Bringing your pet to Malta - a success story!

Yes, just about all set and know Malta very well. Parents used to have a place out there in the 60's and 70's and it was inevitable that I met a guy out there who I eventually married. We have lived in UK all our married life but have frequently visited family over there and it has always been my dream to live there one day. What about you?

I am stressing over the dogs though but everything else seems to have fallen in place!

That's lovely - your family out there must be over the moon that you're making the move! I'm actually half Maltese and have lived out there on and off since I was 10. I moved back to the UK in 2009 when I met my husband and it was actually him who came up with the idea of moving over - he just loves it when we go over on holidays! So I've gone with it - why not?!

You know Malta better than I do then!!!!! And yes, why not? Beautiful island and beautiful people. So friendly and lots of lovely sunshine!

559lkm wrote:

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

Sorry In my earlier posting I said 24 to 72 hrs when it should be 24 to 120 hrs, but remember its hours not days.
So check you don't go over the hours.

Terry

caz027 wrote:

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

The vet we use in Sicily is in a small town called Santa Croce Camerina,
His name is Dott. Francesco Distefano.

phone 338 4236114

You will need to phone for an appointment and its about 1 hour from Pozallo, we use him because its close to the campsite we use in Sicily.


Terry

Thanks Terry for your help.

HI all .... we are arriving tomorrow (v exciting!!) with our dog Hannah.

We are flying direct from the UK and apparently because of this we do't have the tapeworm tablet timing issue

The Veterinary Officer for Malta "UK is one of the exempted countries from this treatment as it has the same status as Malta, Finland and Ireland are also exempted. It means that dogs may travel between those countries without having undergone an anti-tapeworm treatment."

Even though I told Lesley that she needed to sort out the tapeworm tablets ... I then found out that we didn't!!

Fingers crossed for the flight ... I know Hannah is not going to like it - we have 2 sorts of medication to help her relax ..and we've had her sandfly collar on her for a couple of weeks to acclimatise her to it.

See you all in Malta 

And we leave here on Tuesday and arrive next Sunday afternoon!

Good Luck with your journey and I am sure Hannah will be fine so don't worry.

I have received an email from Karen Gott, the vet in Malta who deals with animals entering Malta, and because I am travelling with the dogs through other countries, ie.,France, Italy and Sicily, my 3 do need the tapeworm treatment. Its going to be a tight call for us but we should make it in the allocated time, just.

Yesterday in Malta, the temp was 41 degrees! As I am writing this in cold and rainy Cheshire with little hope of summer returning, I know I have made the right decision.

See you in Malta!

lesley

Hi - can I just ask if you've used a pet travel service to transport your dog over on the flight and if so who you used and how much it cost?

Thanks,

Caz

559lkm wrote:

And we leave here on Tuesday and arrive next Sunday afternoon!

Good Luck with your journey and I am sure Hannah will be fine so don't worry.

I have received an email from Karen Gott, the vet in Malta who deals with animals entering Malta, and because I am travelling with the dogs through other countries, ie.,France, Italy and Sicily, my 3 do need the tapeworm treatment. Its going to be a tight call for us but we should make it in the allocated time, just.

Yesterday in Malta, the temp was 41 degrees! As I am writing this in cold and rainy Cheshire with little hope of summer returning, I know I have made the right decision.

See you in Malta!

lesley

Have a great adventure Lesley - I'm jealous, I really wanted a Road Trip ... but it didn't come about.
Hope you have a lovely and stressless journey - see you in Marsakala 

caz027 wrote:

Hi - can I just ask if you've used a pet travel service to transport your dog over on the flight and if so who you used and how much it cost?

Thanks,

Caz

Hi Caz,
This is going to be the long story short edition. The only stressful thing about our whole move to Malta has been organising the travel for Hannah. In the end we had to call on friends who have friends in high places in the Maltese government to get the signature required before we could even book her on a flight! Now, if we contact the people concerned we usually get a response within 5 minutes!!

We considered using a company and contacted a couple but the response was slow and the prices pretty high.

What we did: Contact Air Malta, they put you in contact with a cargo agent based in Manchester (we are in the south of UK) but fear not. He has been very good.

He can make a reservation, but nothing official is provided but we have his assurances that Hannah is booked on the flight so we then went ahead and booked our own seats. Obviously you need the Pet Passport and you will need to acquire an IATA approved crate of the right dimensions (Cargo agent will help here). This can cost up to around £100 itself.

Our flight is 11:55 tomorrow but we have been advised to take Hannah to the Cargo area by 0600. Here she (and crate) will be weighed (jut like baggage) and only then will we know the price (although Cargo Agent will provide approximations).

We then have to pay in cash

We are expecting the bill to be around £400 but are taking £500 in cash.

We have been in touch with eCabs in Malta and booked a large cab to pick us up from the terminal and take us to the cargo area to pick up Hannah all in the same Cab - then we are wooshed away to our new life in Marsaskala

Will let you know how it pans out for us 

Yes let us know how it all goes, but sounds like it's all been sorted and so hopefully should be a nice and smooth move over with your dog! Good luck!

