A guide to moving your pet out of Indonesia

A guide to moving your pet out of Indonesia

By Maria Kegel

Should your pet stay behind or come with you when you move to
another country or return home?

For some people, the decision entails careful thought,
especially with regard to the situation, the destination and the
pet's adaptability.

For others, there is no doubt that Fido or Puss is coming
along, even if there are hurdles of lengthy, expensive
quarantines and transportation costs to meet.

It is admittedly difficult to find a new home for your pet, as
most people are also in a temporary situation in a foreign
country and must stay mobile.

And deep down as a pet owner, most people feel there is no
other person who could love their cuddly pooch or adoring kitty
more than them.

Local veterinarians Dr. Siti Zaenab, Dr. Gunadi Setiadarma and
Dr. Ina Purborini Messakh, who are expert consultants on the
matter of moving pets abroad, said if pets are left behind, it
was more often cats than dogs.

One of the reasons why people do not take their pets comes
down to the country they are headed to, they said.

"They have to consider the quarantine policy and charges," Dr.
Siti said.

"Countries with a quarantine requirement are hard on both pet
and owner. It breaks the owner's heart to be away from their pet,
and six months is a long time in the lifespan of a dog or cat.

"Of course, the animal does not understand the situation. Some
owners are also worried that the long quarantines might change
the character of the animal," Dr. Siti and Dr. Ina said.

"One lady moved her two dogs and one cat to the UK during the
winter, when quarantining was more expensive, as you have to pay
for heat as well. We asked her just how much the bill came to,
and it turned out to be more expensive than buying a small house
here," Dr. Siti said.

Another owner going to South Africa painfully decided to have
his cat put to sleep rather than take it with him.

"An owner can determine if their pet will suffer from the
move, and then they have to take this sad alternative. Especially
if the animal is older, it is not kind to find a new environment
for it," Dr. Siti said.

However, they all said that at least 80 percent to 90 percent
of owners did take their pets with them when they moved. Moving
companies Crown, Worldwide Movers and Move Well agreed, saying
pets were an important factor of a move.

Doug Slusher from Worldwide Movers said he understood most
people consider their pets as children, and that during initial
inquiries, clients ask first if the company handles pets.

"Owners need that reassurance that when they leave the animals
with us, they're going to see them again in their original
health," he said.

Vera from Crown Movers and Roy Soenasto from Move Well also
said that pets were considered as important as family members
when clients were moving.

Precious cargo

Because of their significance, Roy said, the choice of
airlines was an important consideration when shipping pets. "KLM
is the best for handling pets and are like a five-star hotel for
them. At transit stops they feed and water them, and walk the
dogs."

He said KLM was much better for longer trips, such as from
Indonesia to the United States. Strong second choices for his
company would be another European airline, such as Lufthansa.

"But to be on the safe side we fly them by KLM, unless the pet
is checked in as excess baggage, in which case the owner can look
after it themselves, or if it's a short flying distance of four
or five hours," Roy said.

Travel bookings for pets, including the itinerary of the
animal's departure, arrival and routing, were provided as part of
the service through his moving company, Slusher said.

"For example, if the owners are going to Houston by United
Airlines via Singapore, it would be best to send the animal
separately by KLM via Amsterdam because it is the most direct
flight back to the States."

Mr. Lee from Pet Movers Pte. Ltd. said, as Singapore is a
quarantine country, animals going through there require a
transshipment permit, which costs S$50.

Roy also said his company was selective in routing, keeping in
mind the pet's best interest. "If the flight is less than four
hours, we can use the normal cargo services. However, if it is a
flight with a transit stop, we look for a more direct route."

Slusher added that owners shipping pets must provide a contact
name and phone number of a person at the destination for the
airline to contact prior to releasing their pets.

"Ask anyone with pets and they'll say they want the safest and
quickest way back for their animals. They want to feel confident
that you are really going to look after them, giving a full
commitment of care to them all the way back to their new or
original home," Slusher said.

Homeward bound

To meet the demand of moving pets past the obstacles of
bureaucratic red tape and to their destination safely, moving
companies as well as some local pet shops and veterinarians are
ready and willing to help pet owners, from preparing all the
necessary documents to delivering the animals to the airport.

Although the procedure can try anyone's patience, it is
achievable whether done by yourself or through a service.

"Some people are surprised at all the documents needed to take
animals out as other countries just require a health
certificate," Dr. Siti said.

The process to take animals out of the country is the same for
bringing animals in, they said.

Roy said clients usually did not want to deal with any of the
documentation, while Slusher said the process, although
straightforward in regards to obtaining documents, was tedious
for someone to do alone.

"People will periodically say they can do it themselves. And
you can, but time and energy is well spent by letting a
professional do it," he said.

