Taking your pets with

Introduction

Tips and Tricks

High Level Process - DIY Cape Town to Amsterdam

High Level Process - Semi DIY Jo'burg to Amsterdam

1: Microchip

2: Vaccinations and Rabies

3: Rabies Titre Test

4: Crate Preparation

5: Purchase Air Ticket (DIY from Cape Town)

6: Select Clearing Agent (Semi DIY from Jo'burg)

7: Contact ITTA to book dogs (Semi DIY from Jo'burg)

8: Confirm Clearing Agent can clear dogs (Semi DIY from Jo'burg)

9: State Vet Booking

10: Vet Check Booking

11: Confirmation of Dogs Flight (Semi DIY from Jo'burg)

12: Book Domestic flight if flying locally

13: Book Kennel services (Semi DIY from Jo'burg)

14: Purchase your Air Ticket (Semi DIY from Jo'burg)

15: State Vet - Export Permit

16: Send all docs to ITTA & Clearing Agent (Semi DIY from Jo'burg)

17: Day before flight (after State Vet) (DIY from Cape Town)

18: Day before flight (after State Vet) (Semi DIY from Jo'burg)

19: Check In - day of flight (DIY from Cape Town)

20: Day of flight (Semi DIY from Jo'burg)

21: Landing at Schiphol (DIY from Cape Town)

22: Landing at Schiphol (Semi DIY from Jo'burg)

23: Other Important Things To Note

Appendix

Conclusion

FAQs [COMING SOON]

In this guide I will explain the process I followed to fly my dogs from Cape Town to Amsterdam using KLM. I flew first with my one dog in June of 2021, doing full DIY from Cape Town and I flew my other two with my husband in October of 2021 but due to the types of planes flying out of Cape Town, I chose to follow a Semi DIY route from Cape Town to Jo'burg and then on to Amsterdam. I will provide as much information as possible and mention the differences between the two ways we flew our dogs.  This guide will be based mainly on my experience but I will try to enrich it as much with other peoples experiences as well (if they provide permission to add it to this page).

I will also provide some documents that you can download to assist you with the planning and making it easier to manage and keep track of everything. I will also add a FAQ section to the bottom and list all the questions I've been asked so that a knowledge base is built up over time.

If you are busy with the process and find some things have changed or there are new forms for example, it would be great if you could reach out so that we can keep this guide as up to date as possible. You will be credited on the page for your contribution, you can send us the information here .

Please note, I may mention specific companies or airlines - these are the ones that I used. This does not mean you have to use the same ones, select the ones that work for you and your situation.

EMBARK Facebook Group

I would highly recommend joining this Facebook Group as there is so much information being shared there and its really helpful during the whole process:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/southafricansemigratingwithpets

This is a high level list of things you need to do, the details are in each section below.

1. Microchip - Must be a 15 digit number (Backhome Virbac is the one I have).

2. Rabies Vaccination & Booster if required.

3. Rabies Titre Test - draw blood (31 days after Vaccination / Booster).

4. Rabies Titre Test Results (about 4 weeks after blood draw if sent to Idexx in Germany).

5. Measure your dog and check which crate you need to buy.

6. Purchase a Crate and water bottles with funnel and get the dog used to sleeping in it.

7. Purchase an air ticket and book the dog onto it (Have crate size & total weight ready).

8. Prepare Crate (Labels, Collars, Leads, Tag - wheels OFF).

9. Prepare all documentation (1 week before vet check).

10. Vet Check & Dewormer (90 Days after blood draw or 3 days before flight).

11. Make a copy of the Vet Check form.

12. State Vet - Export Permit ( 91 Days after blood draw or 2 days before flight).

13. Make a copy of Export Permit.

14. Certify all documents (at least 1 copy).

15. Day of Flight - last feed about 8 hours before flight.

16. Go to the check in counter with baggage and crate - check all baggage.

17. Keep Original documents in your hand luggage, put copies in the sleeve on crate.

18. Go to the Special baggage counter (downstairs in the corner where the arrivals exit).

19. Weigh crate, put dog in crate, give them kisses and then cable tie the door closed (4 cable ties).

20. Pass through security.

21. When you get onto the plane, ask the flight attendant if the dogs have been loaded.

22. Land in Amsterdam, collect your baggage first from the carousel.

23. Go to Oversized Baggage and wait for the doggy to come out, put wheels on the crate.

24. Don’t let them out yet, just check that they are ok. If you need to let them out to put the wheels on then do that but rather put them back in again. The airport is very busy.

