Moving to Rota with Pets

PCSing WITH PETS

            Pets are permitted to travel overseas with their family, but there are numerous guidelines and restrictions you should be aware of before you move. Transporting a pet is costly—sometimes $1,000 or more per animal—so begin saving well before your moving date. Expenses to move a pet are not covered or reimbursed by the military. Remember that you will have to pay for the shipping process once again when moving a pet from Rota to the United States. Never abandon an animal. If you cannot bring it with you for any reason, or cannot pay round-trip expenses, arrange for a new family to adopt it. If you do not yet have a pet, there are numerous opportunities to get one in Spain. The shelter on base, RAWL (Rota Animal Welfare League), arranges adoptions for cats and dogs. There are also pedigree breeding centers throughout Spain.

            In on-base housing, there is a limit of two pets (dogs or cats) per household. Off base, many homes are pet-friendly. When deciding how many pets to bring, remember to consider the round-trip costs of transporting them. Notify your sponsor if you are bringing pets, so they can make appropriate reservations in temporary lodging.

The Naval Station Rota Relocation Assistance Office can answer your questions about current pet guidelines and procedures. These are outlined on their website:

http://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnreurafswa/

installations/ns_rota/ffr/support_services/

relocation_assistance/pets.html.

Another good resource is the base Veterinarian. You must register pets with the base Vet within 15 days of arrival. Currently, they maintain their official Facebook page under the name: Rota Branch Veterinary Treatment Facility.

REQUIREMENTS FOR IMPORTING DOGS AND CATS

            The entry of dogs, cats, or ferrets under three months of age is not allowed. All animals must be identified with a 15-digit microchip to be registered in the Spanish database, which should ideally be obtained in the States, but can be obtained on base upon arrival if necessary. The Rabies vaccine must be administered AFTER the microchip and then a period of 21 days should follow before entering into Spain. For booster vaccinations, no waiting period is required, provided the booster vaccine was administered before the expiration date of the prior vaccine.

Animals must be accompanied by a veterinary certificate, issued by an Official Veterinarian, (your current base Veterinarian or military-approved Veterinarian), which will include the following:

-        Identification of the owner or person responsible for the animal(s)

-        Description and origin of the animal(s)

-        Microchip number, location and date of insertion.

-        Information on the rabies vaccine (the vaccine type must be inactive, and in compliance with the standards of the OIE).

The Veterinary certificate is valid within 10 days of arrival into the country. Animals without the certificate will be denied entry into Spain. After arrival, pets must be registered with the base veterinarian within 15 days. If you travel with your pet within Europe, they will need a pet passport, which will be part of the registration process when you check in with the base Veterinarian.

 

‘POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS’ DOGS

Certain breeds of dogs are deemed ‘potentially dangerous’ by the Spanish government. These breeds are: Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Tosa Inu, Akita Inu, and crosses of these breeds. Legally, they can be imported, but the owner must adhere to Spanish laws, which include obtaining a license, paying a fee, obtaining insurance, and passing a psychological exam.

Before you leave the United States:

1. Obtain veterinary certificate
2. Obtain certification of owner's police record

Once in Spain:

1. Obtain certificate of physical ability;
2. Obtain certificate of psychological aptitude;
3. Purchase liability insurance;
4. Apply for registration at the Town or City Registry of Potentially Dangerous Animals and obtain the license.
5. Comply at all times with the safety measures.

Potentially dangerous dogs must be identified with a microchip. They also must be registered in the Town or City Registries of Potentially Dangerous Animals. The dog owner must have a license, issued by the municipality, valid for five years. In order to qualify for a license, the owner must meet the following requirements:

-        Must be 18 years or older.

-        Must have a clean police record showing no convictions for the crimes of homicide, torture, assault, sex-related offenses, drug trafficking, association with illegal armed groups, or otherwise having been banned by court order of the right to own potentially dangerous animals. These requirements must be documented with the appropriate certificates issued by the police authorities with jurisdiction over the owner's place(s) of residence during the two years prior to the application for license.

-        Must be mentally and physically able to own and control potentially dangerous animals. This requirement will be documented with the appropriate certificates (certificate of physical aptitude and certificate of psychological aptitude) issued by authorized centers in Spain.

Must have proof of contract of an insurance policy on the animal(s) with liability coverage of at least 120,000 Euros.

FLYING WITH PETS On MAC Flights

Pet transportation varies, depending if your family is flying commercial or using the military Patriot Express (Rotator) flights. One big difference: The commercial airline industry currently imposes a 100 pound weight restriction per pet with kennel. They also impose a restriction on pet shipments during seasonal hot/cold conditions. These industry restrictions should be considered when making pet travel plans. AMC (The Rotator) has a weight limit of 150 pounds per pet with kennel. There are usually spaces available on the rotator to ship animals here, but space is much more limited when returning from Spain to the United States. The Animal Welfare Act limits Patriot Express flights to 10 pet spaces per rotator flight.

You are responsible to ensure pets are shipped in the strongest and most secure kennel you can find. To prevent potential delays in your travel on major air carriers, two piece kennels should be bolted together with metal bolts and nuts.

Fees are charged on a weight per kennel basis. Your pet(s) and kennel with combined weight up to 70 pounds will be charged as one piece of checked luggage. Pet(s) and kennel with combined weight from 71-140 pounds will be charged as two pieces of checked luggage, and pet(s) and kennel weighing from 141-150 pounds will be charged as three pieces of checked luggage. Pet(s) and kennel weighing in excess of 150 pounds will not be accepted for shipment under any circumstances.

If the ground time exceeds 2 hours, pets will be off-loaded and owners will be provided an opportunity to visit their pets. When passengers are allowed to disembark from an aircraft due to flight delay, pet owners will also be provided an opportunity to visit their pets in order to walk them and provide water. Currently, Spain does not require a quarantine period for imported pets.

