Pet Relocation Services in the USA
Pet Travel Advisors moves dogs, cats, birds and other pets within the United States and from the US to countries around the world. A move can take in the airline booking, the travel crate, the USDA paperwork, check-in at the airport and delivery to the new address, and you can book all of it or only the parts you need. Within the US, a move can also go by road, state to state, with a partner driver.
One coordinator owns your file from the first call to the day your pet arrives, and you see the route and a written quote before anything is booked.
What to Expect from Pet Travel Advisors
What you can expect:
A team holding IATA Live Animals Regulations certificates
Moves within the US and from the US to destinations worldwide
A written quote and a route plan before anything is booked
Door-to-door moves with partner drivers, or only the parts you need
One coordinator on your file from first call to arrival
Our Pet Transportation Services
Each service can be booked on its own or as part of a full move.
Domestic Pet Transport
Moving within the United States, by air or by road. A flight is chosen around your pet’s size and breed and the season, and a road move runs state to state with a partner driver.
International Pet Relocation
Moving from the US to another country: the USDA-endorsed health certificate, any import permit, the crate the airline requires, the flight and the hand-off at the other end, planned in the order the destination’s rules set.
Door to Door Pet Relocation
A partner driver collects your pet from home, within roughly one to two hours’ drive of the departure city, and someone from our team checks it in with the airline. At the other end your pet is met at the airport and driven to the new address.
Destination Guides
Guides to more than 40 countries, each with its entry requirements, the documents a pet needs and how long the preparation takes.
What Types of Pets We Relocate
Dogs and cats, birds, small mammals and reptiles can all move, wherever the airline and the destination allow them. Each species has its own rules, so the first question is whether your pet can make the trip, and then how.
Dog Relocation
Breed and size decide a dog’s route before anything else. A dog too big for the cabin flies in the hold, in a crate sized with IATA’s formula, which our crate size calculator works out, and some airlines refuse snub-nosed breeds in the hold, as our breed restrictions guide sets out.
Cat Relocation
A cat small enough for an under-seat carrier can often fly in the cabin with you, where the airline allows it on the route. Where it cannot, it travels in the hold, in a crate it has had time to get used to at home.
Bird Transportation
Parrots, cockatoos, finches and other birds can move where the airline and the destination accept them. Some species need CITES permits to cross a border, so a bird move starts with the paperwork and then the flight, as our bird and exotic pet service explains.
Small Pet Transport
Rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters travel in a ventilated container sized to the animal, on airlines that accept them, and the route is confirmed with the airline before anything else is booked.
Exotic Pet Transport
Reptiles and amphibians move where the airline and both countries allow it. These moves begin with an eligibility check rather than a booking, and sometimes the answer is that the species cannot go.
How a Move Works
The same four steps, whatever the destination.
Consultation & Planning
Tell us about your pet, the route and the date. The plan is built around your pet’s size and breed, the season and the destination’s import rules, and you see it with a written quote before anything is booked.
Vet Checks & Documentation
A USDA-accredited veterinarian does the exam and the health certificate. The paperwork is prepared and checked against the destination’s rules, an import permit included where the country asks for one, and the USDA endorsement is timed to the flight.
Flight and Check-In
The airline booking is made around the season and the airline’s pet rules, and someone from our team checks your pet in with the airline at the departure airport.
Arrival
Your pet is met at the arrival airport and driven to the new address, or collected from quarantine where the country requires it. Book this part, the whole move, or only the steps you need.
Service Areas
Tap a region to see the cities we serve there.
West Coast & Alaska
Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Transport
What types of animals do you transport?
Dogs and cats, and also birds, rabbits and other small mammals, and reptiles, wherever the airline and the destination accept the species. A bird or reptile move begins by confirming the species can travel and enter the destination at all, as our bird and exotic pet service explains.
Do you offer both domestic and international pet transport?
Yes. Within the United States a pet can fly, or travel by road state to state with a partner driver. From the US a pet can go to any country whose entry rules it can meet, and our destination guides cover more than 40 of them.
How does international pet shipping work?
Each country sets its own list, and the move is planned backwards from it. Many ask for a microchip, a rabies vaccination and a health certificate endorsed by USDA, and some add a rabies blood test, an import permit or a parasite treatment, each inside its own window before travel. The guide for your destination lists what applies, in the order it has to happen.
Is my pet safe during the flight?
Airlines that carry pets in the hold publish their own rules on temperature, breeds and seasons, and a route is planned inside those rules. The team is certified in the IATA Live Animals Regulations, the standard airlines apply to animals in transit. For a snub-nosed breed or a nervous pet, we look for a direct flight and a cooler time of year.
How long does it take to ship a pet internationally?
The flight is the short part. The preparation sets the date: a few weeks for many countries, and months for rabies-free destinations such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan, where a rabies blood test and a waiting period come first. Each destination guide gives its own timeline.
What does pet transport from the USA cost?
It depends on the route, the size of your pet and its crate, the airline, the season and the destination’s own fees. Our cost calculator sets out the government and airline charges route by route, our pet shipping cost guide explains each line, and a quote gives the figure for your move.
Do you offer door-to-door pet relocation?
Yes, and it is optional. A partner driver can collect your pet from home within roughly one to two hours’ drive of the departure city, and at the other end your pet is met at the airport and driven to the new address. You can also book only the flight, only the paperwork, or any other single part.
Can you help bring a pet into the USA?
Yes. The CDC sets the rules for dogs entering the United States, including its Dog Import Form, and our guide to bringing a pet to the USA sets out what applies. The flight, the paperwork and the pickup on arrival can be booked together or one at a time.
Planning a move with your pet?
Tell us the route and the date. The flights, the paperwork and the timing are planned around your pet, and you can book the whole move or only the parts you need.