Post by vpainter on Feb 18, 2014 4:56:15 GMT
BKS INTERNATIONAL PET SHIPPING, INC.
HOW TO SHIP YOUR DOG OR CAT
TO SAUDI ARABIA FROM THE USA (updated 14 February 2014)
The land of the sand! - not the easiest destination in the world – however, here are my guidelines from shipping your pets from the USA.
I am going to go over the necessary procedures for entry into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Damman is by far the easiest gateway. Shipments into all Saudi airports are best done as excess baggage if possible with the passenger (employee) on the same flight and KLM has the best connection out of Houston to Damman as long as you give them at least 3 hours connection time (always use the KL-662 NOT the KL-664 connecting with KL-439). Remember KLM no longer accepts English Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers or Pugs on any of its flights under any circumstances. Lufthansa will take an oversized Giant crate 48x32x35” as excess baggage but KLM won’t so if you have a huge dog bear this in mind. Please also check before you book with Lufthansa that the flights are being operated by Lufthansa all the way. Right now the connecting flight from Frankfurt is being operated by Privatair S.A. which will not accept pets.
SHOTS:
Mandatory - Dogs/Cats – Rabies more than 30 days, less than 11 months. Please make sure the certificate is signed, not stamped, preferably in blue ink.
Mandatory - Dogs: DHPP same period
Mandatory - Cats: FVRCP same period
Recommend – Dogs: Leptospirosis vaccination and CIV
Recommend – Dogs: Bordetella within 6 months of travel
MICROCHIP:
Mandatory for any pets traveling to or through and EU airport, for example Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, London, your pet is now required to be microchipped with an ISO or ISO compatible microchip. Recommended brands Res-Q, Crystal Tag, Home Again, AVID Eurochip or AVID Travelchip. This can be done at the time the health certificate is written. .
DOCUMENTATION AND ORDER OF PROCEDURE:
International Health Certificate Form APHIS 7001 – only one pet per certificate, signed in blue ink. Please check that your vet has the new 6 digit National Accreditation number. This is in addition to the vets State License number. Both numbers need to be on the APHIS 7001 form – link follows.
www.aphis.usda.gov/library/forms ... IS7001.pdf
Letter on vets stationery. One for each pet. If this is a dog the letter must state Guard Dog. If this is a cat, use Companion Cat. The letter must contain the following information - That this is a personal pet from the USA (or a statement that this pet has been in the USA for more than 6 months), name, age, and breed and chip number of the pet (note all dogs are Guard dogs, for example Labrador Guard Dog, Collie guard dog), the owner’s legal name (as it shows in his passport), name of employer (as it shows on his visa) and job le (as it shows on his visa). Also the statement that the pet is current on all vaccinations, in good health and that this pet will be repatriated with the owner at the end of the assignment.
Photographs - at least two. One needs to be a head shot, one needs to be a full side body shot and I also recommend a photo with the family, a big dog playing with a child, something to show the dog is not aggressive in any way.
USDA endorsement on Health Certificate.- currently fee is $38.00 , will go up 10/1/2014
Secretary of State – Authentications Dept. $8.00 per document at 11/1/12 but always check in advance – can take 4-5 weeks or more unless you use a visa service.
Consulate endorsement on all documentation – always check with the Consulate – turn around 1-2 days (longer during Ramadan which starts 9 July 2013 this year).
Always check with the USDA/Consulate/Secretary of State for current rates before sending any money as these tend to change and also check on the Saudi Holidays before starting paperwork and don’t expect any service faster than snailpace if at all during the month of Ramadan. Do not try to do this without a Passport/Visa service in Washington during Ramadan!!
PLEASE READ THIS - As processing the documentation usually takes longer than the validity of the 10 day export health certificate I recommend using the “safety net” that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia allows. The Health Documents are good for arrival WITHIN the Kingdom for 30 days from the date the Health Certificate was written. The documentation will come back from the Secretary of State office riveted together. All stamps and endorsements by the Secretary of States Office and the Consulate of Saudi Arabia will be on the back of the Certificate from the Secretary of State which will be the top form. If the time goes over or the travel plans get changed, rather than start again (this is our “safety net” just take the pets back to the SAME veterinarian that issued the FIRST Health Certificate and have him issue another APHIS 7001 Health Certificate within 10 days of travel. This additional health certificate, as long as the first one is still within 30 days of arrival in the Kingdom, does not need to be endorsed by the USDA but I do recommend stapling the veterinarian’s business card over the space reserved for the USDA endorsement.
