USDA pet certificate drama for international move (but it worked in the end)
Hey all! After our drama this week about receiving our certificate, I wanted to share our story.
We have two small dogs that we brought from the US into the EU. While the process ultimately worked, it was a close one.
We followed all the rules (appointment scheduled with their vet who handles these all the time 10 days out, info sent electronically through the system), and the certificate was endorsed by the USDA the two days before our flight.
However, despite paying for the fastest shipping possible from FedEx, they lost the first certificate in the mail, which stopped being traceable the day before our flight.
We reached out to our vet that same day, who was able to request an expedited duplicate from the USDA. The USDA endorsed and dropped the second certificate off in the mail (again, with another very expensive FedEx shipping label), and we spent all night tracking both certificates.
Ultimately both certificates arrived at our front door less than an hour before we had to leave for the airport.
Some tips:
If at all possible, use a vet that KNOWS you and is well versed in the process. While our vet does several of these a week, this is the first time they had to request a duplicate due to FedEx losing the package. However, due to experience and her working magic behind the scenes by actually contacting the USDA, it worked out.
Purchase the first overnight shipping label. While it is more expensive than the regular overnight, they seem more receptive to tracking down your package if something goes wrong (because it is not supposed to with that label)
Track your certificate like a hawk. If you don't see movement on your tracking label by two days before your flight, call your vet, because something went wrong.
Be prepared to call FedEx or whichever carrier you're using and ask to be escalated to a supervisor if your package stops being scanned. The first certificate was "stuck" in Memphis for literally 24 hours with folks having no idea as to why. By being persistent, someone finally opened an investigation, escalated the matter, and finally found the first certificate. The second one moved through the system without a hitch.
Have a plan B. To be clear, you shouldn't have to, but with countries that require a wet signature (like the one we went to in the EU), you HAVE to have that certificate. We were prepared to push back our flight (which would have cost thousands of dollars) to wait for that certificate, but really did not want to.
Some other logistics I discovered during this process:
Two dogs can go on the same certificate for the EU. United was fine with it and so was customs in the NL. Two separate certificates were not necessary.
The mesh sturdi carriers are the best! Both my "giant" chi mix (17 lbs) who is tall and my regular sized chi who is also tall for her size (7 lbs) fit in their respective carriers without a hitch. We practiced having them ride in them for months beforehand and they did well on the flight. Both carriers fit under the front of coach seats (but of course with a fair amount sticking out), but nothing that flagged anyone.
The process worked, but barely. We're immediately getting the pups EU pet passports in hopes that we never have to go through such a stressful process again, but thank you to all in this sub. We had to use nearly all of the tricks learned here to make it work, which is totally worth it in the end.
I'm happy to answer any questions and pay it forward however I can!
