Pet Travel Guide: Lufthansa India — Germany (International Bangalore to Berlin)
A pet travel guide on “how to travel with your cat across the border: Bangalore to Berlin.” Gunu’s journey.
Original Facebook detailed post from the owners: Pet Travel Post 1 and Post 2.
Credits: I would like to thank Yajnaseni Neelabh for initiating this post series on a cat group on FB, Neelabh Kumar for penning more details on the trip, and Gunu, their cat for being the sole reason this post would help a lot of readers planning to move across borders with their cat. Moreover, I appreciate them allowing me to share their experience even further.
Yajnaseni and Neelabh recently moved to Germany with their cat Gunu. They traveled by Lufthansa which has a pet breed policy but allows pets to travel in-cabin. They traveled from Bangalore — Frankfurt — Berlin.
Before you begin:
- Check that your pet is not a prohibited/restricted breed.
- Check airlines, their policies for pet travel, carrier requirements, and other requirements.
- Get a suitable carrier and train your pet to use it along with the leash training.
- Get your pet microchipped (Microchips must be implanted in pets before they get their rabies shots).
- Vaccinate your pet for rabies no less than 30 days before the planned departure date.
- Check for the required paperwork: including the veterinary health certificate, and get started.
- Make the reservations for yourself and your pet.
- Get the necessary documents.
Visit the EU official website on pets from Non-EU countries for further details.
Read this article for details on taking your pet to Germany. As per this article, cats do not need a license and aren’t taxed. Check with the authorities for other rules regarding leash laws and rules regarding allowing pets to roam free. If you’re planning to rent an apartment there, you should have the landlord’s permission for keeping a pet. The owner is completely legally liable for the pet’s actions.
Details on Airlines:
Recommended airline: Lufthansa. Since January 1, 2020, Lufthansa is not transporting dogs and cats belonging to snub-nosed breeds (British Shorthair Cat, Exotic Shorthair Cat, Himalayan Cat, Persian Cat, or Scottish Fold Cat and even their cross-breeds are on the restricted list) in the cargo hold as they anatomically restricted airways with the accompanying difficulty in breathing. But you can take your pet in the cabin and non-restricted breeds on cargo hold; for more details please visit this article.
Currently, Air India is not authorized to carry live animals including Service Animals in and out of the United Kingdom & Germany, in a Cabin, or as Baggage / Cargo.
For Top 20 Pet-Friendly International Airlines: click here.
Gunu’s Travel:
The process of prepping Gunu for travel took over 3–4 months. The same is recommended to be prepped and ready with all the scenarios before traveling.
A. Preliminary Local Vet Visit: MC –> Titer Test
Gunu was microchipped ( MC) and after 30 days of MC, his blood was withdrawn for the Titer Test. The test samples of this test were sent to the UK for lab analysis and the reports were sent back to the Vet. If the reports are good to go no issues but if they’re negative then proper medication would be administered to the pet by the Vet and after a month they would have to be retested.
B. Prepping and Training: Carrier –> Leash Training –> Traveling in Crowd
After the Titer Test, Gunu was trained to get accustomed to his carrier (check the airlines’ website for the appropriate carrier). Airlines have different requirements for the carrier type and size which are different for cabin (soft-carrier) & cargo hold (IATA approved). Lufthansa allows pets to be accompanied in-cabin if they are under 8 kgs along with the carrier. The carrier also needs to be lined with an absorbent mat and must have enough space for the pet to stand up and turn around.
C. Airline Reservations: Checking Pet Quota –> Flight Date –> Airline Confirmation
After two months of the Titer Test, Gunu’s parents called the airlines and checked for the pet quota on-board on your flight date as they allow two pets in-cabin. If the desired date is available to travel, book your flight and call back airlines to confirm that you will be traveling with your pet on-board. They will send a confirmation and an updated ticket mentioning that you are flying with a pet. The payment for the pet would be made on the day of travel. For Gunu’s parents, it was INR 9,900 as of February 2021.
D. Final Vet Visit: Fit To Travel Certificate –> Animal Quarantine & Certification Department at the Airport Appointment
10 days before the date of travel (or as directed by the Vet) visit the Vet for a Fit To Travel Certificate (veterinary health certificate) and help with booking an appointment with the Animal Quarantine and Certification Department at the Airport.