25. Proceed to customs, give them your original paperwork with your passport. They will scan the chip, check the paperwork and then let you through.

26. Exit the doors into the main airport. Find an exit, let doggies out to do their business.

27. Proceed to taxi / collection.

This is a high level list of things you need to do, the details are in each section below.

1. Microchip - Must be a 15 digit number (Backhome Virbac is the one I have).

2. Rabies Vaccination & Booster if required.

3. Rabies Titre Test - draw blood (31 days after Vaccination / Booster).

4. Rabies Titre Test Results (about 4 weeks after blood draw if sent to Idexx in Germany).

5. Measure your dog and check which crate you need to buy.

6. Purchase a Crate and water bottles with funnel and get the dog used to sleeping in it.

7. Select a Clearing Agent - you need this for ITTA

8. Contact the agent in Jhb (ITTA) to schedule your flight. They need to know at least 6-8 weeks in advance in order to get space on a flight. Provide them with crate dimensions and estimated weights as well as clearing agent details for waybill.

9. Contact the Clearing Agent and get confirmation that they will clear the dogs.

10. Make Vet Check and State vet bookings for the provisional date received from ITTA.

11. Get confirmation from ITTA on which flight was confirmed (8 days before flight).

12. Ensure the Clearing Agent gives go ahead to KLM cc’ing in ITTA.

13. If they are leaving from CPT, book the Airlink Flight and get confirmation of the time you need to have them at the Airlink lounge in CPT cargo area - Waybill must be made out to ITTA or Kennel (if they arrive too early for ITTA).

14. Purchase your air ticket - send details to ITTA and Clearing Agent.

15. Prepare Crate (Labels, Collars, Leads, Tag - wheels OFF).

16. Prepare all documentation (1 week before vet check).

17. Vet Check & Dewormer (90 Days after blood draw or 3-5 days before flight).

18. Make a copy of the Vet Check form.

19. State Vet - Export Permit ( 91 Days after blood draw or 2 days before flight or day after vet check).

20. Make a copy of Export Permit.

21. Certify all documents (at least 1 copy).

22. Send all the documents to ITTA and the Clearing Agent.

23. Day of Flight - last feed about 8 hours before flight.

24. Put original docs on crate along with one certified copy of all docs, keep one certified set in your luggage. Put the vaccination books in a separate sleeve as Airlink will want to check them, put the original docs (excluding vaccination books) in a sleeve and tape it closed. Put vaccination books in another sleeve - leave open for now.

25. If they are leaving from CPT, take your dogs to Airlink according to the time they have given you.

    • Put doggies in crate at Airlink - they will weight them, make sure collars and leads are off and attached to crate. When they are ready, cable tie the crate doors closed. Tape the sleeve with the vaccination books closed now (after Airlink checked them).

    • Send the Airlink waybill to ITTA and Kennel (if flight is too early for ITTA).

26. If they are leaving from JHB, drop dogs off at ITTA. If the doggies are leaving from CPT, ITTA will collect them from Airlink or the Kennel will fetch them from Airlink and drop them off at ITTA later that afternoon.

27. ITTA will check the documents to make sure everything is correct. They will also check that the crates are the right size. They will check the dogs in with KLM and ensure everything is correct.

28. Dogs will fly and upon landing at Schiphol will be taken to the animal hotel.

29. Dogs will be checked by the vet at the Animal Hotel and then will wait for Customs to arrive to clear them.

30. Once they are cleared, the Clearing Agent will collect them and deliver them to your house or you can collect them from the Clearing Agent. (This also depends on when you fly).