Teresa Daniels, an American expatriate who has left and moved
back to Jakarta within the past five years, said she felt lucky
in collecting the necessary documents for moving her cats.

"There were no problems at all, except it was a bit slow at
the Ministry of Agriculture. I did encounter problems when
dealing with the airline on the day of departure. It's a good
idea to have someone with you to help at the airport," she said.

The process

Dr. Ina, Dr. Siti and Dr. Gunadi also have a service to move
pets out of Indonesia, and they share the necessary steps to
prepare your pet for travel.

If you handle the process yourself, they said it was advisable
to bring photocopies of your passport, vaccination booklets and
any documents and certificates you acquire to every government
agency, the airlines and the cargo facility.
1) The first step is to make sure your pet has its vaccination
booklet up-to-date.

Different countries have different requirements. However, for
all countries, your pet must have had its rabies vaccine
administered more than one month before and less than one year to
the date of departure, they said.

Dr. Ina said some countries also require other vaccines, such
as the UK and Australia, which request dogs have verification of
their parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis and leptospirosis
vaccinations.

As for cats, she said, it is advisable that panleukopenia,
calici virus, rhinotracheitis and chlamydia vaccines are also
included before travel.
2) The next step is to get a health certificate for your pet from
your veterinarian. This can be done less than one month before
your date of departure, as the export license it will help you
acquire will be valid for 30 days, Dr. Ina said.

This will be the first of two you will need as health
certificates are only valid for five days. The first one is
needed for the process of obtaining the pet's export license, and
the second for actual travel.
3) With your vaccination booklet, health certificate and
photocopy of the owners' passport, go to the Department of
Veterinary Science (Dinas Pertanakan) at Jl. Gunung Sahari No.
11.

Forms there need to be filled out to necessitate a document
requesting the named animal or animals that are to be taken out
of Indonesia.

After the license request is issued from Dinas Pertanakan, it
is possible to get the export license.
4) With the license request document from Dinas Pertanakan, along
with all the other mentioned papers, including another photocopy
of your passport, make your way to the ninth floor of Building C
at the Ministry of Agriculture (Departemen Pertanian) at Jl.
Harsono RM No. 3, Ragunan.

From here, the export license will be issued. Export licenses
are valid for 30 days from the date of issue.

Although going to Dinas Pertanakan and Departemen Pertanian
can be tackled in the same day, all three veterinarians said do
not be surprised if you need to spread it out over two.

"Sometimes you have to come back the next day as the person
who needs to sign it is not there or is in a meeting," Dr. Ina
said.
5) Just before your travel date, the second health certificate
will be needed from your veterinarian. Keep in mind to time this
so the validity of the certificate does not expire while travel
is in progress.
6) On the same day of departure or one day before, bring your pet
to the quarantine office either on Jl. Pondasi, Rawamangun, East
Jakarta, or at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.

The second health certificate is needed for this stop.

The quarantine office will issue a quarantine permit health
certificate for you to take along.

Dr. Samsuddin Yuda, a veterinarian at the Balai Karantina
Hewan (Animal Quarantine Office) on Jl. Pondasi, said people
could have their animals checked either at the quarantine office
there up to two days beforehand or the officials could come out
to check pets at the owner's house after the documents have been
brought to the office.

"Get your animals checked at the quarantine office that is
closest to your house, but there is no need to go to both
quarantine offices," he said.

At the airport

You have two choices of transporting your pet: by excess
baggage or cargo. After receiving your quarantine health permit
at either quarantine office, head to either cargo or the ticket
counter of your airlines on the date of departure.

If your pet is traveling as excess baggage, merely hand over
your pets and papers at the ticket counter, Dr. Ina said. Kennel
size requirements to bring your pet into the cabin vary with each
airlines.

She said traveling by either cargo or by excess baggage is the
same in the end for your pet. "They will end up in the same place
in the plane, but it is just the point of entry which is
different."

If you choose to fly your pet by cargo, be sure to allow an
extra four hours on the date of departure and Dr. Ina also
stressed it is a good idea to bring someone along for assistance.

After the airport quarantine office, head to the cargo
offices. Once there, personnel will weigh and measure the kennel
of your animal and charge you according to their fee schedule.

Slusher said the airlines will always charge whichever is
greater; the volume metric weight or actual weight of the cage
and animal. It usually is by volume metric weight, he said.

Dr. Ina said the fare is paid at the nearby bank counter, not
at the cargo counter, and the receipt issued after the
transaction will be needed to show to the personnel at cargo.

In addition to showing your receipt, show all your original
papers, even the vaccination booklet. Sometimes they will attach
the papers to the kennel of the animal, Dr. Ina said.