If you are relocating to France, you probably want to take every member of your family, including the nonhuman ones. Or perhaps you think it would be less stressful on your pet to go with you on vacation instead of being penned up in a kennel or having a neighbor visit once a day. In any case, there's more to traveling that far with a pet than just packing a suitcase. Traveling is stressful enough; being prepared eases the voyage.
Take your pet to the veterinarian to make sure it is well enough to travel. To enter France, requirements vary depending on the animal; dogs, cats and ferrets must have a rabies shot, a certificate of health signed by a vet who has been certified by the Department of Agriculture, and a tattoo or a microchip for identification, according to the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. The chip must meet international standards. Rodents and reptiles both must travel with a health certificate certified within 10 days of travel, and customs officials in France may inspect reptiles' skin to make sure they appear healthy. Birds have had stricter requirements since the bird flu outbreak. They must be quarantined in the United Stated before departure or in France after arrival, or have been vaccinated twice against the disease before the trip.
Call your airline or check its website for specific regulations about transporting pets. Air France allows animals lighter than 13.2 lbs. to fly in the cabin, while American Airlines won't allow you to carry on your pet for trans-Atlantic flights, and accepts only cats and dogs. Delta will take cats, dogs and birds in the cabin with a limit of one carrier per traveler. Make sure any crates for your pets in the cargo hold are secure and meet airline and Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, and mark them well with your name and contact information, both in the United States and in France. They should be hard-sided and not the collapsible type, they must be well-ventilated, and they must allow the animal to stand up and turn around easily.
Adhere to rules set in the USDA's Animal Welfare Act . The minimum age for dogs and cats to fly is 8 weeks, and they must be weaned. Provide instructions about food and water if your pet is in cargo, even if your flight isn't that long. They must have water at least every 12 hours. Direct flights from the East Coast to France are 7 hours or so, but if you are traveling from the West Coast or if you have stopovers, the trip duration could near 12 hours.
Schedule a direct flight during non-peak days and hours to keep your pet's stress level low. Talk to your veterinarian about a sedative for your pet during the flight if the animal is particularly excitable.
Don't feed your pet solid food within 6 hours before departure. The Department of Transportation does advise you to give it some water and take it for a short walk right before flying and right after landing.
Take your animal through customs in France once you've landed, keeping all of its paperwork handy. France doesn't require quarantines for most animals, so once you've cleared customs, you and your pet are free to head to your destination and explore your new surroundings.