Checklist Items

• Microchip Certificate (all details correct)

• 1 certified copy

• PDF in google drive ("original")

• PDF in google drive (certified copy)

Checklist Items

• Vaccinations and boosters done - vaccination booklet correct

• 1 certified copy

• PDF in google drive ("original")

• PDF in google drive (certified copy)

Checklist Items

• Original Titre test results

• 1 certified copy

• PDF in google drive ("original")

• PDF in google drive (certified copy)

Items that will be on the crate:

• Identification Label

• Contact Details Label

• Last Fed Label

• 2 x Live Animal Stickers

• Name of Dog on side of crate

• Lead and Collar (with tag) in sleeve

• Sleeve for COPY documents or ORIGINAL depending on the route you are taking

• Extra Cable ties if you are using kennel services 

Things to look out for:

• Make sure your doggy is on the invoice as well and that there is a fee for them.

Checklist Items

• Booking confirmation (air ticket)

• Invoice from airline

• 1 certified copy of each

• PDF in google drive ("original")

• PDF in google drive (certified copy)

When you contact ITTA they will tell you to select a clearing agent for Amsterdam. Dorette will give you a list of clearing agents. I selected Animals to Fly as they responded very quickly to my query email. Some of the others took a week to respond and others just didn’t respond at all. Animals to Fly responded within 1 day. Get their details for ITTA to put onto the waybill. Here is the list:

• Animals to Fly - service@animalstofly.com or +31 23 5577990 - I dealt with Danielle and Niels.

• CWM Cadno Pet Services - cwmcadno@skynet.be - +32 1 366 7205

• Eagle Freight - animals@eaglefreight.nl - +31 20 316 0077

• Zoo Logistics - pets@zoologistics.com - +31 20 316 5093

• IFA Skyfast - animals@skyfast.be - +32 2 752 9510

The next step is to contact Dorette from ITTA to book the dogs in. If you have a planned travel date, then make sure you contact them as early as possible. I contacted Dorette on the 5th of August and asked her to book a flight for 7th of October. The flight was still pushed out by KLM to 11th of October so best to schedule the flight as early as possible. 

You need to provide the dimensions of the crate as well as the total weight. My weight calculation was a guess and I would suggest that you add a little for bedding etc which I didn’t. The dogs also weighed a bit more than expected. You can get the weight of the crate from the place you bought the crate from or you need to weigh it yourself. My large plastic crate was 12kg’s. I estimated my one dog to weigh 23kg but she actually weighed 24.5kg so I would add a extra 2kg for changes in your doggies weight as well as some extra for the bedding and other items on the crate (collars, leads, food etc). Even though I had given Dorette the total weight of 74kg, she sent 98kg to KLM on the airwaybill which was a blessing because the dogs ended up weighing 78kg in total I think when Airlink weighed them.

Provide Dorette with the details of the clearing agent you are going to use. You will need to pay ITTA a non refundable deposit at this point.

Email the clearing agent with the provisional date you got from ITTA and ask them to confirm they can clear the dogs on that date, Dorette won’t make the booking with KLM until the clearing agent has replied to the email with the confirmation. CC Dorette in the email to the clearing agent so that when they reply, Dorette gets the written confirmation direct from the clearing agent. 

Important to note - if you or your travel buddy is flying within 5 days of the dogs flight, its regarded as Non Commercial - at first Animals to Fly told me it must be commercial even though my husband was flying within 2 days of the dogs and I told them it must be Non Commercial. So if they do tell you its Commercial, be adamant that its Non Commercial as you or their travel buddy is flying within 5 days.

You can send the documents that you have in the meantime to ITTA and the Clearing Agent.

Checklist Items

• Completed and signed Vet Check form

• PDF in google drive ("original")

About 8 days before the flight, Dorette will confirm the flight with you. When she sends you the confirmed flight, you need to email the clearing agent (cc Dorette) and get confirmation in writing from them that they give the go ahead and will clear the dogs. Dorette won’t continue without that written confirmation. My original flight got pushed out and I had to reschedule my vet check and state vet appointment.

If your dogs are flying from Cape Town to Jo'burg (or from anywhere else), now its time to book the Airlink flight. Go onto their website and check which flights are available, make a note of the flight number and departure times and email/call Airlink to book the flight. I dealt with Leandi from the Cape Town branch via Email. Unfortunately they were a bit slow to reply to emails and I ended up phoning to confirm the appointment. They will only give you the waybill on the morning when you drop the dogs off. The waybill must be made out to the company collecting the animals so either ITTA or the Kennel services you use. 