BANNED BREEDS - As of the time this guide is prepared, certain breeds of dogs and their mixes are not allowed into the Kingdom. These are MASTIFF, BULLMASTIFF, PIT BULL TERRIER, AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER, BULL TERRIER, BULLDOG, DOGO ARGENTINA, JAPANESE TOSA, AKITA AND FILA BRASEIRIO, DOBERMAN, ROTTWEILER and BOXER. If you have a dog that even resembles any of these breeds, like a Boxer mix, then entry may be denied regardless of a different breed being shown on the health documentation. You may ask a Saudi agent to apply for a special permit but I recommend you have plenty of photographs to accompany it, especially showing the dog playing/interacting with children.
NOTE: TOY/MINIATURE DOGS – You may read that at this time there is a ban on “handbag” dogs. In 2011 I shipped a small Shih Tzu and have not been able to get a permit for a small dog since! The regulation has gotten tougher and it is now next to impossible to get a very small (toy or miniature) dog into the Kingdom as this is not recognized as a Guard Dog any more. Blame Paris Hilton for this!! Apparently the Religious Powers that Be are frowning on young Saudis buying small dogs as they believe it is to attract attention from the opposite . This is probably true, made worse by the fact that some people have taken small dogs into Saudi for the purpose of selling them for big bucks recently! As of 1 July 2010 it appears that Aramco Services are no longer going to be involved with any pets so please don’t ask them to come to your rescue as they don’t want to know. Therefore Aramco Services no longer needs to give you written permission to bring a dog into the Kingdom, as there are so many problems now it is completely at the owner’s risk and they will not help you! Rule of thumb on a small dog - If you are able to obtain an import permit then it MUST travel as excess baggage and not cargo and travel at your own risk which means your dog may be sent back to the USA and you must absorb all related costs despite having a permit.
After you have the APHIS 7001 in hand, original signed rabies certificate (not stamped) and the proof of the DHPP (dog) or FVRCP (cat) vaccinations, and vet letter, these documents must then be sent to the USDA in your state for endorsement by the Federal Endorsing Veterinarian. If any European Commission documentation is required for the country you are transiting, then this should also be included. Your veterinarian can provide the address and phone number of the USDA office your state but in Texas it is
USDA
Attn: EXPORT DESK,
903 San Jacinto, Room 262,
Austin, Texas 78701
Tel:512-383-2411
I recommend that you Fedex the documentation both ways.
Having received the package after endorsement from the USDA I strongly recommend the use of a Visa Service for the Secretary of State documentation and the Consulate endorsement. They are inexpensive and save a lot of time and headaches. I can recommend an excellent service who have taken care of my clients documents for many years, as follows:
David
Washington Passport & Visa Services, Inc.
2319 18th Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20009
1-800-272-7776
202-234-7667
The delay for authentication at the Secretary of State’s office has been as long as 4-5 weeks when they are busy which means the health certificates have long expired before you get them back. Using a Visa Service will speed things along.
Just for info the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Houston is 5718 Westheimer, Suite 1500, Houston, TX 77057 (713) 785-5577
IMPORT PERMIT:
This was Saudi’s gift to us in 2010! All pets, whether excess baggage or cargo, now require an import permit. You may obtain one from the Ministry of Agriculture by presenting a copy of your passport, your work visa (Iqama) and copy vaccination records for your pet, 2 photographs of each pet and a small fee but you would do better to use an agent and I can highly recommend the company I have used very successfully. For all cargo shipments I really recommend an agent anyway. The permit is good for 30 days including arrival date.
Ahmed Mohammed Bakoban
Jeddah Veterinary Clinic, Khobar Branch
Tel+966 3 857 3079
Mob: +966 53 440 1141
Dammam Khobar Highway
Near Carlton Hotel
khobarvet@hotmail.com
The permit may be applied for in person at
Ministry of Agriculture Dammam
Quarantine Department
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Documents required for the permit and comments by recent client. He said they were very pleasant to work with and issued him a permit while he waited.
