Pet transport companies

You might be tempted to try to save money by handling the pet importing admin yourself, but from my research, it’s not worth it. The rules are finicky and if you get it wrong, the UK government can quarantine your beloved furchild for up to 4 months.

There are plenty of excellent pet transport companies who are experts at this. Let them handle it.

South African pet transport companies

I can personally recommend PetPort. They were proactive, helpful, and communicative. But here are some alternatives.

• Global Paws (my bestie had a fantastic experience with them)

• Animal Travel Services

• Aeropets

If you want your pet to fly in the cabin with you, you can fly to Europe first (KLM lets you do this, for instance) and them get them into the UK by car or ferry using a company called Happy Saluki.

Let us know in the comments about your pet travel experience!