Travel and charity requirements for importation of animals.

We often get asked what the requirements are for bringing animals from abroad to the UK.

This page will give adopters and rescuers an overview of the travel and charity requirements for the importation of animals from the various countries we routinely operate in and take animals from.

1. Egypt

Microchip insertion, rabies vaccinations, a rabies titre test, and worming are requirements for importation from Egypt.

However we take our responsibility to import animals safely very seriously so we go through a number of additional tests and checks to ensure both the well being of the animals we import, but also for the sake of those they will be coming into contact with when they arrive in the UK.

As of March 2024:

Unfortunately recently we have been experiencing many challenges to our efforts to rescue animals from Egypt.
As such we are forced to use one of the following options going forwards: 1) The adopter must travel to Egypt to collect their animal themselves as “excess baggage” or 2) The animal is flown direct from Cairo to London Heathrow as cargo.
The huge downside to the Cargo route from is that the animal must be at the Cairo cargo centre overnight for 12 hours before they are even loaded onto the plane.
This means that a journey which was already 14+ hours in transit and crated could now become 24+ hours.
Other factors such as the heat and limited supervision at the cargo centre are also of concern for us and we have taken steps to try to make sure that any animal of ours coming via this route will get extra attention.
Please understand that for these animals there is no alternative, there are no offers of good homes in Egypt because of the massive over population of unwanted animals there. Life as a shelter animal is no life at all in most cases. Most of the shelters are overcrowded, dirty, rife in disease, lacking in comfort, food and medical care and in some cases the workers even abuse the animals or they live their entire lives in small cages. So yes these animals will endure a day of stress but when we compare this to a lifetime of misery or suffering in Egypt the cost benefit analysis still stacks up in favour of bringing them over, in most cases.
There will be some exceptions where sadly the animal is too traumatised or too disabled to bring them on this route, for them the future looks bleak in terms of their adoption prospects.
Cargo is also a more expensive way of bring the animals. The total cost of a small accompanied animal coming via Paris was £750 (covering preparation and the travel itself) and the cargo route looks to increase that cost by at least £250 per animal.
Since October 2022 we have been asking rescuers and adopters to share in the costs of bringing the animals over. This has been working well but we realise that the costs increasing even more will mean that some animals simply do not stand a chance of being adopted.
We have observed the trends during that time and now know that adopters will usually be much more willing to pay the travel for a small, fluffy, breed type dog or a dog that is small and senior, deaf/ blind or tripaw. The dogs that are overlooked time and time again are the disabled and able bodied typical of the area street dogs.
It is for this reason we so strongly believe not only in responsible rehoming but in neutering animals abroad to deal with the issue at source, as opposed to just fire fighting and trying to deal with excess numbers of animals in need, after the fact.
We are realistic about what the future looks like for our rehoming efforts in Egypt. We are sad about it. We have been angry, upset, frustrated and defeated. But we now console ourselves with the fact that we can continue to have a meaningful impact in Egypt by preventing unwanted animals being born into a life of suffering. We will still try to bring as many animals as possible over from Egypt but we need serious help from adopters for this to happen.
We can also have an increased focus on adoptions from Europe where the travel costs are lower and will be more affordable for most households.
Please remember too that people think nothing of spending £2000+ on a new puppy for their family. All this does is perpetuate animal misery across the board and line a breeders pockets. There is no such thing as a responsible breeder, they all exploit animal’s sex organs for financial gain.
So really is it so outrageous to have to spend or fundraise for a very needy animal to travel to a wonderful new life? We have all 3 of us done it ourselves, many times, and we know they are worth every single penny and more.
We hope that our future adopters will see that too.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
Victoria, Catherine and Emma x

2. All Animals regardless of Country of Origin will:

Be neutered before travel unless age, health or temperament means that delaying the neutering is unavoidable.

This will only ever occur in very rare and exceptional cases.

All animals over 1 year old will have a dental check up.  All dogs will be screened for blood parasites.

This will include (but is not limited to) Brucella Canis, Ehrichlia Canis. Leishmaniasis and Heartworm.

All cats will be screened for common infectious diseases and parasites such as FelV FIV and Giardia.

We do our best to ensure that animals arrive in a good state of health at all times.  However there may be times when animals arrive with minor undisclosed medical issues or infestations of fleas or ticks.  This is the nature of foreign rescue.

Occasionally a certain test may be unavailable in the animal’s country of origin.  In that event we will make you aware that the test needs to be performed immediately on arrival by your own vet.

Image Credit "Cat the Vet" Foreign Dogs: What to test for

Leila From Egypt

3. Romania

We are a registered and approved importer for animals from Romania.

Animals will be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies.

An IPAFFS application to import the animal must be made and approved via the government portal.  An approved and registered transporter will be used.

A Health Certificate must be issued before travel, the animals will be wormed before travel.

However please see section 2 for the additional charity checks.

Faith from Romania

Bosnia

Animals will be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies.

An IPAFFS application to import the animal must be made and approved via the government portal.  An approved and registered transporter will be used.

A Health Certificate must be issued before travel, the animals will be wormed before travel.

Animals from Bosnia will be quarantined in Bosnia for 21 days before they travel.  Many will also be quarantined for a further 2 days in the UK when they arrive.

Please refer to section 2 for additional requirements and checks carried out by the charity.

Dottie from Bosnia

Other Countries

We do sometimes welcome animals from countries not listed above.  If you have any questions or concerns about the travel process for your animal please speak to us directly. We are happy to help.  In all cases, section 2 above will apply.

Silver from Azerbaijan

We look forward to helping your new family member reach their forever home!