1. Owner's Iqama and passport copies
2. Pet's vaccination copy (not looked at by the Ministry
3. Health Certificates from local vet (without attestation). The ministry did not look at these.
4. Dog's photos in standing position (cat not required) THEY DEFINITELY REFERENCED THIS
5. Authorization letter stamped and signed by Aramco verifying my employment. The Ministry never asked me for this.
He also stressed the importance of using a driver who knows his way around and he kindly shared this information - If someone is already in here, like I was, just calling the individual I ultimately used, a man named Mohammed, +966 508986507, knows exactly where to go, down to the location inside the building. Even if I had a car and know what I know now, I would use him. Parking is a mess, and the drive is confusing.
One last thing. If the pet is owned by a husband and wife who have different last names, all documentation must be in the employee’s name. Therefore if the rabies vaccination shows the owner is Mary Black and her husband, the employee is John Green, then have your veterinarian re-issue everything is John Green’s name or you may have problems. If it shows for instance Mary Green then this would be acceptable as the wife is the husband’s “property” also but they do not like different last names! I’m sure you will find this out with your own documents when you apply for your own visa.
This document is prepared to the best of my knowledge and information available to me as of today’s date. It is intended only as a guide. I am not responsible for any incorrect information contained in the above. I was advised late December 2013 that the Iqama is not necessary to process the Import Permit.
Jane Edwards
BKS International Pet Shipping, Inc.
Houston, Texas
(713) 466-1378
14 February 2014
PLEASE NOTE: This is my last update. This is Stage II of my retirement (I’m getting there!!)
From 14 February 2014 I am referring all Saudi enquiries to:
USA-Lisa Schoppa, Starwood Animal Transport
Email: info@starwoodanimaltransport.com or Or lisa@starwoodanimaltransport.com
Phone: 617-275-4047 or 832-776-8994
CANADA -Karen Shiel, Boomerang Pet Carrier
Email:boomerang@shaw.ca
Phone: (403) 903-9750
HOW TO SHIP YOUR DOG OR CAT
TO SAUDI ARABIA FROM THE USA (updated 14 February 2014)
The land of the sand! - not the easiest destination in the world – however, here are my guidelines from shipping your pets from the USA.
I am going to go over the necessary procedures for entry into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Damman is by far the easiest gateway. Shipments into all Saudi airports are best done as excess baggage if possible with the passenger (employee) on the same flight and KLM has the best connection out of Houston to Damman as long as you give them at least 3 hours connection time (always use the KL-662 NOT the KL-664 connecting with KL-439). Remember KLM no longer accepts English Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers or Pugs on any of its flights under any circumstances. Lufthansa will take an oversized Giant crate 48x32x35” as excess baggage but KLM won’t so if you have a huge dog bear this in mind. Please also check before you book with Lufthansa that the flights are being operated by Lufthansa all the way. Right now the connecting flight from Frankfurt is being operated by Privatair S.A. which will not accept pets.
SHOTS:
Mandatory - Dogs/Cats – Rabies more than 30 days, less than 11 months. Please make sure the certificate is signed, not stamped, preferably in blue ink.
Mandatory - Dogs: DHPP same period
Mandatory - Cats: FVRCP same period
Recommend – Dogs: Leptospirosis vaccination and CIV
Recommend – Dogs: Bordetella within 6 months of travel
MICROCHIP:
Mandatory for any pets traveling to or through and EU airport, for example Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, London, your pet is now required to be microchipped with an ISO or ISO compatible microchip. Recommended brands Res-Q, Crystal Tag, Home Again, AVID Eurochip or AVID Travelchip. This can be done at the time the health certificate is written. .
