From Azerbaijan to neighbouring countries, especially Turkey and Georgia; In general, there are a few things you should do when travelling to any country. Since we have been travelling with our little cat for years now, we know in part what to do in these processes and how the process progresses (Depending on the Country). With this article, we will try to support you in a tiring and painful process.
Veterinary services when travelling with your little friend, veterinary passport, document you need to get from the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency, getting a ticket from the airline you will fly with, information about the transport container, behaviour with your pet before departure, etc. you will find information about in this article! If this is your first time travelling with your pet, some issues may seem abstract and confusing to you, as they do to us. Therefore, we will try to record as much and as detailed as possible so that the process is clearer to you.
Let us first note that we are very important to them and we are perhaps the only beings in their lives. If your trip is long-term, don’t hesitate to do it for them, even if some points seem difficult and require financial resources! Do not deprive them of your love! We wish you a pleasant journey!
Here’s what you should do when travelling with your pet (dog or cat):
Contents:
- Study the conditions of the country you will visit
- Having a passport (having a microchip is an advantage)
- All medicines and vaccinations are reflected in the passport
- Health certificate from a doctor
- Veterinary certificate from Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency (AQTA)
- Choosing the right shipping container
- Airline ticket for your pet (In case of travel by flight)
- Proper behavior with your pet before the trip.
Let’s go into detail about each one.
1. Familiarize yourself with the conditions of the country you will travel
When planning to travel with your pet, the first thing you should do is check the pet entry requirements of your destination country. Animals and species that can enter that country; Look carefully at the list of prohibited breeds of animals (especially dog breeds) to make sure that your pet is not on the list of breeds that are prohibited from entering that country.
Vaccines and medicines required by that country, microchips, a special test, whether there is a quarantine period, etc. Explore information about You can also read our experience while travelling with our cat to Georgia and Turkey.
Depending on the country you are going to, there may be specific requirements. The most known of these were the microchip and blood test results for Rabies.
You can read the rules required upon arrival in Georgia here.
You can read the rules required for traveling to Turkey here.
When traveling to any country, you must have a rabies test and a certificate that your pet does not have rabies. Since there is no laboratory for rabies test in Azerbaijan, you can consult your doctor and get his recommendation. Normally, a blood sample is taken and sent to a nearby country with a laboratory, and this process can take 3-4 months.
We did this blood test while in Georgia and the blood sample was sent to Germany because the laboratory is not in Georgia. For more details – you can click on the link for information about sampling, sending, and receiving the analysis result.
2. Your pet’s passport.
Passport? For a pet? Where should I buy it? – if you are faced with questions, keep calm and keep reading. Your pet’s passport means the passport you received from the veterinarian. In which the vaccinations and medications you need to give your pet over time are recorded there and stamped, signed and dated by the doctor. Your pet’s name, date of birth, breed, type and information about the owner are recorded in the passport.
The design of the passport varies depending on the veterinarian you will be inscribing it to. And you can get this passport from many veterinarians. We got the passport for our cat from Baku Vet Clinic.
Again, the cost of the passport may vary depending on the veterinarian. If we remember correctly, in 2020 we got 15 manats.
If you are planning a trip with your pet in the future, it is recommended that you get a passport from the first time you take it to the vet. If you’re not planning a trip yet and don’t need a passport, then remember to get and keep the bottle or label of the vaccine from the doctor when you get vaccinated. Also, write down the dates of all medications and vaccinations, as well as the name of the medication.
3. The correct description of medicines and vaccinations in the passport
Another thing you should pay attention to when travelling is that all medicines and vaccinations are correctly reflected in the passport on time.
Correctly reflected means labelling (if not, writing the name of the drug or vaccine), recording the date, and the doctor’s stamp and signature. On the other hand, correct reflection refers to the correct and timely recording of the date of administration of the medicine or vaccine. You can find out information about the administration of drugs and how many days after the injection of the vaccine from your veterinarian.
Let’s try to provide all medical services to our little friends on time and without delay. This is very important for their health and our comfortable journey with them.
4. Certificate of health from a doctor.
One document you need to obtain a Veterinary certificate from AQTA during your trip is a doctor’s certificate. If you have a veterinarian who takes care of your pet’s medical needs on an ongoing basis, you can get this referral from them. The doctor simply writes that your pet is healthy and has no problems leaving the country, and at the end adds the name, signature, stamp and date. There is also a separate section in your pet’s passport to record the dates of the doctor’s examination. Make sure that the date you received the reference is reflected there, and that it is stamped and signed by the doctor. If you have seen a different doctor each time, or if your doctor is not at work when you need it, you can ask another doctor who has a stamp to do the same. In this case, the desired service may be paid.
