Flying With a Dog From Shanghai to the UK

Our Most Challenging Move Yet!

I have been passionate about providing support to people travelling with their pets since we rescued a street dog in Thailand in 2014. When it came to leaving Thailand, our main priority was making sure our dog was with us. Many people that we spoke to were of the opinion that we should just 'leave her behind'; however, we were determined to learn about how to transport her back to the UK. We wanted to do this in the most cost-effective way, as cargo prices can be eye-wateringly high.

Since then, we have lived in five different countries and adopted our second dog whilst living in Shanghai, China. She was found living in the crack of a wall at a wet market, and again, there was no question of her staying behind. This article details our most challenging trip back to the UK to date: flying during a second COVID lockdown that hit in 2022.

An Important Note About Taking a Pet From Overseas to the UK

Travelling to the UK with a pet is different from other countries. This is because, unlike many places, you are not able to fly directly with your pet into the UK as 'accompanied baggage'. Accompanied baggage means that your pet flies in the aircraft hold or (if small enough) under your seat in the cabin. It is reassuring since your pet is on the same flight as you, and it is markedly cheaper than cargo.

Pets are only allowed to fly directly into the UK if they enter as 'manifest cargo'. This is a more complicated and expensive process, which will require the use of a specialised agent. This article explains how we went about the process on our own and flew with our dogs into France as accompanied baggage before travelling onwards via the LeShuttle train into the UK.

Early Preparation Is Essential

As with all moves overseas, you ideally need to begin preparing your pet at least six months before their travel date. In our case, we were fortunate that we started early. We were due to fly in June 2022 but began preparations in November 2021. In March 2022, we found ourselves locked in our apartment compound in Shanghai due to a second wave of COVID-19, which then spread city-wide, meaning that the whole of the province was shut down until 1st June.

Had we not started the process when we did, it would have been extremely difficult to get our dogs out with us. The steps for preparation are outlined below, some aspects of which are specific to Shanghai. There is no quarantine required in the UK, provided you have completed all of the steps in the process correctly.

Dog Licence

To own a dog in Shanghai, you are required, by law, to obtain a dog licence. To get the dog licence, your pet must be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies. Vaccinations must be kept up to date to ensure that the licence is valid, and it should also be renewed each year. In order to export your pet, the government vet in Shanghai and the customs department require proof of your dog licence, so make sure this basic requirement is met before commencing preparations.

Microchip

Your dog must be microchipped, preferably with an ISO-certified microchip, which means that it is readable in an EU country/the UK. Our Thai dog already had this microchip from previous trips, but our Chinese rescue was fitted with a non-standard chip as part of her licence application. If your dog does not have an ISO microchip, this will not be an issue, provided you carry your own microchip scanner when you travel to identify your pet. The date of the microchip must be recorded by your vet in the pet passport or on the vaccination card. Always ask them to sign and stamp at the same time.

Rabies Vaccine

When your dog is microchip-ready, you need to obtain a rabies vaccination. In Shanghai, the rabies vaccination for travel must be done by an approved clinic. There is one main government vet that deals with exporting pets; they will provide you with a blue pet passport, or alternatively, there are a small handful of other clinics that are approved to administer the vaccine. If your dog has not previously had a rabies vaccine, it's advised to have a booster dose in addition to the official vaccination to ensure that they will pass the next stage of the process.

In addition to the all-important rabies requirement, you should also ensure that all primary vaccinations are up to date for your dog. Again, reiterate to the vet that you would like them to date, sign and stamp any entries which they make in the pet passport.

Rabies Blood Test

This part is a waiting game and one of the reasons why it is important to begin the process of preparing your dog early. You need to leave a period of 30 days, starting from the day after the rabies vaccine, before you can apply for a blood test. The blood test is done to check that the antibody levels are sufficient against rabies, hence the 30-day requirement. A rabies blood test is done by a vet and must be sent for analysis at an EU-approved laboratory. A list of these can be found on the UK Government website under the travel form regulations for 'Unlisted Countries', of which China is one.

We used an approved laboratory within China, which kept the costs down as there was no need for the sample to be sent overseas. If your pet's antibodies are high enough, you will then receive a certificate to show that they have passed their blood test. You then need to wait for a minimum of 90 days before you travel to the UK with your dog.

Travel Bookings

It is advisable to book your pet's trip early. To avoid the cargo requirement for the UK mentioned above, we planned to take the route of flying with our dogs as accompanied baggage from Shanghai Pudong to Paris, where we then got a pet taxi that drove us onto the LeShuttle train at Calais and through on into the UK. Due to the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown and travel restrictions in China that were in effect at the time, flights were scarce.