DOCUMENTATION AND ORDER OF PROCEDURE:
International Health Certificate Form APHIS 7001 – only one pet per certificate, signed in blue ink. Please check that your vet has the new 6 digit National Accreditation number. This is in addition to the vets State License number. Both numbers need to be on the APHIS 7001 form – link follows.
www.aphis.usda.gov/library/forms ... IS7001.pdf
Letter on vets stationery. One for each pet. If this is a dog the letter must state Guard Dog. If this is a cat, use Companion Cat. The letter must contain the following information - That this is a personal pet from the USA (or a statement that this pet has been in the USA for more than 6 months), name, age, and breed and chip number of the pet (note all dogs are Guard dogs, for example Labrador Guard Dog, Collie guard dog), the owner’s legal name (as it shows in his passport), name of employer (as it shows on his visa) and job le (as it shows on his visa). Also the statement that the pet is current on all vaccinations, in good health and that this pet will be repatriated with the owner at the end of the assignment.
Photographs - at least two. One needs to be a head shot, one needs to be a full side body shot and I also recommend a photo with the family, a big dog playing with a child, something to show the dog is not aggressive in any way.
USDA endorsement on Health Certificate.- currently fee is $38.00 , will go up 10/1/2014
Secretary of State – Authentications Dept. $8.00 per document at 11/1/12 but always check in advance – can take 4-5 weeks or more unless you use a visa service.
Consulate endorsement on all documentation – always check with the Consulate – turn around 1-2 days (longer during Ramadan which starts 9 July 2013 this year).
Always check with the USDA/Consulate/Secretary of State for current rates before sending any money as these tend to change and also check on the Saudi Holidays before starting paperwork and don’t expect any service faster than snailpace if at all during the month of Ramadan. Do not try to do this without a Passport/Visa service in Washington during Ramadan!!
PLEASE READ THIS - As processing the documentation usually takes longer than the validity of the 10 day export health certificate I recommend using the “safety net” that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia allows. The Health Documents are good for arrival WITHIN the Kingdom for 30 days from the date the Health Certificate was written. The documentation will come back from the Secretary of State office riveted together. All stamps and endorsements by the Secretary of States Office and the Consulate of Saudi Arabia will be on the back of the Certificate from the Secretary of State which will be the top form. If the time goes over or the travel plans get changed, rather than start again (this is our “safety net” just take the pets back to the SAME veterinarian that issued the FIRST Health Certificate and have him issue another APHIS 7001 Health Certificate within 10 days of travel. This additional health certificate, as long as the first one is still within 30 days of arrival in the Kingdom, does not need to be endorsed by the USDA but I do recommend stapling the veterinarian’s business card over the space reserved for the USDA endorsement.
BANNED BREEDS - As of the time this guide is prepared, certain breeds of dogs and their mixes are not allowed into the Kingdom. These are MASTIFF, BULLMASTIFF, PIT BULL TERRIER, AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER, BULL TERRIER, BULLDOG, DOGO ARGENTINA, JAPANESE TOSA, AKITA AND FILA BRASEIRIO, DOBERMAN, ROTTWEILER and BOXER. If you have a dog that even resembles any of these breeds, like a Boxer mix, then entry may be denied regardless of a different breed being shown on the health documentation. You may ask a Saudi agent to apply for a special permit but I recommend you have plenty of photographs to accompany it, especially showing the dog playing/interacting with children.
NOTE: TOY/MINIATURE DOGS – You may read that at this time there is a ban on “handbag” dogs. In 2011 I shipped a small Shih Tzu and have not been able to get a permit for a small dog since! The regulation has gotten tougher and it is now next to impossible to get a very small (toy or miniature) dog into the Kingdom as this is not recognized as a Guard Dog any more. Blame Paris Hilton for this!! Apparently the Religious Powers that Be are frowning on young Saudis buying small dogs as they believe it is to attract attention from the opposite . This is probably true, made worse by the fact that some people have taken small dogs into Saudi for the purpose of selling them for big bucks recently! As of 1 July 2010 it appears that Aramco Services are no longer going to be involved with any pets so please don’t ask them to come to your rescue as they don’t want to know. Therefore Aramco Services no longer needs to give you written permission to bring a dog into the Kingdom, as there are so many problems now it is completely at the owner’s risk and they will not help you! Rule of thumb on a small dog - If you are able to obtain an import permit then it MUST travel as excess baggage and not cargo and travel at your own risk which means your dog may be sent back to the USA and you must absorb all related costs despite having a permit.