P.S - you're leaving at just the right time as it seems summer is well and truly over here - what miserable weather day after day!!!!

hey moving to the med , hope everything went ok with the move yesterday

Everything went super smoothly* and we are here on the beautiful island of Malta! 

We arrived last Monday but have only just got our temporary Alcatel OneTouch 3G wifi gadget working, after 3 trips back to the GO shop! So getting back online has been the only glitch!

We are getting slowly acclimatised. I have spent more time in the sea the past few days than the rest of my life combined 

*Only snag we hit was arriving at Gatwick at 0600 Bank Holiday Monday to find the vet hadn't stamped the Fit For Travel bit of Hannah's Pet Passport. Air Malta wouldn't take her - but a call to the vets which he answered at 0630 BH Monday and he dashed to the office and faxed a signed letter over and that was all fine. What a star!!

I mentioned that we had had to make use of friends of friends in high places to get the form signed that enabled Hannah to be booked onto our flight. Well I don't know if it was still in effect but it took 70 minutes from touchdown to collect our luggage and get over the the terminal building and have the vet check Hannah AND to get to our new home in Marsascala!

Very happy, very impressed!

We are taking a couple of weeks off before we tackle the next steps of Setting up business/bank accounts and residency.

I know this is a topic about Success Stories in bringing pets into Malta  - and we are a success story! But I also want to say again - THANK YOU for all the help and support of the people on this forum. Your assistance has undoubtedly contributed to this move, planned over the past 6 months and turned it into an extremely smooth experience ...and even fun. 

I guess after a while you can't edit your own posts? [Ed, Yes, one hour after original posting] Anyway I'm quoting my earlier post to update you on the actual costs etc now we have been through the process

MovingToTheMed wrote:

caz027 wrote:

Hi - can I just ask if you've used a pet travel service to transport your dog over on the flight and if so who you used and how much it cost?

Thanks,

Caz

Hi Caz,
This is going to be the long story short edition. The only stressful thing about our whole move to Malta has been organising the travel for Hannah. In the end we had to call on friends who have friends in high places in the Maltese government to get the signature required before we could even book her on a flight! Now, if we contact the people concerned we usually get a response within 5 minutes!!

We considered using a company and contacted a couple but the response was slow and the prices pretty high.

What we did: Contact Air Malta, they put you in contact with a cargo agent based in Manchester (we are in the south of UK) but fear not. He has been very good.

He can make a reservation, but nothing official is provided but we have his assurances that Hannah is booked on the flight so we then went ahead and booked our own seats. Obviously you need the Pet Passport and you will need to acquire an IATA approved crate of the right dimensions (Cargo agent will help here). This can cost up to around £100 itself.

Our flight is 11:55 tomorrow but we have been advised to take Hannah to the Cargo area by 0600. Here she (and crate) will be weighed (jut like baggage) and only then will we know the price (although Cargo Agent will provide approximations).

We then have to pay in cash

We are expecting the bill to be around £400 but are taking £500 in cash.

>> Actual cost was around £307 - and this included extra weight (you have to pay to transport a pallet with the crate, which we didn't know about - and we included 2 towelling robes in Hannah's crate as "blankets" but also as a way to get them out without using our luggage space!)

We have been in touch with eCabs in Malta and booked a large cab to pick us up from the terminal and take us to the cargo area to pick up Hannah all in the same Cab - then we are wooshed away to our new life in Marsaskala

>> eCabs were (as usual) brilliant - they even said that the account was already paid for! (we thought some kind relative had paid it but turns out, not so... we contacted them and it turns out they had mistakenly marked the job as paid when we booked ...so were grateful for our contacting them 

Will let you know how it pans out for us 
>> Very Well 

I also want to say a huge THANK YOU for everyone's advice and help and we have also safely arrived on this beautiful island safely, after a 4 and a half days road trip.

The vet was there to meet us when we disembarked from the Virtu ferry and after checking their microchips and paperwork, we were given the all clear!

We don't move into our accomadation until tomorrow so staying with family today but all in all a wonderful experience! Why was I so worried?

Looking forwards to helping those who need it and meeting some of you who are already here and settled.

Lesley

Hi Caz,

Couldn't wait to leave the UK weather. Guess what? It's hot and sunny in Malta. We are waiting for you!

Oh everyone by the way, the TAPEWORM treatment is not necessary even if you are travelling over by road. The vet who met us last night said any dog coming from UK does not need it. He also said it is very toxic and bad to give to dogs and in extreme cases can even kill them so don't do it.

Hi Lesley,

So glad it all went lovely and smoothly - we are still trying to find a property, but as you encountered too 9 times out of 10 the properties listed on the estate agent websites aren't available!! We did find what seemed to look like a promising new home, but once the agent expressed our interest to the owner, she hiked up the price by 300!! So it's back to the drawing board...but we will get out there soon, fingers crossed!!

