# Moving with cat to Abu Dhabi



## alex25

*Moving to Abu Dhabi with cat*

Hello All!

We will soon be moving to Abu Dhabi from the US. We have a small cat that we are going to take with us. We have read several threads about pets and lots of regulations and other info, but would like to get some advice and experience from people who had done this. Basically our questions are:

1. Did anybody use vet clinic import service when they obtain Import Permit, meet the pet, take through customs and keep it in clinic for several days? We will be staying in a hotel for the first two weeks until we find a place to live and as we understand hotels in AD have no pet policy. We are considering using The British Veterinary Centre or American Veterinary Clinic, but can't find any reviews online.
2. What are the pet policies in residential towers (Etihad, Nation, etc.)? How hard is it in general to find an apartment where a pet will be allowed?

Thank you.


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## GumbaGumba

Hiya


I'll be moving to AD at the end of March from the UK and we re bringing our dog and 2 cats. I plan on using the British Vet Clinic, mainly because 2 of our pets are old and have medical requirements. I spoke to them last Sunday and I found them to be very helpful and friendly. I cannot comment on the service itself yet but first impressions were positive. I suggest to call them for the first contact instead if email.

When hubby and I visited AD back in September we were shown apartments in Etihad and Nations towers. My future employer checked at Etihad towers about pets and we were told that it was fine as long as we sign a disarmed form. (If we are allowed to take our 3 then I'm sure you small cat will be fine.  ) We could not ask at Nations Towers as it was not opened as yet. What my company told us is that cats are usually fine, dogs can be a problem.

Hope this helps and keep in touch!

Bea


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## Eiffel

Hi bea...we are also thinking of taking our kitten...to ad...and in the same position as you...having to keep it somewhere until we find an apartment...have read it can take several month to make passports etc..any heads up on this so i can prepare in advance....and costs etc...thanks


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## GumbaGumba

Eiffel said:


> Hi bea...we are also thinking of taking our kitten...to ad...and in the same position as you...having to keep it somewhere until we find an apartment...have read it can take several month to make passports etc..any heads up on this so i can prepare in advance....and costs etc...thanks


Bonjour Eiffel,

I'm you'll have seen I'm French too!  But my pets will be coming from the UK. I'm not aware of the regulations from France. For the UK I contacted the AHVLA to get the paperwork and requirements and then looked at the Brit Vet Clinic website where they have all the requirements from the UAE point of view.

For PETA coming from the UK you will need an export certificate from the AHVLA and an import certificate from the authorities in UAE. I will get the Brit Vet Clinic to arrange to import certificate and getting our pet at the airport for us.

Pets will need a number of vaccines which include rabbies. Best to check with the French authorities what they need or vet.

You say you have a kitten, how old is he/she? I think there is an age limit, like they have to be more than 4 months old.... But that could only apply to puppies.

Bea


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## alex25

Hi Bea,

Thank you for your response! We will definitely call to vet clinics before choosing which one we want to use. But there is no doubts we will need their service, because we want to ship our kitty first and then take our flight later the same or next day. We are thinking on using Emirates SkyCargo or Mersant for her transportation, we don't want her to travel in the baggage hold in the passenger aircraft. We are arriving from US, so it will be pretty long journey for our cat...and she is so unsocial and scared of everything. We have started preparation already: checked with the vet, bought special crate for airplane and some accessories to make her comfortable during the flight. Eh...it will be very stressful for us too.

As regard to pet policy, we were glad to hear that Etihad Towers allow pets, because this is one of the location we are very interested in. 

Good luck with your pets transportation and let us know if you will know something new. We will also keep posting if find out anything about AD vet clinic service.

Bonne journee  
We have a lot of French friends here ))
Alex


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## Eiffel

GumbaGumba said:


> Bonjour Eiffel,
> 
> I'm you'll have seen I'm French too!  But my pets will be coming from the UK. I'm not aware of the regulations from France. For the UK I contacted the AHVLA to get the paperwork and requirements and then looked at the Brit Vet Clinic website where they have all the requirements from the UAE point of view.
> 
> For PETA coming from the UK you will need an export certificate from the AHVLA and an import certificate from the authorities in UAE. I will get the Brit Vet Clinic to arrange to import certificate and getting our pet at the airport for us.
> 
> Pets will need a number of vaccines which include rabbies. Best to check with the French authorities what they need or vet.
> 
> You say you have a kitten, how old is he/she? I think there is an age limit, like they have to be more than 4 months old.... But that could only apply to puppies.
> 
> Bea


Hi Bea..thanks for the above...my kitty is 19 weeks old now....i have pm'd you..hope to hear from you soon.


