Bringing your pet to Malta - a success story!

tearnet wrote:

Robonline wrote:

We just had a quote from Airpets from the UK. Our dog is a Staffy so overland via the ferry isn't on but over £1,650 plus inoculations and passport plus fees at the Malta end sounds outrageous to me.

Can I ask why overland "isn't on"?

Terry

Our Staffy is a rescue dog and hence no pedigree papers to show French customs she is not a possible cross with what they consider a banned, dangerous breed of dog. They could just turn us back at Calais.

yes if they consider her a dangerous breed then that is clearly a problem. Have you checked to make sure Malta will accept your dog based on breed ?

Robonline wrote:

tearnet wrote:

Robonline wrote:

We just had a quote from Airpets from the UK. Our dog is a Staffy so overland via the ferry isn't on but over £1,650 plus inoculations and passport plus fees at the Malta end sounds outrageous to me.

Can I ask why overland "isn't on"?

Terry

Our Staffy is a rescue dog and hence no pedigree papers to show French customs she is not a possible cross with what they consider a banned, dangerous breed of dog. They could just turn us back at Calais.

If you have a pet passport that shows the dogs breed as a STAFFY
then there will not be a problem as all the checks are done by UK not the French. Plenty of Staffies in Malta.

Terry

So no checks done in France or any other country might travel though to Malta.?

No, UK border and Malta (IF you notify them).

Malta is very lax in its pet import policy, with no permanent presence at the ferry terminal.

As I said on another post we met a guy who fly's from Frankfurt to Malta with his dog in the cabin and no checks in Malta (not sure about the check in at Frankfurt).

Terry

We moved to Malta on Monday & brought our cat with us from the UK. We used Air Malta's shipping agents (Airsupply/Passports For Pets) & it cost around £550 (plus another £150 for the pet passport & rabies vacination & £77 for our vet to sign him off as fit to fly!). The shipping agents were very helpful, although I seemed to know more information as regards to bringing a cat into Malta than they did, as they said he needed to be treated for tapeworm, when infact this only applies to dogs. The information on where we went to collect him when we landed at Luqa was sketchy though, being only told that we pick him up from the 'Quarantine  station' at the airport. We asked Air Malta staff at Heathrow & they had no idea at all & one check in lady didn't even seem to know what a cat was lol! We then asked Air Malta staff as soon as we got off the plane at Luqa & she said we collect him in the baggage area, thinking this could not be right & with visions of our cat going round the luggage conveyor belt, we asked if she could double check, so she asked her supervisor (who had all the paperwork from our flight) & he also said baggage reclaim! So we went to baggage reclaim & of course our cat was not there, so we went to the help desk & again the person at the desk had no idea, so she had to make a couple of phone calls & we were told that our cat was not actually at the airport, but we had to collect him from the Air Malta cargo centre 5 minutes up the road in Luqa! After being stung 10 Euro for such a short taxi ride we arrived at the cargo centre, which is a very run down & dirty building, with miserable staff in no hurry to serve or help you & we eventually got our cat (the government vet was already there to check the paperwork). After having to pay the cargo centre an import fee of 35.40 we were on our way (luckily we didn't have to pay the vet the 50 Euro it states on the permit application) so we have our cat here, though he is very scared still & we are over £800 poorer, but glad it is all over & done with! Not a seamless or easy process, but then what in Malta is lol...

Hello, I'm looking for some advise, my brian is fried!! I live in Malta and want to bring my Cocker Spaniel from the UK, I have her pet passport, rabies jabs up todate, and also vet on standby with a  health check to be stamped into her passport. my question is this... Could i simply book a flight with Air Malta Cargo myself and cut out the fees of an agent?? on Air Malta website it does not state I have to use an agent but ive heard you do need one?? hmm confused! I have a friend who is willing to take my baby to Manchester Airport and I would be at the other end waiting. Any help would be sooooo appreciated.. I just want to have my baby here going crazy without her..
Thank you for any advise..
Claire x

you dont need to use an agent

Thank you x

Poor Brian ,i still think whichever way you do it,it will still cost £500 plus.Good luck.

This is the information  from  airmalta website ...
http://www.airmalta.com/information/cus … -with-pets

You could book yourself a return and book your dog in at the UK airport to travel back with you.

Terry

Just clicked poor brian haha brain! See its fried. Thanks for info guys x

You are not allowed to 'check in' your dog/cat yourself from the UK, you must use a booking agent. I tried this myself with Air Malta from the UK & was given the contact details of their cargo services representatives, who in turn put me onto their pet shipping company. It isn't cheap & trying to find out correct information is like trying to get blood out of a stone, but we eventually got our cat here safely! Just remember that animals are taken to the Air malta cargo centre, which is up the road from the airport itself (no one told me this!)...

Tinna9 wrote: Hello everyone !