5. Obtain a Veterinary certificate from the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency (AQTA).
There are documents you must present at the airport when leaving the country. These are Your passport, Your pet’s passport and your veterinary certificate. What is this Veterinary certificate? Where and how can we get a veterinary certificate? You can understand a veterinary certificate as a government-approved health certificate for your pet and permission to leave the country. This certificate is obtained from the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency. Therefore, you should approach the AQTA in the city or district where you are registered. The documents required from you at AQTA are your pet owner’s passport, Your pet’s passport, and Your pet’s health certificate from a doctor. When approaching AQTA, make sure that all documents are in place and correct. Especially the injection of drugs and vaccines and the days that pass.. There are special rules for some drugs and vaccines. For example, to get a Certificate, a minimum of 21 days must pass from the date of the last vaccination. You can get more information about such rules from your veterinarian or AQTA. To obtain a Veterinary Certificate, you have to pay the prescribed state fee. If the AQTA branch you are applying to is located within the ASAN service, in this case, you will make the payment to Kapital Bank within the ASAN service. If the AQTA to which you are applying operates in a separate building, please note that you will have to approach Capital Bank and pay the state fee. In any case, we recommend that you first approach AQTA to check the accuracy of your documents, and then pay the fee. In August 2022, the fee was 35 manats. When buying a certificate, you must correctly state the country and city you are going to, the way of travel (land, air, water), and the date of your flight. The certificate you will get from AQTA is only valid for 72 hours. Therefore, since you cannot get the certificate much in advance, take the process very seriously and responsibly so that you do not encounter any problems during the process.
6. Choosing the right shipping container
The main thing when travelling by land is that you use a container in a form that does not pose a threat to your pet’s comfort and environment. If you will be travelling by air, we recommend that you carefully read the pet policies of the airline you will be flying with and purchase an appropriate carrier. In general, your pet can travel with you in the cabin of the aircraft if it does not weigh more than 8 kilograms including the carrier, and the carrier fits the given dimensions (these rules may vary by airline). Otherwise, it will have flown in the cargo section of the aircraft.
7. Air ticket of your pet (In case of travel by flight)
Another stressful issue when travelling is getting your pet ticketed on time and correctly. Although these rules vary from airline to airline, they all have a common logic – not to seat pets close together on the plane by species or sex, and only allow a few of the same type of pet on each plane (the number varies by airline). So when you buy or book a ticket for yourself, start the process for your pet right away. So how do I buy a ticket? – if you say… You write the photo of your pet’s passport (the part with information about it), its weight with the carrying case, the size of the carrying case, and your flight information to the official email address of the airline company you will fly with.
Below is the slant we always write:
“Ticket number: 0000000000000
Passenger: Whomever the pet will be flying with
Flight: Flight number
Date: Date and time of your flight Baku – the city you will go to
Reservation code: O0O0O0We will take 1 cat under 8 kilograms with us. Please register. He will go with us to the cabin.
Name: Your pet’s name on the passport
Gender: The gender stated in the passport
Colour: The colour mentioned in the passport
Age of the cat: Current age and how many months old (age at the time of flight and how many months old it will be)
Container size: dimensions of the shipping container
Container weight: the weight of the shipping container
Cat weight: the weight of your pet
Total Weight: The weight of your pet including its carrierPlease indicate what other documents are needed. We will make the payment before the flight as usual” Again, the amount charged for flying with your pet varies by airline.
The last time – in December 2022, when we came to Georgia from Azerbaijan, the payment for our cat was 40 Euros. We paid the equivalent in manats.
8. Proper behaviour with your pet before the trip
According to our observations, many people face several difficulties as a result of misbehaving with their pets while flying. The biggest of these difficulties is the matter of the toilet of the pet. Take care of your pet’s nutrition if you don’t want to experience any discomfort at the airport or on the plane during the flight. For comfort, we recommend you stop giving food and water hours in advance and allow him to go to the toilet until you leave the house. During long flights, you can comfort him by giving him water and some of his food as a snack after getting off the plane. It is more appropriate to use pampers for dogs. But since cats are uncomfortable in pampers, you can also put a sanitary napkin in the carrying case for them. You can get that diaper from a veterinarian or pharmacy. In any case, it is recommended that you take an extra plastic bag and an extra diaper with you on the plane. In extra situations, you can prevent people from being bothered by the smell. In these types of cases try not to use the carrying case without a sanitary pad no matter where you go, as the case of the carrying case sinking is a bigger problem.
That’s all we know and experience. Information, prices, and processes are subject to change. Therefore, we recommend that you do your research in each case. If you encounter any requirements that are different from what is written here, or if you have done something different from what is written here, please write to us and let us know. Your experience may be useful to someone else.
Wishing you a smooth, comfortable and easy journey with your pet…