5 Tips On How to PCS with a Pet Overseas

Moving overseas with a pet while being in the military can be a stressful situation. On one hand you are so excited to be able to explore and start this adventure of living abroad in Europe. And on the other hand you are secretly freaking out inside because there is so much stuff that needs to be done, especially if you have a pet.

In our case, we have a dog. A 60 pound Australian Shepherd to be exact. We knew about a year in advance that we would be moving to Germany and there was no way we were leaving our dog behind. Our dog is like a family member to us, so we were prepared for the costs of sending our dog overseas with us. Our original report date was August 2014 and we figured we had time to prepare so we didn’t start preparing for the move right away. My husband didn’t even have paper orders yet so we didn’t make any plans. Then in April 2014, we got word that my husbands report date had moved from August to June. We had TWO months to prepare for our move overseas. We hadn’t done anything to prepare. We didn’t even have paper orders. That is when we had to hightail it into gear and get preparations done!

So here is a list of things you need to do to help prepare yourself for your move overseas with your pet:

1. BOOK YOUR FLIGHT ASAP

First thing you need to do when you have paper orders is BOOK YOUR FLIGHT! It’s best to get your paper orders as soon as you can. Sometimes if your report date isn’t until a year, you might not be able to get those printed right away. Check with your command or travel office and see when those can be printed and book your flight ASAP. Pet spots on the plane are few and far between. I’ve been told there are only 10 spots on the entire plane so these spots fill up quick and should be booked at least 3 months before your report date to guarantee your pet’s spot. When booking your flight, make sure to tell the person you have a pet, whether it’s a dog or cat, and its approximate weight. We weren’t so lucky and there were no spots for our dog until July so I stayed behind and waited to fly with our dog then.

2. SCHEDULE VETERINARY APPOINTMENTS: MICROCHIP AND RABIES VACCINE

My dog already had an international microchip but if your pet doesn’t have one, make sure to have one implanted because it’s required for your dog to travel. In addition, your pet will need a rabies vaccine at least 30 days before the flight. Normally, we saw a vet off post but I would recommend taking your dog to the vet at your local installation because they are much more familiar with the overseas PCS process and you can also skip the trip to get the USDA certification.  Which leads me to my next step.

3. USDA CERTIFICATION

When moving overseas, a USDA certificate is usually required to prove your animal is healthy to travel. However, if you live near a military installation, you can take your animal there and they will provide you with appropriate paperwork that sort of “overrides” the USDA paperwork but works just the same. And my vet at Joint Base Lewis-McChord charged me about $3 for it because we were PCSing. So save yourself some money and try that before going to your local UDSA facility. If you absolutely have to go to a USDA facility, click on this link to help you out. Also, the pet certificate needs to be in English and German so make sure it’s in both languages before leaving the USDA office or vet’s office.

4. BUY AN AIRLINE APPROVED KENNEL

Depending on the airline you are flying on, they may have certain guidelines you need to follow to transport your pet. I flew United to Baltimore and then hopped on the military flight to Germany so I needed to make sure my kennel fit United Airlines standards and also the Patriot Express standards. Petsmart and Petco usually have airline approved kennels but not every kennel is airline approved, so double check before you fly. And if your kennel doesn’t come with metal nuts and bolts, buy a pet airline kit so you can replace to plastic ones with metal parts since many airlines require the metal nuts and bolts now. In addition, you need to make sure your pet can stand up, turn around and lay down comfortably in the kennel. If your pet can’t do these things, you risk your pet not being allowed on the flight. If you need to fly commercial to get to your military charter flight, double check with the airline on the requirements. I found a great airline kit with bolts, kennel pads and more on this website.

5. PREPARE TO PAY TO PICK YOUR PET UP

Upon arriving in Germany, you will need to pay around €50 when picking up your dog at baggage claim in Ramstein. Some people fly into other airports such as Frankfurt or Munich, so if you fly into one of those airports, you may be subject to other fees that I am unaware of and you would need to contact the airport or airline to inquire about additional fees.

My only other advice is to make sure you have someone to help you if you have a larger animal, such as a dog that is 15lbs or more. I flew by myself and it was quite difficult trying to maneuver a cart with an 85lb kennel (including dog) and three suitcases. I’m a petite girl and it proved to be quite challenging for me. Thankfully, I had some good samaritans help me out when I was struggling but I wont deny that I wish I had my husband with me to help me. In the end, it all worked out and we were finally reunited with my husband.

I hope this helped anyone who may have been confused about the PCS process with pets! Be aware though, that if we had moved to another OCONUS station, such as Hawaii or Japan, the process might have been different. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or concerns.

Have you gone through a PCS with a pet overseas? What other tips do you have?