customs clearance charges - Page 4

Stephen, here is the link - I found it by searching the "Q and A" section. The same info is also elsewhere on the Customs website, because I remember seeing it - and the rabies form - when I was preparing to import Orbis. http://help.customs.gov/cgi-bin/customs.cfg/php/enduser/popup_adp.php?p_sid=sml42Nji&p_lva=&p_li=&p_faqid=55&p_created=1043364936&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MjAmcF9wcm9kcz0wJnBfY2F0cz0wJnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1kb2cgcXVhcmFudGluZSByYWJpZXM*

Sorry about the 5-mile-long URL...

Thank you much!

I had a dog shipped from Germany (imported from Hungary) early this spring. When I contacted the air port they told me IF the dog did not make it through customs that the fee would be $50.00 but most do make it. Good for me there was no hang-ups. He came from Frankfurt to Michigan to Pittsburg. All I did was go to the cargo shipping building and picked him up with no problem. You may not have to pay customs if all is clear. His papers should be taped to the kennel. Mine was. Shot papers and all that stuff I mean.

You do not want your dog in a kennel. Other dogs are there and can expose your dog to all kinds of things. Your dog is going to be stressed as it is. You will not know if the dog was shipped ill, or from the stay overnight. I am not saying boarding is always a bad idea, but in the case of getting a newbie, I want to KNOW excatly who, what and where. Pay the custom's agent and pick your new baby up and go home.

Customs charge I was told can range up to a grand or more. As long as you acknowledge that the puppy is only as a companion or going to be a personal protection dog and not for breeding you will be o.k If you say it will be for breeding later, your customs charge will be a lot more.

I just got a female a couple weeks ago. I called the customs office told them the flight time and they made sure at 11pm EST the officer was there to clear customs. He was very friendly looked at the dog walked to his office filled out the paper work asked some questions and boom done. Our office does after hours if you book in advance maybe because Tampa is a major city and international airport I duon't know. But I had no problems thankfully at this time.

If I choose to leave the puppy overnight in the kennel will she be left overnight in Atlanta and flown out the next morning here to New Orleans, where I live, or will she be flown to New Orleans and left overnight at the airport here?

got a puppy from Slovakia through Prague to Newark International , (N.J.) cost was $20.00 for customs Took 30 seconds for customs to stamp the paper work. When I returned to cargo the attendent said " I'll see if I can find her" The pup was 3 feet from her. She walked right past the crate, with the pup wagging her tail noisely hitting the crate. I pointed thie crate out to her. Her reply...I don't know if she is the right one. This is after she told me my pup was the only one on the flight. SAS airlines fantastic job off loading the pup right away. Cargo....DUH!!!! Just thought you might enjoy a laugh.

What applied some time ago is most likely outdated by now. Import and shipping rules and regulations change all the time. This year lots of things have changed for shipping animals, especially since March of this year. And more changes are still happening all the time. How things get handled always depends on the destination airport. Most direct flights arriving with Lufthansa arrive during regular customs hours and the recipient can take the dog through customs themselves. Though that is not a given any more these days either. Denver has always been very easy. Atlanta is getting to be a hassle for many people now though. Some have been stuck at airports and not get the dogs released the same day. That will not happen with a broker. In time even direct destination flights will probably need a broker. According to Barthco the customs fee is the same for a pet as it is for a breeding dog. Destinations with a stop-over are a completely different story alltogether. These smaller airports differ greatly in how things are handled, hours of operation, and willingness to work with a person receiving a dog. Though the advice given here is well intended, it really has little value since none of it applies to this particular situation. This is where an importer would have come in handy... ;o) Gimme10, you need to contact the shipping company. The staff of both PetAir and GK speak English. They cannot help you save a few bucks, but they can help you get the pup there safely and effectively and also inform you of everything you need to know about the routing and what is likely to happen along the way. Talk to them! If $250 is an issue for you now, you better prey that this will be a very maintenance free pup! Keep in mind that your pup has been travelling for a while before it arrives in the US. It has been travelling by car for many hours just to get to Frankfurt. Then is put in the crate 3 hours before departure. Add to that the time of flight. Then you have a stop over, which is also at least 3 hours. Then the pup finally arrives. As the seller when he is intending to leave Hungry and think about the time this pup is going to be couped up in a crate and travelling. If you were dealing with me I would very strongly advise against adding an overnight stay. As it is, its already quite the journey for such a small pup. You can also contact the customs at your local airport and discuss options with them. Contact me and I will let you know what other option you can discuss with them.