How to Move A Dog To The UK (costs, too!)

Moving to UK from US with a dog and wondering what to do?  Moving abroad with a dog can be nerve-wracking, particularly if your dog is older and vulnerable.  My dog, an 11-year-old lab, Duke, flew from Oregon to Texas once, but moving our dog to the UK wasn’t going to be even close to that flight journey.  Fearing the flight impact on his age, I sought expert advice to figure out how to move our dog to the UK. With pet travel expert advise and experience of my own, here’s what’s involved, including the cost of shipping a dog from USA to UK.

UPDATE JANUARY 2023: Many airlines in the United States have suspended pet travel for animals that don’t meet the in-cabin requirements.  In fact, there are only two airlines that offer US domestic flight options for large dogs and two airlines that offer international flights for pets going to the UK. Contact your preferred airline for when cargo pet travel will resume again.

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Hire Or Ship The Dog To England Yourself?

Despite the scary possibilities of everything that could go wrong, we personally chose to transport our dog ourselves vs. hiring a third party to do it for us.  Our circumstances encouraged us to manage the relocation, and at the time there were direct flight options from Houston to London that allowed pets to travel on the same plane.

Fast forward to 2023 and there are fewer international flight options available for dogs and more in-cabin pet restrictions entering the UK.  The decision of who manages your dog’s move might be less of a decision at all.  But if you’re seeking how to do it, here’s how our dog made the international move without a scratch.  

Duke did great on his relocation from Houston to London!

Here’s How To Move Abroad With A Dog

Follow these 10 steps for moving abroad with your dog to the UK from the USA.

1. Talk to a third-party animal transportation service first.

Since moving a dog to the UK is so overwhelming, contact an international pet shipper first.

Tracy from Animal Transportation was incredibly informative and willing to answer all questions, even though we didn’t choose Animal Transportation Services to relocate our dog.  She offered amazing customer service! 

Even if you don’t use a 3rd party service to move a dog abroad, a pet shipper offers valuable insight to coach you through it.  This first bit of insight will help frame your next steps and whether or not you want to pursue trying to manage the dog relocation.

2. Get a free quote from at least 3 international pet shippers.

Collect three quotes from recommended pet shippers.

If you want to use a pet transportation service, contact them as soon as possible and definitely no later than 3 weeks prior to the departure (preferably 3 months in advance). 

Don’t wait too late to make a decision or the third party might not be able to take your dog on as a client.

3. Check your airline if you can book your pet or if the pet is required to fly via a third-party animal transportation service.

If you’re still undecided on whether to use an international pet shipper, check if your airline allows you to book your dog’s flight.  Find which airlines ship dogs and which ones don’t in the International Pet Shippers post.

We used United Airlines, which allowed us to directly book our pet’s flight.  This gave us the option to not require using an animal transportation service, but in June 2018 United Airlines changed the pet policy.

Duke’s flight was direct from Houston to London which made for an easier decision to take Duke with us vs. hiring a third party.  If we had a layover, we would have used a 3rd party pet service so that any issues with paperwork could be resolved by them.  Unresolved paperwork could prevent your pet from boarding the flight again.

Check your local/preferred airline pet policy, which may mandate which decision you make. 

4. Get a TOR number, “Transfer of Residence”.

TOR is a new UK tax that started in 2017.  The TOR applies to all goods you plan to import, including animals.

The company that is arranging the movement of your goods should help you complete the “TOR” form.  If not, you should apply for a TOR now.  Be sure to check with your mover first.

If you do not receive the TOR number prior to your departure, you have to pay Customs VAT upon arrival to the country.  You have 6 months to be reimbursed for that money once you receive the TOR.  We had our TOR before leaving the country so this did not apply to our dog.  If we did not have Duke’s TOR form, Customs VAT was estimated between $200-$300.

5. Departure & Cost Of Shipping A Dog From USA To UK:

We let our dog walk around a bit outside at the United pet check-in area before he was weighed and crated.  Once crated your pet isn’t let out again until you pick him up at the final destination. 

Breakdown cost of shipping a dog from USA to UK:

• If you use a pet transportation service, estimate at least $1500 for a dog of this size flying from Houston to London. This quote was incremental to the flight, vaccines, health certificate, and arrival fees needed to move a dog to the UK. This is an estimate from summer 2017.
• United Airlines direct flight for our dog from IAH to LHR was $2268 for the flight ($1700) and fees due upon arrival.
• TOR estimate for Duke, a Labrador retriever (Duke’s weight of 84 pounds + crate weight) = $240
• Veterinarian fees will vary per pet but Duke’s visits totaled $388.
• EU Health Certificate plus expedited shipping both ways cost $65.
• Pet Carrier cost $200.