Sorry it took me awhile to get back about our trip from Ireland to Malta. Glad to say it was a success also

Great news and thanks for documenting Tinna9. We are hoping to sell up this summer and travel from Plymouth UK ferry to Santander then through Spain and France, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily to Malta with our Collie Cross.

Are places generally pet friendly or is it recommended that we have a detailed itinerary with all stops booked in advance (although we may end up camping to make things easier (and save money).

Thanks   

Hi,
I would like to bring my dog to Malta with us when we move in August from the US. Do you think it will be as easy as when you brought your dog? Mine is a 65 pound black lab.

RKH wrote:

Hi,
I would like to bring my dog to Malta with us when we move in August from the US. Do you think it will be as easy as when you brought your dog? Mine is a 65 pound black lab.

This may help as it is the experience of a US citizen traveling to the EU with dog......
"First you must have your dog certified to be healthy and up to date on vaccinations by a veterinarian that is certified by the US Dept of Agriculture. Check with your own vet first and if he/she does not have this credential, they should direct you to someone who does. You must have this done within ten days before you arrive, not sooner ( i.e. they are looking for very current evidence of dog's bona-fides or bona-fidos).

Here comes the fun part; the form must be sent to USDA for stamp & signatures. That means you really need to get checkup from vet exactly ten days before since you need to mail the forms (supplied by vet) and have it returned to you before you leave (we Fedex and include a prepaid return fedex envelope.)

Another EU requirement is the dog must be microchipped and you need to bring a scanner to read that particular type of chip, as there are different brands and the customs people don't necessarily have the right one. This cost a few hundred dollars several years ago.

The other details include reserving a space for your dog in cargo when you book your flight (check with airline if you can bring small dog in cabin with you--it goes by weight--used to be 25 pounds but last I heard 18 was the limit for the cabin.) The dog must be in a proper airline approved travel crate - I have recently heard about someone who showed up with an approved crate that the airline felt was too small and they would not board the dog. The fare is usually around $400.00 round trip. Many airlines will not accept dogs for cargo in the summer months as this part of the plane prior to takeoff is not air-conditioned and they have had dogs expire from the heat. When you hand the dog over to ground crew make certain crate is securely closed so you don't see your dog being chased around the tarmac by airline folks as you look on helplessly from the gate. This happened to us at Cote D'Azur (Nice) but the dog was surrounded and gave herself up and was safely boarded.

After you have jumped through all these hoops here is what to expect when arriving in Europe: a long wait for the dog to be unloaded and then a dog who has lowered his opinion of you. Chances are good that no one asks to see the paperwork that you have gone to some trouble to have in good order. Not even a glance. "


Terry

Please will you share your route and the pet friendly hotels you stayed in on your journey to Malta? We are leaving UK on the 30th August with our 3 small dogs. We havent booked any ferries or hotels yet so any advice would be great.

Apologies, just saw your post now 
I would recommend booking in advance. Italy had a great choice of pet-friendly places, however you may need to plan your trip around the pet-friendly hotels in France (not sure of the other places you had mentioned). I knew the route we were going so was searching for places close enough to it. However we had given ourselves quite enough time to get to the next stop, just in case.

Good luck!

MovingToTheMed wrote:

Tinna9 wrote: Hello everyone !

Sorry it took me awhile to get back about our trip from Ireland to Malta. Glad to say it was a success also

Great news and thanks for documenting Tinna9. We are hoping to sell up this summer and travel from Plymouth UK ferry to Santander then through Spain and France, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily to Malta with our Collie Cross.

Are places generally pet friendly or is it recommended that we have a detailed itinerary with all stops booked in advance (although we may end up camping to make things easier (and save money).

Thanks   

559lkm wrote:

Please will you share your route and the pet friendly hotels you stayed in on your journey to Malta? We are leaving UK on the 30th August with our 3 small dogs. We havent booked any ferries or hotels yet so any advice would be great.

In France nearly all of the chain / low cost hotels will accept pets (some don't have staff on duty and you book in via a credit card machine at the hotel).

Terry

Here is our comprehensive list of French hotel chains, cheap and luxury options, that you will find dotted around France that are great for an overnight stay.

Our favourites are Premiere Classe, Formule 1, Hotel B&B and Novotel, if you fancy paying more for luxury. We recommend you book ahead if you are planning a stay during the summer months.

The list below is in no particular order:

Formule 1
Campanile
Novotel
Mercure
Premiere Classe
Mr Bed
Etap
Balladins
Ibis
B&B Hotels
Fast Hotels
Quick Palace
Best Hotel
Akena


Terry

Thanks Terry,

That sounds straightforward!

Lesley

Terry, thank you so much for such a comprehensive list of hotels to choose from!

This story has been a fantastic help to me thank you so much! We are leaving UK at the end of August and travelling to Malta with our three small dogs. What time of the year did you make your journey?

559lkm wrote:

This story has been a fantastic help to me thank you so much! We are leaving UK at the end of August and travelling to Malta with our three small dogs. What time of the year did you make your journey?