We booked both dogs onto a flight with a European Carrier, but the complexities meant that it was a 15-hour journey via Incheon in South Korea. Once you have booked your own flight, you need to telephone the airline, who will temporarily hold and then confirm your pet's space. When booking, airlines require the dimensions of your pet and their travel crate, so be sure to have these at hand. Payment for your pet's flight is generally done at the airport on the day of departure.

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Once the dogs arrived in Paris, the next stage of the plan was to get a pet taxi to pick us all up and drive us to Calais to take the LeShuttle train into Folkestone in the UK. There are a number of pet taxis based around the port areas in the UK that will pick you up in Paris and drive you through into the UK on the train. Not all of them are licensed to carry human passengers, so it is advisable to check if they can accommodate you all.

We made a provisional booking for a driver, and they then sent us information on how to book the LeShuttle train. We booked this directly using the details of the vehicle provided by the taxi firm. There is a small charge for the carriage of pets. Once the train was booked, we sent a copy to the taxi firm. Throughout the process, keep a backup of all paperwork detailing pet spaces and bookings in case of any issues.

Crate and Accessories

In order to fly, your pet needs an approved airline travel crate, which gives them plenty of room to turn around. The bolts on the crate should be made of metal and not plastic. When booking your dog's flight, the airline will check the dimensions of the crate and your animal's measurements to ensure that this requirement is met. Spend time getting your pet used to their crate before travelling by putting them inside for short periods of time and then with increasing frequency.

In addition to the crate, purchase a pet travel water bottle, a set of live animal stickers for the exterior and some plastic cable ties to secure the crate during travelling.

Vet Health Check and Tapeworm Treatment

Once your 90-day waiting period is up, you then need to complete the final stages of preparing your dog for their flight. Within seven days of the flight, you must visit Shanghai's official government export vet, Shenpu. Take all of your vaccination paperwork, blood test certificate and pet licence. At this appointment, they carry out a health check.

The UK require that dogs be treated for tapeworm no less than 24 hours and no more than five days before flying, so we timed our visit for the health check to ensure that this was done at the same time. Be careful if you have a flight with a layover, as this may affect the timing requirement for worming. Again, details of the worming treatment need to be recorded in the pet passport or vaccination book. The vet will also add the time and date of this to the export health certificate that they prepare. You will be given a receipt at the health check appointment, and two days before the flight, you will need to take this to the customs department to collect your animal health certificates for travel.

The Long Road Home

To travel to the UK with your pet, you must use an 'approved' route; they are specified on the UK Government website and include options to travel via sea or rail.

On the day of the trip, make sure that you have copies of all paperwork and retain the originals for yourself. It is advisable to attach a copy to the top of your pet's crate along with a cover page which states their name, flight and your contact details. As the flight was going to be a long one, we secured a small bag of dry dog food to the top of each crate and fixed their water bottles with cable ties. Inside the crate, we placed an item of clothing with our scent on it. We then secured the corners of the crate and the doors with additional ties.

There are plenty of companies in Shanghai who will transport your dogs, so we took a minivan to the airport ready for departure. At the airport, the papers are checked carefully at the desk, and they also fitted additional straps around the dogs' crates to keep them secure. We paid for our dogs' flight costs, and they were then checked through the scanner and taken off for their flight.

After a long flight to France, we arrived at Paris Charles De Gaulle airport and proceeded to the baggage reclaim area. Notifying a member of staff meant that our dogs were brought out to us. Passing through the red customs channel was very straightforward, and no paperwork was checked. Our driver was waiting nearby, and after packing up the car with our dogs and suitcases, we started a 2.5-hour drive to the station in Calais. The pet taxi that we used allowed our dogs to come out of their crates in the car and also took us to a safe area away from the road so that the dogs could go for a walk/to the toilet after their epic 15-hour flight.

Before boarding LeShuttle at Calais, there is a drive-through customs area where your pets and their paperwork are checked in meticulous detail. At this point, our dogs were scanned, and because they could not read our younger dog's Chinese microchip, we were grateful that we had packed our own scanner for them to use. After verification, you drive onto the train to start the 35-minute journey to the UK. You remain in the car with your pets; however, there is a small buffet area for snacks if required.

Once you arrive at Folkestone, you will have made it, and your pets will be officially in the UK!

Hopefully, this article has offered useful insight into taking your dog from China to the UK; it is not, however, a substitute for expert advice. Always ensure that you are up-to-date with regulations, and if in any doubt, get your paperwork checked by an animal travel specialist to make sure that everything is correct. Happy travelling, as they say in China—zaijian!

© 2023 Jules