Total cost of shipping Duke from Houston to London was $3161, whereas if we had hired a pet shipper the total cost would have been at least $4661.

How much it cost to move our dog from Houston to London in 2017

6. Expect a long pet clearance upon arrival.

Duke traveled on the same flight as us, but upon arrival had to go to the Animal Transfer Center in LHR for clearing.  Pet clearance can take up to 6 hours on a busy day at London Heathrow so it’s advised to avoid weekend flights.

Our flight landed on a Saturday morning but Duke only took 3 hours to clear.  We got lucky!  You’ll receive a phone call from the Animal Transfer Center when your pet is ready for pickup.  You need to bring your ID,  air waybill, collar, and leash in order to collect.

7. Register your pet in a microchip database. 

The clearing office will provide the paperwork and options for you to do this.  This was the easiest step in the whole process.  Don’t forget or it could be a £500 fine in the UK!  Don’t worry, you have a month to register your dog.

Read Duke’s story about how the pet database saved him after a jaunt to the pub one day.

8. Vet requirements to move your dog to England.

These vet requirements are in the order they must occur for moving to London or UK with a dog from USA.

1. A microchip MUST be working and easily detected within seconds.  If it takes more than a second they won’t try hard to find it.  Make sure it’s working and if not, hurry to get a new one inserted.  This happened to Duke.
2. The microchip MUST be inserted before the rabies vaccination.  The UK health certificate asks for the date of microchip implantation as well as the date of rabies. They can be done the same day but microchip MUST be done before rabies.
3. Rabies vaccination.
4. Wait 21 days after the rabies vaccination.  This is important and why you need to schedule appointments accordingly per the day you plan to import your dog into the UK.  The pet cannot travel during this “waiting period”.
5. Have your vet complete the EU Health Certificate that can only be endorsed by certain US offices. 
6. Note: The EU certificate is only valid for 10 days so everything needs to be timed to your exact flight departure.
7. Get the tapeworm vaccination 1-5 days before the flight.

9. Other helpful tips to move your dog abroad:

• Buy a kennel that fits the specification of the airline your pet is traveling.

Make sure the dog kennel meets the airline specs

• Contact the UK broker in advance for clearance purposes.
• Tape a bag of food to the kennel.
• A tip if your dog is traveling on the same flight as you: notify the steward/ess as soon as you get on your flight to let them know you’re traveling with a pet and that you need assurance he/she made it on board.  Our United Airlines stewardess was fantastic and was able to reassure us he was on board and doing fine.

10.  Websites to inform current requirements on how to move your dog abroad.

While this post is meant to share the steps to move a dog to the UK from the US, every pet and move is unique. Duke’s move abroad and the 2017 related costs of doing so hopefully provide a directional indication of what to expect (at minimum) for your own dog’s move.  But with ever-changing airline policies, USDA, and UK government rules, it’s best to check those sites for the most current import requirements.

• Bookmark the USDA Pet Travel Site as you will reference it frequently with your vet for steps involved with moving a dog to the UK from the USA.
• Check Gov.UK for pet import requirements from the US.
• Refer to IPATA for expert pet travel advice and an accredited service provider to help with your move.
• Contact HARC in London for current clearance estimates, parking, and other questions you may have about pet arrival at Heathrow.

Final Thoughts On Moving To London With A Dog From USA

In the end, whether you hire an animal transportation service or have the option to manage it yourself, complete all the tasks required and you will successfully move your dog abroad.  I know putting your dog in cargo can be an extremely worrying thing to do, but our 11-year-old lab with a breathing condition was perfectly fine upon collection.  He was completely normal and his happy self after a long nap.

For pet relocation and finding a place to live with a dog, read how to find a property to rent in the UK that allows dogs.

For pet owners self-managing the details of their dog’s move, a printable dog checklist is in the Moving To England Workbook.  Or you can purchase just the dog relocation checklist pages.  Find both printables in the Shop.

Looking for more moving resources?  Try these.

• Moving Abroad Checklist
• How To Find Rentals That Allow Dogs In The UK
• Ultimate Packing List For England

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