We drove down from France at the beginning of October but don't worry about getting accommodation as by then the peak holiday season  has gone.

Sorry about the delay in replying but we are touring  Italy, France and on to the UK at the moment (with dog and motorhome) and we will be returning around the end of August via the same route.

Good luck.

Terry

Hello,

I do not know how to contact the vet to welcome my dog on arrival ...
and the formalities. He has the chip, the passport but is there anything else I have to do ?
Thank you so much for your answer, I travel next monday and have an urge to know.

Isabelle

Hi I am arriving with my 3 dogs via the messina/Valletta ferry a few days after you and this is what I have found out.

You need to inform the authorities of your arrival time and where you will be entering and they will arrange for a vet to meet you.

You need to contact the Freeport Border Inspection Post on 00356 99170532 and they will verify what documents you need.
You can also contact them on petstravel.mrra@gov.mt and they will email you the forms which you can fill in and email back to the with passport numbers etc....
Also you need to give your pet the tapeworm tablets and the dog will need testing for tapeworm as soon as you arrive. The border vet will do this.
Bonne Chance and any more questions, just ask!

Lesley

Lesley, thank you so much. I'll do all this !!!
Your Bonne Chance is greatly welcomed.

for you, all the best
and maybe we'll meet !

Hope so Isabelle! I am going to be living in Marsascala, what about you?

I am an ex French teacher and going to be doing some TEFL work in Malta. Very excited about the move!

Lesley

I'll be living in Gozo. Hope to do some therapeutic work here and there on the islands. I am an healer, and I come to Malta to learn from all of you all of them.

Avec beaucoup d'amour,
Isabelle

PS the application is leaving with next mail !

559lkm wrote:

Hi I am arriving with my 3 dogs via the messina/Valletta ferry a few days after you and this is what I have found out.

You need to inform the authorities of your arrival time and where you will be entering and they will arrange for a vet to meet you.

You need to contact the Freeport Border Inspection Post on 00356 99170532 and they will verify what documents you need.
You can also contact them on petstravel.mrra@gov.mt and they will email you the forms which you can fill in and email back to the with passport numbers etc....
Also you need to give your pet the tapeworm tablets and the dog will need testing for tapeworm as soon as you arrive. The border vet will do this.
Bonne Chance and any more questions, just ask!

Lesley

Its a vet that needs to give the tapeworm dose and he needs to sign the pet passport,
The vet at the docs only Checks the pet passport.

Terry

Amazingly Lesley - we too are leaving Chester for Malta and planning on doing this in the next couple of months with our 2 dogs. It's been really helpful seeing your info on the route and driving over there and pet info when arriving in Malta - hope it all goes well

Caz

Thanks Kaz,

This forum helped me out a lot when I was first thinking/planning the move. its ok to call me if I can give you any further advice. We booked all our ferries yesterday and now I am packing up the house. So excited!

Hi Terry

I didn't know the vet has to give the dose. I have been told by the maltese authorities that I can give the tablets which I have now bought and the vet does a test to see if they have been effective and that this must be done within 5 days of me landing. I have received conflicting advice on this and it is the only area of grey I have had to deal with!

We travel regularly with our dog (we are currently driving through Italy on our way back).
The vet that meets the boat is only interested in the pet passport being up to date and that includes
The worming section filled in and stamped by the vet that gives the tablet or injection,  we get ours done in Sicily as we spend a couple of days on the beach before our return.
I think it has to be between 24 and 72 hours BEFORE the arrival time of your ferry in Malta.
It would not make sense for you to be able to fill it in as you could fill it in and not give your pet the tablet!
Failing to get it filled in could result in your pet being held in quarantine.

Terry

Pretty sure thats correct,and the timing is all important.Might be a good idea to get a sandfly collar,if you havent got one.

Thanks Terry and I agree that I do not mark the passport in any way. Obviously I need to find a vet in Sicily to give the tapeworm tablets.

Thanks for the advice about the sandfly collar. Does anyone know a vet in Sicily who will be able to give tapeworm tablets and stamp the passport for me. I will be in Sicily on Sunday 31st August, arriving at Messina, driving to Pozzallo and catching the 2.30 ferry to Malta (I hope if I get everything right!)

Lesley

Could you tell us which vet in Sicily you use Terry? Thanks

Hi caz,

Just spoken to my vet and they are going to give the tapeworm treatment to my 3 dogs on Tuesday 26th August and sign their passports and then I am scheduled to arrive in Malta on Sunday 31st August so the time scale just fits. I think it would be a nightmare finding a vet in Sicily when I am only there for a morning.

Is your time scale going to allow you to do the same?

Lesley

Hi Lesley,

Actually I was just having this very chat with my husband and we too thought we could just make it over in time, getting our local vet here to administer the tapeworm treatment and sign their pet passports.

So are you all set with a house etc - do you know Malta well?

Caz