Moving Pets to Ecuador- The Most Fun You will Never Have

I said I would write about this and wish I had not.  I literally cringed when I hit "publish" after saying I would.  I'm sorry if this is confusing.  It is hard to organize in my head, hard to organize on the blog, and was hard to organize in real life.  Read this entire post.  Not because we took so much time writing it.  You need to know everything we have written if your pet travels with you.  If you have a specific question, do not hesitate to ask us.

We brought 4 cats with us.  Yes, Yes, I hear you.  Not crazy people.  Certifiable.  I understand but if they were YOUR pets- a little different right?  I hope so.

Blondie

The thing is, the process was not so bad.  The surprises, relevant charges, and lack of structured information were.  I cannot stress enough the changes that could happen every day.  Ecuador and the USA can and will change their import/export laws.  It can and may happen in mid-process.

We recommend you carry on your pets.  We did. Depending on the airline there will be different carry on rules and costs. Some airlines will not allow carry on pets.  The airlines that do allow carry on pets have a maximum kennel (pet carrier) limit per flight.  If you decide to carry on your pets, you must notify your airline's reservations as soon as possible.  Reservations will give you a Record Locator Number for each of your carry on kennels.  You must use kennels approved by that airline.  Your pets must be harnessed (cat or dog). No collars.  You must have a leash.  You are going to have to research flight specific information and requirements on your own.

I don't advocate putting pets in cargo.  Depending on the size of your pet, you may not have a choice. Bear in mind, the cargo area is not pressurized, there is no temperature regulation and no human contact.  Your pets will be under an enormous amount of stress and our airline would not allow tranquilizers.  We found alternatives in the form of calming spray and herbal calming treats. They worked very well.

Transporting pets in cargo could kill them.  Ecuador doesn't allow cargo transportation of pets unless the outside air temperature is below a certain point.  No Ecuador airline allows carry on pets.  You may need to fly into Guayaquil or Quito and use a private driver to get to your destination.  We had one drive us to Crucita from Guayaquil (4.5 hours).  He was from Portoviejo so his total round trip time was almost 9 hours.  He also had to wait 2 additional hours as our plane was delayed.  Eleven hours of his time, mileage and gas, cost us $165.00.

Zahi is upset after 21 straight hours of travel.

There are companies that will ship your pet for you, in luxury even.  They were all completely out of our price range.  Some seemed a bit shady.  If you go that route be careful.

Budget more than you have already.  Getting everything together to move people to Ecuador is tough.  Animals are tougher and more expensive.

This next sentence is very important.  As of 11/20/2015 the U.S. based Ecuadorian Consulate did not have to sign, certify, stamp or approve any paperwork in order for you to import your pet into Ecuador.

There are websites that offer to obtain your pet "passport" for you.  We found their information to be incorrect or outdated. You don't need them.

You must have a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Certified veterinarian.  Call and confirm.  Make them speak the words, "yes, I am a USDA certified veterinarian".  There was only one in our decent sized city.  Other vets told us they could fill out the documents.  Do not risk it.  Get the USDA certified vet even if you have to travel to do it.  It is going to cost you.  Get quotes up front.  Get your pet's records from the last veterinarian they saw.  Ask for discounts.  You may need them.  The vet we used gave us a CONSIDERABLE discount.  I mean a huge one.

There are only 2 USDA documents.  They are called the VHC (Veterinary Health Certificate) and the APHIS Form 7001. The VHC is country and species specific.  When you speak to your USDA representative they need to know the form is for US Export to Ecuador and whether you are transporting dogs, cats, or both.  Your USDA vet fills out and signs these documents.  The USDA stamps and certifies VHC for $38.00 per certificate.  Up to 5 same species animals can be included on 1 VHC.  Each pet must have their own set of these documents.  Each pet must also have their RVC (Rabies Vaccination Certificate) provided by your vet.  That's it.  No one else need be involved. I say this because apparently, you used to have to get the Ecuadorian Consulate to certify your forms prior to export from the USA.  There is a lot of information on the internet saying you do.  We did not have to.  We thought we did and spent a considerable amount of time and energy trying to contact the Miami Ecuadorian Consulate.

The rare and exotic Oscar cat.  He is always quite concerned.

Our vet recommended we have a separate folder prepared for each pet. Good advice.  Make copies of everything.  If you lose something it may help to have copies in the long run.

Call the USDA because they will know what current laws are.  There should be at least one office in your State.  Here's a valuable secret.  Choose the "I want to make an appointment" prompt and someone will answer.  They will even e-mail you the blank forms for the vet to fill out.  This is important because the local offices may have updated forms which are not yet on the USDA website (this was the case for us).  That means your vet will not have the updated forms either.

You must also call the EAQAA (Ecuadorian Agency of Quality Assurance and Agriculture) 72 hours in advance of your arrival.  Notify them by calling Ecuadorian phone number 5939 565 0556.  Tell them you are importing animals into Ecuador, your arrival time, and what airline carrier you are flying with.  They will ensure an Ecuadorian vet is there to inspect each animal, their paperwork, and pass them through Customs.

Kodak Attack!

Your pets require up to date vaccinations.  Even if your records are current, a booster may be required.  You may even have to get the shot and then the booster regardless.  Pets must be free of all internal parasites so your vet should test and then deworm anyway.  Pets must be free of all external parasites.  Your vet should apply flea and tick treatment themselves.  Another VERY important sentence.  You MUST travel within 10 days of receiving USDA certification.  Your travel reservations and vet visits must be coordinated with this in mind.

You should take the documents to the USDA yourself, not mail them.  You will need to make the appointment.  Remember the "I want to make an appointment" prompt?  Had we mailed them we would still be in the States because our USDA form was not formatted correctly.  The vet filled in one section by hand and the USDA would not accept it.  Had we mailed them, the documents would have been returned to us USPS (United Stated Postal Service) without stamps and certification.  We would have missed the 10 day travel window.  Since we were there in person, they corrected the documents themselves, stamped them, and allowed us to take them back to our vet for him to sign again.

I like the balcony momma!

That wasn't so bad, huh?  Well wait a tic. The airport can be tricky. Give yourself plenty of time.  The airline recommended we arrive 4 hours early and we did.  It very nearly wasn't enough time.  Luckily, our flight was delayed.  Wanna hear something really funny?  When we got to Guayaquil they passed us through without even a second glance at our cats.  We were told to expect 1-2 hours of "Customs" time.  We were through Customs in 10 minutes.  That will not happen for everyone and you still need your paperwork to leave the States.


At the time of this post, Ecuador would not quarantine your pet.  Pets who failed to meet their requirements were returned to their country of origin IMMEDIATELY!

Blogging with the Four in Ecuador.

That's about it really.  Actually, I'm kind of glad we did this.  A lot of frustration has been lifted.  The information we provided will definitely help you and yours get where you you want to be safely.  I truly hope this helps someone out there. We could've used it for sure.

I think it might be time for a bit of Rosetta Stone.  It's cloudy out.  Rain is forecast for tomorrow.  I hope the shrimp guy comes today.  For $4 a pound I hope he comes every day.  Adios!

Questions? E-mail us!

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