E. Animal Quarantine and Certification Department: NOC
Following documents are required with their photocopies as it will be asked by the animal department.:
i. Passport
ii. Visa
iii. Flight Tickets (mentioning that you are traveling with a pet)
iv. All-Fit Certificate from the Vet
v. Titer test report
vi. Pet’s vaccination history (it should be up-to-date)
vii. MC number
viii. 2 Postcard size photo of pet showing whole body
On the appointment date with the Animal Quarantine and Certification Department carry your pet in the airline’s approved carrier with all documents mentioned above. They will check all documents, and scan the MC on the pet. Then they will ask you to sign documents proving that you have received the NOC. After that, they will give you a NOC. This process takes time (for Gunu’s parents, it took five hours, carry some snacks and water).
F. Travel Date: Documents –> Certificates –> NOC –> Weight Check –> Seal
On the counter, they will check all documents listed above along with NOC, and weigh your pet with the carrier. The invoice will be generated and needs to be paid at the airport at Lufthansa’s counter. The cost for Gunu was around INR 10,0000. The payment slip needs to be shown to the security. Do not forget to get the airline’s seal on the payment slip for the security check from the check-in counter.
G. Check-In: Security Scan –> Seal Check –> Document Verification
Gunu went along with his parent for the security check. The carrier needs to be scanned separately in the scanner belt and the pet needs to be carried with the pet-parent for a security check. The security team was very supportive and fast with this process. They checked the seal on the payment slip and verified all the documents again.
H. Boarding the Flight: Document Check –> In-Flight Accommodation Rules
Due to some reason, the documents were verified again before boarding the flight. The carrier needs to be kept under the seat and the pet needs to be secured on a leash that needs to be attached to the pet parent’s seat belt.
I. Layover: Immigration –>Security check
For the layover at Frankfurt for security check, the same process was followed as Bangalore, but no documents were checked. And the same for immigration.
J. Next Flight:
On the flight to Berlin, the same process was followed, but no leash was asked to be put on.
K. Landing:
At Berlin the leash was put on Gunu and Zoll personnel checked Gunu’s and his parent’s documents before exiting the airport.
Gunu’s Overall Experience: Bangalore to Berlin Travel
Gunu’s parents gave him appropriate time to prepare and train him for the journey to make him comfortable. They made sure about being ready with all the documents and health checks. He was prepped to be well accustomed to his surroundings and trusts his parents to take care of him.
Gunu is a cat who hates traveling and anxiety in crowded places. To avoid any discomfort in his travel, his parents spoke to the Vet before traveling. A herbal anti-anxiety spray was prescribed, which helped Gunu. Self-administer any drug to your pets is not recommended, and consulting the Vet for any issues and prescriptions is highly suggested before traveling. The medication was recommended to Gunu by his Vet as per his requirements. Every pet is different and may have different needs, kindly do consult your Vet if you have similar needs.
On the date of travel Gunu was fed and given water 2 hours before leaving for the airport. After that, he had enough time to finish his litter business. To keep him calm, they applied two drops of herbal spray on his neck and chest, which worked for approximately 8 hours before leaving for the airport and during the flight. To be safe, his parent kept him in check for his breathing pattern, level of activity throughout the flight, and he was alright. When the effects started wearing off, he started meowing. He was taken to the restroom for changing the litter pad, and for applying the anti-stress liquid to make him comfortable during the flight. At the seat, his carrier was covered with a blanket to avoid light and sight of strangers to help him with his anxiety. During the complete 12 hours, he was constantly checked by his parent, who was ready to soothe him whenever he needed it.
At Frankfurt Airport during the layover before the flight to Berlin, Gunu was taken to the restroom to use his litter tray and take food and water. He was scared and anxious but his parent tried petting him to calm him down to make him feel comfortable. He had food but didn’t drink water. After which they went to the security, people were extremely friendly and even looked after Gunu during the security check. Gunu also strolled a bit at the airport before the flight to Berlin. He was cautious and curious about the new place. Gunu already became a celebrity in Germany and people were clicking his pictures, and he was enjoying it. On the flight to Berlin, Gunu was calm, and whenever he got agitated his parent comforted him inside the carrier. He safely moved from Bangalore to Berlin.
All the information provided in this article is through Gunu’s parents who proactively updated it all on Facebook to help others travel and reallocate with their pets abroad. I asked them to share their experience on my blogs so that the up-to-date information reaches the people like me who are planning to relocate across the border with their pets in the future.
Visit my blog on @catsasroommates for more information: https://akankshakhera.com/catsasroommates/ & do follow us on IG https://www.instagram.com/catsasroommates/