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## GumbaGumba

Eiffel said:


> Hi Bea..thanks for the above...my kitty is 19 weeks old now....i have pm'd you..hope to hear from you soon.


Hey

I have not received pm. :-(

Bea


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## Eiffel

GumbaGumba said:


> Hey
> 
> I have not received pm. :-(
> 
> 
> Bea


Really...i sent two. One yesterday and one today.


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## GumbaGumba

Eiffel said:


> Really...i sent two. One yesterday and one today.


I just got one  I'll reply in a bit


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## Roadworrier

alex25 said:


> Hi Bea,
> 
> Thank you for your response! We will definitely call to vet clinics before choosing which one we want to use. But there is no doubts we will need their service, because we want to ship our kitty first and then take our flight later the same or next day. We are thinking on using Emirates SkyCargo or Mersant for her transportation, we don't want her to travel in the baggage hold in the passenger aircraft. We are arriving from US, so it will be pretty long journey for our cat...and she is so unsocial and scared of everything. We have started preparation already: checked with the vet, bought special crate for airplane and some accessories to make her comfortable during the flight. Eh...it will be very stressful for us too.
> 
> As regard to pet policy, we were glad to hear that Etihad Towers allow pets, because this is one of the location we are very interested in.
> 
> Good luck with your pets transportation and let us know if you will know something new. We will also keep posting if find out anything about AD vet clinic service.
> 
> Bonne journee
> We have a lot of French friends here ))
> Alex


The UAE usually does not allow animals at all in the passenger compartment into UAE. They have to go through the animal control entry at the Freight Customs building, at least this is the case in Dubai. We brought our dog over in September when we moved to Dubai, and that transition was well-handled by Dubai Kennel and Cattery, where doggie stayed for a couple weeks till we found a place to live, then they delivered her to us.

KLM and Lufthansa are two airlines which carry animals to UAE, at least from US. Not sure if AF, BA or Virgin carries animals, and I heard Emirates does not. KLM carried my beagle over to Dubai from DC. From what I was told, Amsterdam is a pet-friendly layover spot, they apparently have a good exercise area and food, etc.


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## GumbaGumba

Roadworrier said:


> The UAE usually does not allow animals at all in the passenger compartment into UAE. They have to go through the animal control entry at the Freight Customs building, at least this is the case in Dubai. We brought our dog over in September when we moved to Dubai, and that transition was well-handled by Dubai Kennel and Cattery, where doggie stayed for a couple weeks till we found a place to live, then they delivered her to us.
> 
> KLM and Lufthansa are two airlines which carry animals to UAE, at least from US. Not sure if AF, BA or Virgin carries animals, and I heard Emirates does not. KLM carried my beagle over to Dubai from DC. From what I was told, Amsterdam is a pet-friendly layover spot, they apparently have a good exercise area and food, etc.


Hey

That's what I was told for Abu Dhabi too. Pets have to be imported as Cargo. For the UK we use BA but others do it too.

Bea


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## GumbaGumba

alex25 said:


> Hi Bea,
> 
> Thank you for your response! We will definitely call to vet clinics before choosing which one we want to use. But there is no doubts we will need their service, because we want to ship our kitty first and then take our flight later the same or next day. We are thinking on using Emirates SkyCargo or Mersant for her transportation, we don't want her to travel in the baggage hold in the passenger aircraft. We are arriving from US, so it will be pretty long journey for our cat...and she is so unsocial and scared of everything. We have started preparation already: checked with the vet, bought special crate for airplane and some accessories to make her comfortable during the flight. Eh...it will be very stressful for us too.
> 
> As regard to pet policy, we were glad to hear that Etihad Towers allow pets, because this is one of the location we are very interested in.
> 
> Good luck with your pets transportation and let us know if you will know something new. We will also keep posting if find out anything about AD vet clinic service.
> 
> Bonne journee
> We have a lot of French friends here ))
> Alex


Hey Alex

Sorry I totally did not see your message.

Bonjour to you too!

Bea


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