After you have the APHIS 7001 in hand, original signed rabies certificate (not stamped) and the proof of the DHPP (dog) or FVRCP (cat) vaccinations, and vet letter, these documents must then be sent to the USDA in your state for endorsement by the Federal Endorsing Veterinarian. If any European Commission documentation is required for the country you are transiting, then this should also be included. Your veterinarian can provide the address and phone number of the USDA office your state but in Texas it is
USDA
Attn: EXPORT DESK,
903 San Jacinto, Room 262,
Austin, Texas 78701
Tel:512-383-2411
I recommend that you Fedex the documentation both ways.
Having received the package after endorsement from the USDA I strongly recommend the use of a Visa Service for the Secretary of State documentation and the Consulate endorsement. They are inexpensive and save a lot of time and headaches. I can recommend an excellent service who have taken care of my clients documents for many years, as follows:
David
Washington Passport & Visa Services, Inc.
2319 18th Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20009
1-800-272-7776
202-234-7667
The delay for authentication at the Secretary of State’s office has been as long as 4-5 weeks when they are busy which means the health certificates have long expired before you get them back. Using a Visa Service will speed things along.
Just for info the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Houston is 5718 Westheimer, Suite 1500, Houston, TX 77057 (713) 785-5577
IMPORT PERMIT:
This was Saudi’s gift to us in 2010! All pets, whether excess baggage or cargo, now require an import permit. You may obtain one from the Ministry of Agriculture by presenting a copy of your passport, your work visa (Iqama) and copy vaccination records for your pet, 2 photographs of each pet and a small fee but you would do better to use an agent and I can highly recommend the company I have used very successfully. For all cargo shipments I really recommend an agent anyway. The permit is good for 30 days including arrival date.
Ahmed Mohammed Bakoban
Jeddah Veterinary Clinic, Khobar Branch
Tel+966 3 857 3079
Mob: +966 53 440 1141
Dammam Khobar Highway
Near Carlton Hotel
khobarvet@hotmail.com
The permit may be applied for in person at
Ministry of Agriculture Dammam
Quarantine Department
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Documents required for the permit and comments by recent client. He said they were very pleasant to work with and issued him a permit while he waited.
1. Owner's Iqama and passport copies
2. Pet's vaccination copy (not looked at by the Ministry
3. Health Certificates from local vet (without attestation). The ministry did not look at these.
4. Dog's photos in standing position (cat not required) THEY DEFINITELY REFERENCED THIS
5. Authorization letter stamped and signed by Aramco verifying my employment. The Ministry never asked me for this.
He also stressed the importance of using a driver who knows his way around and he kindly shared this information - If someone is already in here, like I was, just calling the individual I ultimately used, a man named Mohammed, +966 508986507, knows exactly where to go, down to the location inside the building. Even if I had a car and know what I know now, I would use him. Parking is a mess, and the drive is confusing.
One last thing. If the pet is owned by a husband and wife who have different last names, all documentation must be in the employee’s name. Therefore if the rabies vaccination shows the owner is Mary Black and her husband, the employee is John Green, then have your veterinarian re-issue everything is John Green’s name or you may have problems. If it shows for instance Mary Green then this would be acceptable as the wife is the husband’s “property” also but they do not like different last names! I’m sure you will find this out with your own documents when you apply for your own visa.
This document is prepared to the best of my knowledge and information available to me as of today’s date. It is intended only as a guide. I am not responsible for any incorrect information contained in the above. I was advised late December 2013 that the Iqama is not necessary to process the Import Permit.
Jane Edwards
BKS International Pet Shipping, Inc.
Houston, Texas
(713) 466-1378
14 February 2014
PLEASE NOTE: This is my last update. This is Stage II of my retirement (I’m getting there!!)
From 14 February 2014 I am referring all Saudi enquiries to:
USA-Lisa Schoppa, Starwood Animal Transport
Email: info@starwoodanimaltransport.com or Or lisa@starwoodanimaltransport.com
Phone: 617-275-4047 or 832-776-8994
CANADA -Karen Shiel, Boomerang Pet Carrier
Email:boomerang@shaw.ca
Phone: (403) 903-9750