.( paid for).
• Time it for time to sign and receive.
• Order A Car (we had a sedan /SVU service).
• Make an appointment with AA Cargo.
• They will weigh your pet with crate. You need food taped to the top and some water bottles.
• The law says you CANNOT travel to a location that is as above 85 degrees the day of travel.
• NOW if everything is passed you can BOOK.
• No Leash or collar.

This was just the American leg. You still have the Brazilian leg.

I went Latham from São Paulo to Jeri.

Same thing you cannot book until that day. That meant I had to find the Latham desk in São Paulo Airport to book upon arrival.

Since the trips (Simba & Mine) were different Simba had to stay in a Pet Hotel.

The co. you were speaking of makes arrangements in São Paulo . It is VIP,

Roddie in Retirement 🕵🏽

….to be continued.

I am ready for it

Send me Whatsapp number

02/06/23  I am ready for it
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Hi, @nasrikhalid186.  This thread is about transporting pets to Brazil.  What are you trying to communicate, and to whom? 

We'll need more information to be able to help you.

@VeraGauchoAmerican

Looking at the dates of some of these posts it seems the ship has already sailed.

In case this is new information I would recommend American Airlines PetCargo YouTube video. Also there is a “too big” situation. I know with American I had to send my XLarge crate back to Amazon and get a Large. This I found out by talking to the Pet Cargo  Rep. Also as mentioned before there is a list of “no travel” dogs

Just a note about using services. These brokers are responsible for getting your pet thru customs in São Paulo. They should NOT be doing the paperwork. That is on you. Simba's check-in at Logan Airport was at 4:45am. Just me Simba and the Limo Driver. Your “service” won't be there. So when the Cargo Official says where is your breed verification form, an answer of well Susie XYZ firm was handling that means you're going to miss your flight. You need to be very familiar with your paperwork. They may give you a 2hr. window between appointment and take off, but time goes fast, you need to be prepared.

Also the São Paulo terminal is hell. No one should have to go thru that. Unless you're good at running through the airport, Latham is on the other side and a different floor. You need to show them your American paperwork and buy your ticket then. You don't have much time to make it.

Roddie in Retirement🕵🏽

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I am taking my cat to Brazil. I have made all the arrangements with the vet who is going to give me the necessary paperwork and certificate and spoke with someone from Delta Airlines. I will have to go through customs in São Paolo and I want to make sure I have enough time in the São Paolo airport to get through customs with my bags and the cat. I need to purchase my ticket soon and I am wondering if anyone can give me an idea of how much of a layover I need to plan in São Paolo. I will also have to take a plane from Portland, OR to either Houston or Atlanta and wonder if I need to plan on extra time in the airport in the US. Thanks for any information you can share about this.

02/07/23 I am taking my cat to Brazil. I have made all the arrangements with the vet who is going to give me the necessary paperwork and certificate and spoke with someone from Delta Airlines. I will have to go through customs in São Paolo and I want to make sure I have enough time in the São Paolo airport to get through customs with my bags and the cat. I need to purchase my ticket soon and I am wondering if anyone can give me an idea of how much of a layover I need to plan in São Paolo. I will also have to take a plane from Portland, OR to either Houston or Atlanta and wonder if I need to plan on extra time in the airport in the US. Thanks for any information you can share about this.
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You shouldn't have anything to worry about. Most flights from the US to Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo arrive early in the morning, around sunrise or before. Gol and Latam both have flights from Guarulhos to Aracaju throughout the day, including some direct flights in the afternoon that should be very good for you. Guarulhos is an enormous airport and can be confusing to navigate, but staying calm and paying attention, I'm sure that you can manage it. When I arrive there, I like to allow myself about four hours before my next flight to clear Customs, re-check my bags, and get to my gate with as little stress as possible; often the layovers are even longer than that, and I'm usually through Customs a lot quicker.

@Alstromeria55. I agree with Abthree.  You have nothing to worry about.  I have flown form US and Europe to Brazil and back many times in the last years,  Brazilians love to travel with cats and small dogs in the cabin so I don't foresee you'll have any problems.  We flew from US with dog in cargo, 2 years ago, into GRU and customs was a breeze. They only check the paperwork.  I think airlines only allow a certain amount of pets in the cabin per flight so make sure you check int this in advance so you can get on the flight with your cat.

@Alstromeria55 i just went thru with my two cats. For canada its a lil diff. We were able to put them under the seats. One cat per person. I never want to do this  again. To answer your question though we took our fed govt forms and vaccination letters from our vet. The guy at the pet pitstop was nice n friendly. Asked for our paper work. Looked at the cats...stamped it n said have a nice day. I was in and out of there in less than 5 mins.