Pets in India
Indian Requirements
EXPORTING PETS FROM NEW DELHI
Pet owners who are preparing to transfer should read the following information about shipping their pets. For importing pets, see below.
Three methods exist for transporting pets out of India. Please note that not all airlines provide all three options:
1) As Excess Baggage: Depending on the airline, you may be able to have your pet travel on the same flight(s), either in the cabin or in the cargo hold. The airline may consider a pet transported this way as excess baggage and charge you accordingly. Do not assume that you can take your pet on the same flight with you. You must confirm this weeks in advance with your airline(s). As a rule animals weighing 100 lbs. or more will travel as cargo even if they are transported on the same flight as you.
2) As Air Cargo: You may arrange for your pet to be transported on a separate flight as an air cargo shipment. In this case, you do not have to accompany your pet, but you need to make arrangements for picking up your pet at the final destination. Be aware that the cost of this service is usually much higher than excess baggage.
3) As Air Cargo via a Commercial Shipping Company: You may arrange with a licensed commercial shipper (pet expediter) to handle the arrangements to re-export or ship your pet as air cargo. You pay the cargo rate plus the shipping company's fee.
To depart India all pets must have:
-- Up-to-date vaccination records
-- A health certificate issued no more than five days prior to departure; and
-- A rabies vaccination certificate that most be at least one month old but no more than one year old at the time of departure.
If the country of final destination of your pet requires a "Quarantine Certificate", this must be done no more than 48 hours and no less than 24 hours before you depart. (This certificate is not mandatory for such export if the importing Country does not require such a certificate. A health certificate from a qualified veterinarian may suffice along with the vaccination record in such cases).
As you may know, the European Union (EU) has established uniform requirements for the shipment of pets to member states. A serum blood sample test must be taken for pets going from India to any EU Countries. This has to be done for a minimum 3 months before the pet travels.
This test is not done in India, nor in Asia. The VET will take the sample and separate the serum and then hand it over to another party who sends the sample to Europe either to Germany, France, UK etc. for the tests and then gets back the report and charges between Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 18,000 for each pet.
For anyone planning to place/fix a microchip in a pet, there are several facilities in New Delhi that can do the procedure.
Information on animal handlers, kennel operators and veterinarians is available on the Independent Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA) International, Inc. website at: http://www.ipata.com/.
Please note that Northwest, American, Delta and other U.S. Carriers impose an embargo during the summer season in the U.S. and do not accept pets. There are no restrictions for pets leaving India.
Continental and American have direct flights to Newark and Chicago from New Delhi, and other U.S. airlines have code share services that have pet transportation services available from New Delhi (United/Lufthansa).
You are allowed to bring only two pets per passenger (cats and dogs) either accompanied by or unaccompanied as cargo. You must carry the international health certificate that shows the complete vaccination record of the pet and an import document from the Government of India also signed by the vet. Vaccinations and rabies shots should be older than 30 days before shipping, but no older than one year. The health certificate should be dated within 10 days of your arrival.
No species other than cats or dogs may be imported.
Pets can be brought into India one of three ways: accompanied (also known as "excess") baggage; carry-on baggage in cabin (limited to small pets and airline approval); or, as air cargo. You will have to decide which method you prefer.
If you bring the pet as accompanied or excess baggage, the pet travels with you on the same flights to India in a pressurized/heated cargo area. There are several deciding factors involved in accompanied baggage:
1. The time of year. American air carriers in the U.S. often place a restriction on transporting pets during extremely hot or cold periods of the year to prevent accidental deaths from exposure. Check with the airlines to confirm your pet's reservations to confirm that all connecting flights will allow pets if you transit airports with extreme weather.
2. Available space on all connecting flights. Airlines often limit the number of pets transported in the baggage compartment due to the availability of oxygen. Please ensure when making reservations that the travel agent CONFIRMS space on all portions of your trip. Or even better, call the airlines yourself (e.g., if you are flying United/Lufthansa, call both airlines to confirm the two separate reservations for your animals.) Do not assume because you asked for a pet reservation that anyone has recorded it or kept the record. Call to confirm several times.
3. Any rest stops. If you are not transiting through European countries (that generally do not require documentation), Singapore and Hong Kong do require forms and permissions, while Japan requires less forms to transit with animals.
4. The size of your pet and container. Most airlines restrict one pet plus its kennel to 100 pounds total. Some airlines will allow you to pay an excess charge above the normal excess baggage charge for extra-large kennels. You must check with the airline you are booked on to determine any additional charges.
Cabin Baggage. Some airlines will permit a limited number of very small pets to be brought onboard as hand-carried baggage (usually one animal in business class and one in economy.) The pet must be small enough to fit comfortably in an airline approved pet carrier, which is placed under the seat in front of you. An advance reservation is required and subject to a fee (determined by the airline.) Please note: you cannot remove your pet from the carrier during flight, although you can take the carrier into the restroom to water and feed the pet.
The flights operated by United/Lufthansa (through Germany), Northwest/KLM (through Amsterdam), and Delta/Air France (through France) offer accompanied/excess baggage. Continental Airlines only ship animals via cargo with an airway bill. American Airlines do not accept pets at all.
Air Cargo. The third method of shipping animals is by cargo aircraft. In the cargo system the pet is transported to the final destination, unaccompanied by the owner. Animals are loaded into pressurized holds along with other cargo. Fees for this type of shipment vary according to your location, the number of pets, the weight of the animal, and the airline transporting the animals. Again, some airlines limit pet transport to certain times of the year.
A "Quarantine Certificate" for your pet will have to be obtained from the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, New Delhi, before it arrives if shipped via cargo. In order to obtain this certificate, you have to hire a commercial pet expediter who will arrange for the certificate and clearance process. The commercial expediter will need your pet's name, breed, sex, age, and details of vaccines/rabies shot given etc. The cost to hire a pet expediter is approximately $150/per pet.
If your animal is coming as cargo on the same flight with you, once you have cleared customs and immigration, you would proceed to the cargo side of the airport for your pet (about five minutes' drive.) The clearance process can take from one to three hours until you receive your pet.