Traveling with Pets- update

Who knew traveling with pets could get so complicated! It seems the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing and no one communicates! You not only have to contact various offices but also your airline. We had to purchase our tickets then call Korean Air again to request approval for our cats to ride on the plane as well. We had to give them the dimensions of their carriers and their weight in the carriers. It also turns out 2010 has brought some new regulations and since vets do not get a lot of clientele who requests paperwork for international travel many do not know of the required forms. I have been in contact with Korean Airlines, the Quarantine office in Korea, the Korean Consulate, and various vets and they all give you a different story! Ugh it can be so frustrating. So here is the latest information for those of you who are traveling with a pet from the United States to South Korea.

The Quarantine office in Korea requires that you receive a rabies vaccination certificate issued by a Quarantine Authority or Vet. You also need a health certificate for each pet that clearly states the date the rabies vaccine was given. According to the new regulations for 2010, the health certificate needs to now be USDA certified. Sure you'd say no problem; however, this is where the mis-communication happens. The health certificate has to be issued within 10 days of flying (we do not know if that is specifically 10 days from the day you leave the US or 10 days including the date you arrive in the other country. Korea is 1 day ahead of the US so we obviously don't want to make ours 10 days exactly since we are unsure of the specific date requirement). Only some countries require that you get your health certificate USDA certified; however, when I called the office in Sacramento they were unsure for Korea. We have decided to do it anyway. Since it needs to be certified for international travel, you also have to use a particular health certificate form (USDA APHIS Form 7001) which can ONLY be requested by your vet from the office in Sacramento. (I had to give my vet all this information and the numbers to call because they want to "verify" all the information I'm telling them.... I feel like I'm doing their job) So, if all goes as planned, the kitties will see the vet on Wed. Feb. 3rd, they will receive their health certificate correctly filled out on the APHIS form 7001 and then I have to fax it to Sacramento and try to go to the office the next day for them to certify it; you can Fed-ex the form to them but it will take an additional 48 hours to process. Thus, the 10 day window in which all this is supposed to happen really limits your options.