559lkm wrote:

Oh everyone by the way, the TAPEWORM treatment is not necessary even if you are travelling over by road. The vet who met us last night said any dog coming from UK does not need it. He also said it is very toxic and bad to give to dogs and in extreme cases can even kill them so don't do it.

Interesting update Lesley! You in Marsascala yet?!

Yes we are here! Actually went for a swim this afternoon in St Thomas Bay with 2 of the dogs. It was lovely. Just trying to sort a Maltese mobile number and then we are up and running. Have the internet and the landline sorted now.
Let me know when the dog grooming starts. Alfie already needs another haircut!

Don't give up Caz! It really is all worth it. We have just rented a garage for 450 euros a year for all our furniture as we have rented furnished for the first 6 months till we find an unfurnished property. That was a massive hike up in price 300!!!

559lkm wrote:

Oh everyone by the way, the TAPEWORM treatment is not necessary even if you are travelling over by road. The vet who met us last night said any dog coming from UK does not need it. He also said it is very toxic and bad to give to dogs and in extreme cases can even kill them so don't do it.

He may say its not necessary but it is a requirement and a different vet may refuse entry if the pet passport is not filled in correctly.

Better to find an understanding vet who will stamp the passport and ask you to give the dog the tablet 

Terry
Glad things went  well for the journey and you are now settled.

Hi! I saw that you brought your pets in to Malta from Houston and with not many hassles. We are a family of 4 moving to Malta in October and the most complicated piece are our pets. My 5 & 8 year old kids are very concerned about our two indoor cats not being able to move to Malta. We have the airline issue kind of resolved, we just have not finalized our travel dates (looking at Lufthansa too). Both cats our under the weight restrictions in regards to being able to fly with us in the cabin. The most concerning and complicated part seems to be their passport, chip (?), etc. They are both up to date with vaccines etc and will be going to the vet in the weeks to follow before the trip. We are moving from Texas so the U.S. is considered a country that is "safe". Do you have any advice before we start paying for stuff that is not needed....what sites and documents are really required??? We would really appreciate any insight you may have in this matter..It looks like you are out of Malta now.....thanks Pablo

559lkm wrote:

Yes we are here! Actually went for a swim this afternoon in St Thomas Bay with 2 of the dogs. It was lovely. Just trying to sort a Maltese mobile number and then we are up and running. Have the internet and the landline sorted now.
Let me know when the dog grooming starts. Alfie already needs another haircut!

Lesley, have pm'd you. Re celebratory meetup tomorrow :-)

Thanks! Just seen it!

http://vafd.gov.mt/pet-travel-scheme?l=1
Hi Pablo use this link and it explains everything. It really is quite straightforward.
The main points are that you have to:

Have a pet passport
Pets be micro chipped
Pets be vaccinated against rabies
Notify the authorities here of date and time of arrival

Just let me know if I can be of any further help!
I promise you it is worthwhile

Lesley

Thanks to all your advices, Chico passed the border without any single problem.
I came from Barcelona with a ferry through Civitavecchia and Palermo. I believe I did not pay, or if  I did, it was very little.
Arriving in Valetta, the official vet checked the tapeworm and tics treatements, which had been done properly.
All was in perfect order.

Thanks again

That's great news! Welcome to Malta!

Thanks, 5591km.
I owe you my comfort and peace of mind, travelling with my little dog Chico

J'espere qu'un jour mes chiens et moi allons vous rencontrer. Ou est ce que tu vas rester?

Je suis à Xlendi, Gozo. Oui, je serais ravie de faire ta connaissance.
Je n'avais pas osé écrire publiquement en français ici.

Gros bisous à toi et tes chiens

khm, english speaking forum?

Duxx.

That was a private joke. Here is the translation :

I live in Xlendi, Gozo. Yes, I'll be delighted to meet you.
I never dared writing in English, publicly, here.
Lots of love for you and your dogs.

Please,  Duxx and all the others that I offended, please forgive me. I apologise.

Isabelle

Last step of my journey to Malta, got the approval from the vet that all papers are OK and I will pick up my family and our Maine Coon cat on Tuesday. I have to say, it went fairly smoothly. I would have imagined it to be more hard, but actually a lot of things go more smoothly in Malta. Now all we have to do is to figure out how our 8kg longhaired cat will cope with the heat

Oops sorry about the French. I saw that Isabelle was French and I just wanted to practise my French! Won't happen again. Was a one off!

Well, Linda and I (eventually) arrived in Malta at 1am on Sunday with our two welsh collies on Air Malta from Manchester and all is well:)

559lkm wrote:

Oops sorry about the French. I saw that Isabelle was French and I just wanted to practise my French! Won't happen again. Was a one off!

What did she say please?? hehehehe:)

Welcome to Malta and Isabelle was just telling me that she lives in Xlendi in Gozo!