For the rotator, DOD regulations limit pet shipment to passengers in PCS status only. Pet space is limited on all AMC Patriot Express flights, therefore pet spaces are booked on a first come, first serve basis. You are limited to two pets per family. Pets must be accompanied by their owner and shipment is at the owners’ expense.

Contact your local transportation office as early as possible to book your pet space. Please remember, you are responsible for obtaining all required documentation, immunization, and border clearance requirements.

Forms must be filled out by an NVAP accredited vet, then signed by an Official Veterinary employed by the Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (VS/APHIS). The easiest way to do this is to use a military Vet who can fill out the forms as both a NVAP and VS/APHIS Vet. Otherwise, you will need to have your Vet fill out the forms, then either find your local APHIS office and make an appointment to have your forms signed, or mail your forms to APHIS with a prepaid return envelope. APHIS charges about $25 to sign forms. Once your Vet fills out the health certificate it is only good for 10 days and must still be valid when your dog arrives in Spain, so this will all need to be done fairly quickly.

With any questions, contact the Vet clinic on base in Rota. You will have to check your pet in there within 15 days of arrival. Your pet needs to be registered in the Spanish database, regardless of where they will be treated. If you fly with a pet on a commercial flight within Europe, you will need to acquire a pet passport. The Vet office on base can assist you with that process when you check in. Spain determines the registration fees, which in 2014 were about $25.

FLYING PETS COMMERCIALLY THROUGH MADRID

Note: The author did not ship pets, so this section was contributed by

Jessica and Andrew Strong..

           

Pre PCS

If there is a chance your dog won’t be able to travel with you on the MAC flight, make arrangements ahead of time to ship the dog commercially. It will make your life easier and cost less money than if you have to scramble to make arrangements 15 days prior to PCS. Make sure your kennel meets international requirements. These are listed on airline websites. Make sure you know your dog’s weight, kennel’s weight, and kennel measurements.

Things to consider

Not all planes are large enough to accommodate medium and larger kennels. You will probably have to ship from an international airport to Madrid, not a local airport with connecting flights. If you are having someone else watch and ship your dog to you, make sure they live near a major international airport or are willing to drive to one. If you are already in Rota, make arrangements to drive to Madrid, since your pet probably won’t be able to get any closer. There are courier services that will drive the animals from Madrid or from Malaga to Rota, but you can also rent a car and get them yourself. Driving to Malaga takes about 3 hours. Madrid takes about 6-7 hours, so you may need overnight accommodations.

Many airlines have temperature restrictions. Most won’t transport pets during the summer but there are also cold requirements too. For example, American Airlines won’t fly pets if it’s below 45. United Petsafe (1-800-575-3335) is easy to deal with, well informed, friendly, and their cargo hold is climate controlled so they will fly pets when others won’t. There are also breed restrictions, particularly with snub-nosed dogs and cats.

Don’t just make arrangements on-line! Call people several times to confirm everything.

The process

Your dog needs a 15 digit ISO standard microchip and a yearly rabies vaccination. If your dog must get the microchip it will also need another rabies vaccination. Good places for info are www.mapausa.org  
and www.aphis.usda.gov/.

Make flight arrangements. The cost may be around $1,000 or more based on your dog’s weight and kennel size. You pay when you drop the dog off so you can always change this flight if you need too. Forms must be filled out by an NVAP accredited Vet then signed by an Official Veterinary employed by the Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (VS/APHIS). The easiest way to do this is to use a military Vet who can fill out the forms as both a NVAP and VS/APHIS Vet. If this option is not possible you will need to have your Vet fill out the forms then either find your local APHIS office and make an appointment to have your forms signed or mail your forms to APHIS with a prepaid return envelope. APHIS charges about $25 to sign forms. Once your Vet fills out the health certificate it is only good for 10 days and must still be valid when your dog arrives in Spain.

The next step is to put your dog on a plane. Check with the airline for pre-flight requirements. The typical is food/water/potty no more than 4 hours before. You can tape a Ziploc bag to the top of the kennel for food, leash and forms. The airlines provide live animal and arrow stickers as well as releasable cable ties for the door. Also check what time the dog needs to be dropped off. Typically it is 3 hours before an international flight, but check the times when the cargo facility opens. Call several times before you drop your dog off. If flights are rescheduled, you may have to redo the health certificate and EU form.

Picking up your pet in Madrid

Once in Madrid you will pick your dog up in the cargo area. Follow the signs for cargo near the airport. See an airport map here:

http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Satellite?Language=EN.

You will need passport or I.D. to get in the gate, then tell the guard you’re picking up a dog. Walk into the door at the front of the building and there is a counter. Whoever was listed as the recipient on the paperwork needs to be there with a passport to pick up the dog. You will pay about 72 Euros in fees and receive paperwork to take to the vet.

Next take your paperwork to the customs Vet. It’s the big glass building on the corner. As you walk up to the building, there is an information desk in the middle where you will show your passport and get a card to gain access to the building. Tell them you need the Veterinarian and they can give you the floor and office number. The Vet will want passports and the paperwork the airline gave you. He will stamp and give you paperwork to give to customs.

Turn your card in at the info desk. As you walk back towards the road, customs is the glass doors now on your left (café on right). You will need to go through security/metal detector then head to the counter to the left. You can show your paperwork to security and they will point you in the right direction. Customs will want to know it’s a pet, see your passport, take your paperwork and give you a form to fill out. When you’re done you can head back to cargo area and pick up your pet!

The above info is an excerpt from the book 'Welcome to Rota,' by Lizann Lightfoot, published in 2014. copying and resale are prohibited.