Hi forum,
I’m a Swiss resident (Permit B) currently in Mexico for holidays and I want to bring a little dog back with me to Switzerland.
I read everything on the website www.blv.admin.ch/ and we meet all the requisites to bring a dog, except the microchip, which we can do immediately but we will not be able to do it 21 days before the flight as we are coming back in one week.
Does someone know how demanding Swiss customs are in regards to this point? we would be landing in Geneva airport…
I’ve never flown into Geneva with a dog, in Zurich they have checked my dog’s chip every time I’ve returned over 11 years, so 11-15 times.
Are you willing to risk this dog confiscated on arrival?
Depending on the age of the dog and method of acquirement (adopted, purchased etc) there are very possibly import and customs fees.
Whatever you decide to do be prepared for the unexpected as the default scenario. Is this a dog that can handle that?
Is this some dog you found wandering on the streets?
My understanding is the microchip has to be done before any of the vaccinations, so yes Geneva customs would probably seize the dog, it would have to go into quarantine and it may end up being put down. Either delay your flight back until you meet ALL the requirements or forget it.
Also you need to make sure that the microchip is readable by a European chip reader.
Do not even THINK about trying to bring the dog here unless you follow all the import rule to the letter!
If you try to circumvent the rules, your dog could be put into quarantine at the cost of around 8K (from newspaper articles), denied entry leaving you to figure out how to get him back to Mexico, or worst case - and this has happened several times - seized and euthanized.
Do not, repeat, do not, do it!
Rather, look for a reputable rescue or foster home where your dog can stay while following the regs, then import him at the correct time.
You’d then have three choices:
Leave him in Mexico for now then return to Mexico to bring him in yourself,
Leave him in Mexico for now, find a ‘Flugpaten’ who can accompany him to Switzerland while you import him privately under your name,
Leave him in Mexico for now, with a rescue where the rescue then export him as a commercial entity under TRACES, which allows him to be turned over to you.
Actually a fourth option: Stay in Mexico with your dog to complete the steps and paperworl, then return to Switzerland.
See the BLV’s interactive tool for the necessary steps:
https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/de/home…tchen.html#par
The timing of the microchip is key, as it is what identifies this dog as the one receiving the rabies shot.
Follow each and every step to the letter! Switzerland is very concerned about keeping the country rabies free.
FYI, if your papers are incorrect you likely will not be allowed on the plane.
Dog imporation laws are taken seriously. If you try to get around them it will be apparent when you go to register your dog with AMICUS, and a vet is a mandatory reporter.
If you love this dog, do it right.
Hope it all works out for you both.
The dog has been rescued by a friend in Mexico about a year ago, and we fell in love with the dog and now we want to bring her back with us.
I think we better not bring her now as our flight back to GVA is in 7 days, and she still doesn't have a microchip...we will not have enough time. As a last resource i just sent an email to Swiss customs at Geneva airport.
Just read what Meloncollie said.
Any mandatory vaccinations that this dog has supposedly had before microchipping are as good as nil without the required antibody tests as proof
If your dog is with a friend, then the hardest part, a place for the dog to stay while waiting, is done. From there, it’s easy:
Complete the paperwork, microchip and rabies and other steps, and the wait time while the dog is with your friend. Note that the order of the steps is key; first microchip, then rabies vax. If the microchip has not been implanted yet you will likely need to do a second rabies Vax.
Once all is in order, arrange a flight to Switzerland. Be aware that even if accompanied by a ticketed passenger the dog must be under 8kg including travel crate, and small enough to stand and turn around in an under-seat crate to fly in cabin, otherwise the dog wil have to fly cargo. If flying cargo this waiting time will be well spent getting the dog acclimated to a crate. Be aware that the number of dogs allowed on a flight is limited and be aware that weather conditions may further limit flights. SWISS does a fairly decent job of animal shipment.
Or, if you are confused by the process, enlist the help of a professional animal shipment company. One with a good reputation in Switzerland is Moving Animals:
https://www.movinganimals.com/home-en
Don’t give up on this dog if you really believe her to be ‘the one’. All it takes is attention to paper work, time, and money.
But again - do it right!
This is a good point!
My rescue colleagues travel with their own microchip readers, just in case there is a problem reading the chip at the border. We use this one:
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0727RN8D6?..roduct_details
This reads all EU compliant chips, and I think others as well, but you’d want to verify that. I’m not sure what kind of chip woud be used in Mexico.
If the chip from Mexico can’t be read with this one, ask your friend to purchase a chip reader from the vet in Mexico, do a pre-flight scan himself so that he verifies that the chip is readable and you know where the chip actually is (chips can travel from the implantation site). Then send the reader to whoever is traveling with the dog so that you are prepared for anything that might happen when trying to read the chip.
(A recent snafu at Zürich, where the official refused to scan the whole cat, comes to mind.)
If they are busy or not around then the customs people will handle it and they follow the rules to the letter.
You may also be taxed on any transport costs charged by the airline.
Another good point!
OP, you might want to read this thread:
https://www.englishforum.ch/pet-corn…e-already.html
There is not a hope in hell they will bend the rules for somebody coming back from holidays with a little dog they found wherever.
High chance it will just get put down (at your expense of course)
How heavy is the dog? Have you found out if the airline would let it in the cabin? Would it have to go in the hold? Animal travel also needs pre-booking. There are companies who could sort it for you and send the dog cargo when she is ready.
Will your friend not miss their dog?
Then they looked it up on AMICUS, sent us to the local vet who transferred all the info into a French passport, charged us 50€ and we were good to go - I'm sure they have a little side line going on!