ITTA needed the dogs to be delivered to them at 15:30 on the day of the flight to AMS so I needed to book the 9Am airlink flight but unfortunately it was full and I could only get the 06:50 flight. The dogs needed to be dropped off at CPT Airlink at 5am. You need to email the information to the JHB Cargo section to request for access. Email: customercare@airlinkcargo.co.za - unfortunately they didn’t answer and I escalated to dutymanagers@airlinkcargo.co.za and then they emailed the customer care email address after which I got a confirmation. You need to include the following information:

• Company Name

• Contact Person

• ID Number

• Contact Number

• Vehicle Description

• License Plate

Depending on which flight you get, you might need to secure kennel services. Because the dogs were going to land at JHB at 9am, I got the number of Animals EnRoute from Dorette. They collected the dogs from Airlink at 10am and took them to the kennels for the day where they fed and walked them. They then took the dogs back to ITTA at 15:30. As soon as you know what Airlink flight the dogs are booked on, you can contact Venessa at Animals EnRoute if you do require her services. They were excellent and sent photo’s of the dogs at the kennels as well as when they were delivered back to ITTA. Venessa replied very quickly via Whatsapp. Email: admin@animalsenroute.co.za or 083 226 3813 (Venessa) or 071 881 2228 (Paul). 

Now that you have the confirmed dates of the doggies flights, you can book your air tickets. Or if you have already purchased your tickets, make sure they are within 5 days of the dogs flight. We were lucky because I was already in Amsterdam when the dogs flew and my husband flew 2 days after the dogs. I did it this way because I didn’t want to put the dogs in kennels and I wanted my husband to drop them off at Airlink and prepare all the documents etc. 

Depending on your situation, you might need to use a kennel (Animals EnRoute provide this service as well - to do the paperwork etc for the flight) or if you fly out on the same day, then just ensure you have enough time to get the dogs dropped off at the correct places in time. Because my husband was doing a direct flight from CPT to AMS and the dogs were flying from JHB I decided it was better for him to leave 2 days after the dogs in case anything went wrong, then he could’ve flown to JHB to get them if they missed the KLM flight. 

The flights from CPT and JHB land at Schiphol at the same time so you don’t have to be on the same flight, but you do need to land within 5 days of the dogs otherwise they will be regarded as Commercial. You can send your air ticket and invoice from the airline to ITTA and the clearing agent as proof that you are landing within 5 days. Customs will need this when clearing the dogs at Schiphol.

Checklist Items

• Booking confirmation (air ticket)

• Invoice from airline

• 1 certified copy of each

• PDF in google drive ("original")

• PDF in google drive (certified copy)

This last page will have the last item circled if you are using a travel buddy or if you are using ITTA. 

Checklist Items

• EU Health Certificate

• 1 Certified copy

• PDF in google drive ("original")

• PDF in google drive (certified copy)

Now you need scan all the documents and send them to ITTA and the Clearing agent. I sent one email with Dorette & the Clearing agent cc’d so that they both got it at the same time.

List of documents you will be sending:

• Vaccination Book

• Chip Certificate

• Rabies Titre Test Results

• EU Health Certificate

• Flight Ticket & Invoice

• Copy of Passport

• Consent Letter if you are using a Travel Buddy

• Airwaybill from ITTA

Its important to get the email from the Clearing Agents to KLM with Dorette CC’d in saying that the dogs are cleared to fly and KLM will reply with a confirmation as well. You need this email before the dogs will be allowed to board the flight.

Make sure you have all your paperwork and crate sorted out.

Documents you should have:

• Chip Certificate

• Rabies Titre Results

• Vaccination Booklet

• EU Health Certificate

• KLM Invoice

• Proof of Address (just as a precaution in case custom ask for it)

You should have the originals on you in your hand luggage and put the certified copies in the sleeve on top of the crate.

The crate should have the following on top:

• Identification

• Contact Details

• Last Fed sticker

• 2 x Live Animals Stickers

• Name of doggo on the side

• Lead and Collar with tag in sleeve

• Sleeve with certified documents

Make sure you’ve got all the PDF versions in google drive as a precaution.

