Pet Travel & Relocation FAQs

Your Animal Land Pet Movers quote is designed to outline all expected costs for your pet’s trip. Depending on your route and service level, it may include:

• Route planning and airline booking
• Airline freight fees and standard handling charges
• Ground transport to/from the airport (if selected)
• Paperwork guidance for health certificates and entry requirements
• Crate review or supply, labeling, and check-in support

Your estimate will also clearly note anything not included (like government fees, quarantine costs, or extra vet services). You can request a quote from our Price Quote Page.

Requirements vary by country, but most pets need:

• A microchip
• A current rabies vaccination (given after the microchip)
• A health certificate from a veterinarian, sometimes endorsed by a government authority
• For some countries: a rabies blood test, parasite treatments, and/or an import permit

Because rules change, we’ll give you a step-by-step checklist based on your exact route and point you to the official government resources for final confirmation.

It depends on where you’re going:

• Domestically: Ideally, 3–4 weeks in advance. The airlines have significantly reduced their routes since COVID, so we will need to verify your origin and destination cities to ensure they are feasible.
• International travel: Usually 2–6 months ahead, depending on rabies rules, blood tests, and permits
• Peak seasons: Summer and holidays fill quickly, so earlier is always better

If you’re traveling sooner, please contact our team. We can often still help if your pet already meets the health requirements.

In most instances, you can absolutely move your pet yourself. Especially domestically. To many foreign countries, most notably South Africa, Australia, and England, we strongly recommend using a pet relocation service as any errors can seriously affect your pet’s time in quarantine.

No. It would be unusual to find a pet relocation service that would be less expensive that doing it yourself.

Airlines treat brachycephalic breeds with extra caution because they’re more prone to breathing and heat issues. Common policies include:

• No snub-nosed pets in cargo on some airlines
• Seasonal or temperature-based restrictions
• Larger crates and better ventilation requirements

We’ll review current airline rules for your breed, recommend the safest routing and timing, and help choose an oversized crate for extra airflow.

Animal Land Pet Movers can either supply an IATA-compliant (International Air Transport Association) crate or confirm that your existing crate meets current airline and IATA guidelines. Most airlines follow IATA standards. In general, your pet’s crate must:

• Be hard-sided, secure, and well-ventilated
• Be tall enough for your pet to stand without touching the roof
• Allow your pet to turn around and lie down comfortably
• Have leak-proof flooring and attached food/water bowls

For more information, see our article on How to Choose the Right Airline-Approved Kennel.

For more detailed information, we’ve written an extensive article on How to Measure Your Dog for a Flight Kennel.

The basics are fairly straightforward:

Measure your pet while standing naturally:

1. Length: Nose to base of tail
2. Height: Floor to top of head or ears (whichever is higher)
3. Width: Widest part of the body (usually shoulders)
4. Leg height: Floor to elbow (front leg)

We use these measurements to select the correct crate size, and for snub-nosed pets, we typically size up for extra space and airflow.

• Water: Your pet’s crate must have a water container accessible from outside. Staff can top it up at check-in and during layovers when procedures allow.
• Food: We usually recommend a light meal 6–8 hours before departure and no large meals right before the flight. For long trips, you can attach a small bag of food and written instructions to the crate.

We’ll work with you (and your vet, if needed) to tailor a feeding and watering plan based on your pet’s age, health, and route.

No. All pet relocation services use the commercial airlines. At present there are no pet only airlines.

Yes. With proper diligence and common sense, relocating your pet by air is safer than a long road trip in the back of a van filled with other animals.

All pets flown as excess baggage or as cargo fly in the cargo hold of the plane. This area is heated and cooled and is also pressurized. It is the same air you are breathing when you fly in the cabin.

No, no, and no. Sedatives suppress the respiratory system of the pets and often cause disorientation. Several airlines will not accept your pet if they are sedated, nor will Animal Land Pet Movers.

For safer, alternate approaches to avoid medication, we’d recommend reading our article on How to Treat Dogs for Travel Anxiety.

During connections:

• Your pet is off-loaded and held in a secure, climate-controlled area when available
• Airline/ground staff check the crate, routing, and water
• For longer layovers, pets may wait in a designated animal facility before being loaded onto the next flight

When planning your route, we aim for the shortest practical travel time and airports with strong animal-handling procedures.

The best thing you can do to acclimate your pet for his upcoming move is to make sure he is comfortable with his crate. Start by putting treats in the crate and then progress to leaving your pet in the crate for short periods of time while you are out. This will help avoid separation anxiety and ensure a comfortable move.

Quarantine rules are set by the destination country, not the airline or Animal Land.

• Many countries have no quarantine if all paperwork and vaccines are correct.
• Some (like Australia and certain islands) require mandatory quarantine, even for well-prepared pets.
• If requirements aren’t met, pets can face extended quarantine or be refused entry.

When you request a quote, we’ll let you know if quarantine applies to your route and how to prepare.