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Help!! Moving to spain

S

stace_m

New member
Hello
I moved to spain with the intention of coming back after my summer abroad, but after finding a home here and some very good friends. I have decided to stay. I left my snake in the best hands of my dad who takes great care of him. Now i want to bring my snake out to join me as my dad is moving in with his girlfriend and won't have as much time to care for my snake. Also I miss my snake soo much.

Does anyone know how i can go about bringing my snake out. I have looked at many internet sites not many are very clear about transport of snakes, most saying they can transport my snake but give no more details to do with vet/travel/airlines/documents (eg does he need a pet passport???) or regulations that i need to know or get.

also what about a leagal/approved transport cage. (My corn is 130cm long, 2yr old)

and how the hell do i book it on a flight?

Or does someone know a currier that can do all/most of this for me?
(that doesn't try take an arm and a leg in payment)
Don't get me wrong i love my snake and want nothing more than to have him here with me but there are some limits i have to face, and unfortunately money is one of those.

Any details or help you can offer would be very welcome

Kind regards
Stacey
 
Unfortunately, government red tape will assure that most brokers / exporters will have to charge you more than $500 for freight, permits, fees, etc. And that is assuming it is a non CITES snake such as a corn, king, etc. If it is any kind of boa or python, the price and time required for permits goes way up. The cost will be pretty much the same whether you bring in 1 snake or a whole boxful of snakes.

First, you need to deal with somebody who has a US import / export license ($100 per year). Then the exporter has to take it to the US Fish and Wildlife inspector at one of the designated ports of entry. And the exporter has to have a relationship with one of the airlines that still accept live reptile shipments (seems like fewer all the time). It is a bit of a hassle, especially for just one snake. That is why they will charge you per shipment for the fees, not per snake.

I have exported to the UK and to Germany. Their rules were not too bad. I tried France once, but it was impossible because they required a US vet to fill out a French form - in French - no translation allowed! So I shipped to Germany and the French customer brought them in as his own pets from Germany. I don't know individual Spanish laws, since I never sent any there. But since there are no border checks in the EU, I think many people just have animals sent to the Hamm show in Germany, and then just drive them home. I have used Glades Herp and also Mark Bell of Reptile Industries to add my customer's snakes to their orders, since they both often go to that show. Or maybe you can find the vendor list, and ask any reputable US dealer or breeder who vends there. It won't cost them much extra to add your snake, although they do have to pay a high value tax (sales tax) on every animal sent to Europe, I believe. It would be a simple transaction if you could just send them like any other perishable product, but the various governments have seen fit to make it very difficult, and will probably be even more difficult in the future.

The only reasonably priced way for you is to either find a dealer in Spain who is going to import from a US dealer or breeder and ask them to add your snake for a fee, or to get a US dealer / breeder who is going to the Hamm show and bring them to you for a fee, which will be far cheaper than importing individually. Then you will have to go to Hamm and pick it up. You should check laws in Spain first, to make sure you won't run afoul of them.

Of course, when you return to the US, you have to do all of this in reverse. It is not likely to be worth it unless you plan to stay in Spain for a very long time. I would consider just finding a babysitter for the snake if you are not going to be there for the rest of the snake's lifespan.
 
thank you soo much for your help

My snake is currently in the UK so i only need him moved from the UK to Spain but it is very difficult ot find any information.
 
Oh - that might be a lot cheaper, especially if you can go there yourself and bring it back by train or car / ferry, etc.

Maybe get a UK breeder / dealer to bring it to Hamm and you get it from there? Can't really say. I would suggest contacting a breeder / dealer in Spain or in the UK - one who does business throughout the EU. Ask them if they will assist for a fee.

Good luck!
 
You're going to be moving it around within the EU (UK is a member of the EU Seriva!), so it should be a lot easier than shipping from the US.

I agree that someone who already knows the ropes should be able to help you through customs. Air freighting is the expensive and difficult option though.
 
I know that bitsy - but because we had to show our passports when we travelled to the UK (which doesn't happen when we're travelling* to the netherlands, etc.), I'm not sure if you don't need some paperwork for the export/import of reptiles.

~
Seriva

* not flying
 
thank you for the replys,

So far:

I have found i need to give notification to defra they have sent me a form to send back to them.

and i need a certificate of health from the vet.

but i will try follow your advice and try find maybe some breeder that operate through europe and see if i can pay them to deliver my guy here.

Thanks again guys :)

If there is any more sugestions keep them comeing, every little helps :D
 
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