I used Cartrawler on KLM’s website to book transport from Schiphol to my Rental and I ordered a Van and put a comment that I had a large dog crate and dog with me. Make sure you have the crates wheels in your hand luggage and a pair of scissors. You need cable ties (about 4 of them) to cable tie the door closed. You can also cable tie the bowls to the inside of the door and the funnel to the outside. 

Put puppy pee training pads on the floor of the crate and put the blankets on top of them in the crates and an item of clothing that smells like you. You might want to put some puppy pee training pads and some plastic refuse bags in your hand luggage in case your doggo wees and poo’s in the airport (Luna did both unfortunately).

Make sure you have all your paperwork and crate sorted out.

Documents you should have:

• Chip Certificate

• Rabies Titre Results

• Vaccination Booklet

• EU Health Certificate

• KLM Invoice

• Proof of Address (just as a precaution in case customs ask for it)

You should put the vaccination books in a sleeve if the dogs are flying domestically first so that Airlink can check it without having to take out the other original documents. Put the original documents in one sleeve marked with a label for Original (see pic in the crate section above). Put one set of certified copies in the sleeve marked for copies. Seal both the original documents and copy documents sleeves with tape. Leave the sleeve for the vaccination books open (Airlink will need to see them).

The crate should have the following on top:

• Identification

• Contact Details

• Last Fed sticker

• 2 x Live Animals Stickers

• Name of doggo on the side

• Lead and Collar with tag in sleeve

• 3 Sleeves - Vaccination Books, Original Docs and one set of Certified docs.

• Extra cable ties if you are using kennel services

Make sure you’ve got all the PDF versions in google drive as a precaution.

You need cable ties (about 4 of them) to cable tie the door closed. You can also cable tie the bowls to the inside of the door and the funnel to the outside. Put puppy pee training pads on the floor of the crate and put the blankets on top of them in the crates and an item of clothing that smells like you.

You must push the bell and they will open the roller door. You first put your crate in and they weigh it and put it through the x-ray machine. If you have a giant crate they might ask you to take it apart so that it fits in the x-ray machine. They will then put the crate back on the ledge and you now put your doggo in it. 

Make sure you take off their collar and lead (put in your hand luggage), give them water and then close the door and put 4 cable ties through the holes at the top of bottom and through the door bars. Use the thicker cable ties (the thickest that will fit through the holes of the crate). This area is not very nice and it's very cold and loud so don’t be shocked when you see what it looks like. I was so stressed about leaving Luna there but she was ok at the end of the flight. 

At this point you now need to go through security and wait to board your plane. When you board, ask the flight attendant if they can confirm your dog is on the flight. They can’t tell you if it's actually your dog or not but they can confirm if the dogs are loaded. When I flew they told me that they could confirm 3 dogs were loaded. I was just hoping and praying that one of them was Luna.

Depending on if you are leaving from Jo'burg or your doggies have to do a domestic flight to Jo'burg first, the steps will differ a bit. The dogs should have their last meal about 4 - 8 hours before the flight.

Flying Domestically

Your dogs need to be taken to Airlink 2 hours before the domestic flight leaves. When you get to airlink, take the doggies in to the cargo area on lead with your crates, the Airlink staff will measure the crates and then weight the dogs in the crates with all their bedding etc. They will then create the Airwaybill and you will need to pay. The amount will be dependent on the dimension and weight. Put some water in their crates and then you need to cable tie the doors closed (4 cable ties). They will move the doggies to the back and take them to the plane. As soon as you get the Airwaybill, take a photo and send it to whoever it collecting the dogs in JHB, either ITTA or the Kennel. I sent it to both Animals EnRoute and ITTA.

Kennel Service

If the dogs are landing too early for ITTA and you need to use a kennel service, then the kennel people will collect the dogs from Airlink in JHB. Don’t forget to send those details to JHB Airlink when you make the booking for access. Venessa from Animals EnRoute let me know when they fetched the dogs (about an hour after the domestic flight lands in JHB) and they sent pics when they got to the kennel. Because my dogs are pitbulls I gave them specific instructions that the 2 of them needed to be in different kennels and be fed and walked separately. They confirmed they were fed and walked. ITTA asked Venessa to take pics of the dogs in their crates for them to confirm the crates were the right size before taking them back to the airport. Paul took the dogs back to ITTA at 15.30 for the KLM flight. They sent me pics of them handing the dogs over to KLM and they cable tied the doors closed again with 4 cable ties.

