How to Travel With a Pet

Travelling with a pet is easy if you're prepared. Although my experience has been flying with dogs between Canada and Korea, many of the links below and all the basic principles will be useful for other nationals with other pets as well.

If you have questions not answered here, ask them in the Pet Travel Forum. Check out the Pet Travel Links, a collection of many useful pet travel resources.

Long Before Your Trip (more than a month):

• Get a crate. Not a wire mesh crate, but a solid one with ventilation on three sides and a lip around the periphery to prevent anything from blocking the vent holes. The "pet" section of airline websites describe the requirements in detail.
• Get your pet used to the crate. It should be a place she likes, not a place for punishment.
• Research pet immigration rules for your destination country. Each country has slightly different requirements concerning health documentation and vaccinations for cats, dogs, and other animals. Government websites are the best source of information, i.e., the most current, accurate, and authoritative.
• Research airlines. Choose one that allows dogs in the cabin (if you have a small dog) or has a temperature-regulated room for pets in checked baggage (most do, ask anyway). Each airline has different weight limits for in-cabin travel, different prices for various crate sizes, etc. Check the "pet" section of airline websites carefully.
• Research flights. Find a direct flight to your destination, if possible, to minimize the risk of injury on the tarmac and/or loss during a stopover. Avoid travelling during temperature extremes. Consider the weather at both your departure site and final destination.
• Inform your vet that you will be travelling in the next few weeks and let him/her know you will be asking for some documentation in the near future. Make sure your pet is in tip-top shape and will remain so until travel time. Be up-to-date on all vaccinations, most importantly, rabies.

At the Time of Booking:

• Reserve your pet's space on the flight when you book your flight. The number of animals per flight is limited, so do this as soon as possible. You'll have to specify the breed, the size/weight of your pet, and the dimensions of your crate.
• Ask about the airline's specific requirements regarding your pet's health documents. Some airlines require a health check within 72 hours of departure, some less. Be sure you know exactly.

A Few Days Before the Flight

• Visit your vet within the time frame set by your airline. S/He should perform a basic check-up and provide you with a health certificate stating that your pet is healthy to travel. As well, a separate document should provide the date of your last rabies vaccination, the type of vaccination used, and it's validity (1 or 3 years). The charge is around 15~20,000 won per document.
• Make copies of all your pet's documents and keep them with you in your carry-on luggage.
• Avoid tranquilizers. Drugs for the flight are not recommended because they react differently at altitude. Instead, exercise your dog in advance so that s/he will be tired out and less nervous on flight day.

On Flight Day:

• Make sure your pet's crate contains:
  • an absorbent blanket or towel to cover the floor
  • a non-spillable water dispenser
  • two portions of food taped to the outside of the crate (in case of delay)
  • a safe toy (but nothing she can choke on)
  • a shirt or something that smells like you to comfort her
  • pet ID fixed to the door of the crate with: your name & contact info + her name/ breed/ sex/ age/ distinctive markings + a recent photo of her
• Make sure the crate does not contain anything she can choke on or get hooked on. Don't keep her collar on during travel.
• Feed her several hours before the flight to avoid tummy upset.
• Arrive at Incheon airport early: 3 (not 2) hours before your flight.
• Go to Animal Quarantine on the 2nd floor before checking in (3rd floor quarantine is plants only). Show your vaccination & health papers to the inspector there, who will exchange them for official customs documentation. Pay the inspection fee and get the new form. Read more about Incheon Airport quarantine office hours.

Inspection Fees (July 2007):
    Dogs and Cats: 10,000 KRW
    Rabbits and Poultry: 30,000 KRW
    Other: 20,000 KRW

• Go to check-in and pay your pet's flight fee, give them the new documentation. Get baggage tags for the crates.
• A last potty break might be nice. If you've arrived early enough to walk the pooch, go down to the ground floor and into the parking area. Area C has some grassy spaces and trees for shade.
• Pet check-in is at over-sized baggage.
• Confirm your pet was loaded onto the airplane after you board the plane (ask a flight attendant). You will have to declare your pet on the customs card they give you.

Upon Arrival

• If you're going to Canada, get ready to wait in an extra line up for an Agriculture Canada inspection. The fee was $42CND in 2005 (including tax) and they didn't take our dog out of her crate. They did confiscate her food, though. Assuming you have all the necessary paperwork, there is NO QUARANTINE for entering Canada.
• Have poop bags, leash, and treats ready for as soon as you open that crate door ~in the parking lot :)

Returning to Korea?

• If you're returning to Korea you will need updated health papers from a local vet. Be prepared to pay more than what you paid in Korea. As long as your documentation is in order, there is NO QUARANTINE necessary for entering Korea (doublecheck this info on KNVRQ).
• If you bring a pet into Korea without the proper papers, your pet will have to stay in quarantine at Incheon for a minimum 7 days at a cost of 30,000 won per day to you. (This information is not verified, but a friend told me about her terrible experience). During the pet's quarantine, don't expect her to be cleaned or exercised. Please avoid that situation at all cost.
• Read more at Korea National Veterinary Research & Quarantine's English page Quarantine and Inspection: Bring a cat or dog into Korea.

Not Going to Canada? Travelling With a Different Type of Pet?

• Check out the Pet Travel Links for pet transport companies, government websites about pet importation, and more pet travel tips.
• The Korean company www.petairline.co.kr is very helpful for anything pet travel related.
• Two clinics in Seoul which offer English service, making pet travel easier: Mari Animal Hospital and Chungwha Animal Hospital.

Did I forget anything? If I did, please let me know.

Happy Travels!

Last updated May 5, 2009.
Author: Karen Busch