ITTA

At 15.30 once Animals EnRoute delivered the dogs to ITTA, Desmond from ITTA confirmed they had gotten the dogs and they would be taken to KLM soon, once they did the check at KLM, Desmond emailed to say that the dogs were successfully accepted on to the flight and officially handed over to KLM. They do a whole check before KLM will accept the dogs - i.e. crate size correct, paperwork correct etc etc. The dogs were handed over at about 16:40.

Now its a bit of a waiting game, I tracked the flight on https://flightaware.com/live/fleet/KLM.

About 45 minutes after the flight landed I phoned the Schiphol animal hotel to check on the dogs, they will ask you for the waybill number so have it handy (the KLM one from ITTA). They said that the dogs were just delivered on the pallet and I must phone back in an hour at 12:00. 

When I called back my two were the only dogs being cleared in Amsterdam for the SA flights so they didn’t confirm on my waybill number but the did mention that the dogs were in the kennels and waiting for the vet check which would happen at 12:45pm and they said about an hour after that the Clearing Agent would fetch them so I was expecting them to be delivered at about 14:15. 

At 14:15 I called Animals to Fly as I hadn’t heard anything from them yet and they mentioned that they were waiting for Customs to clear the dogs before they could collect them. They called me back just after 14:30 saying the dogs had been cleared and they were going to fetch them. They were finally delivered to me at about 15:30. 

They gave me all the original documents and the invoice and I had to pay them with either cash or card.  Halo had weed in her crate and her blanket had been taken out and was on top of the crate. Their leads were attached to the crate and I had to put their leads on before taking them out of the crates and into the house.

When you settle in, you can register your dog's chip with NDG and BackHomeClub - this way if your doggo ever gets lost, they have your details on file. I also went to my local vet and got Luna’s EU Passport which is the Eu version of the Vaccination card. You only want to do this once you have your EU cell phone number.

Measure your doggo:

https://www.pettravelstore.com/pet-cargo-crates-how-to-measure-your-dog/

KLM Travel with Pets:

https://www.klm.com/travel/us_en/prepare_for_travel/travel_planning/pets/index.htm

Handy Pet Carriers Crate Size & Weights:

http://handypetcarriers.co.za/table-guide-2/

State Vet Export Permit Form:

https://www.elsenburg.com/exporting-pets-and-products/

ITTA Group:

https://freightforward.co.za/Pages/Contact-Us.asp

This is a breakdown of the costs I had to incur to do this. Please note, your costs may be different depending on your situation:

Item

Cost

Rabies Vaccination

R      635.00

Rabies Blood Draw (She had to be put under anesthetic which cost R319.50)

R   2 579.20

Crate - Large with Bowls (R40.00)

R   4 590.00

Flight (35kg)

R   2 758.00

Vet Check

R      623.80

State Vet Export Permit

R      189.00

Total Cost

R 11 375.00

This is a breakdown of the costs I had to incur to do this. Please note, your costs may be different depending on your situation:

Item

Cost

Rabies Vaccination for 2 dogs (Annual plus boosters)

   R   1 810.00

Rabies Blood Draw for 2 dogs

R   4 366.10

Crate - Large with Bowls (R40.00) - for 2 dogs

R   9 180.00

Vet Check for 2 dogs

R      998.10

State Vet Export Permit for 2 dogs

R      189.00

Flight 2 x crates 98kg (100x67x75cm)

R 32 190.80

ITTA Fees for 2 dogs

R   3 650.00

Airlink flight from CPT to JHB for 2 dogs

R   5 363.86

Kennel Services (Animals EnRoute) for 2 dogs

R      750.00

Clearing Fee (Animals to Fly) 400 Euro including delivery to Amsterdam for 2 dogs

R   7 000.00

Total Cost

R 65 497.80

I hope this guide helps you with your planning for moving to The Netherlands with your pets, if you need any additional information or you want to contribute to the guide, please contact us using the button below.

COMING SOON