How to Import a Pet into Portugal

Go to a USDA-sanctioned veterinarian. As a member of the EU, the Portuguese government requires that you have a recent rabies vaccination (six months or less) and an electronic identification tag. They will require you to prove that you have had this work done with a form in Portuguese and English, to be filled out by the vet and stamped with a USDA-approval seal. That dual language form with the stamp of approval is the only form of proof that will be accepted.This is all that is necessary for the legal importation of pets into Portugal from the US and Canada. Importations from other countries may demand further medical requirements for your pet.

Crate train your pet if the pet is not already crate-trained. It does not matter if the pet is small enough to be brought on the plane with you, or big enough that checking your pet as luggage will be necessary. He or she will still spend many hours cooped up in a cage. If the first time your pet has been forced to stay in a crate/kennel is the day you try to get him/her on the plane, the combined emotional stress could be traumatic and damaging to his/her health.

Investigate your flight options. The best thing for your pet is as short a flight as possible. There is some flexibility with this for pets small enough to carry on the plane, but crucial for pets that are checked as baggage.Pets checked in as baggage must travel all on the same airline. Even airline partners will not transfer pets checked as cargo between them. If you are unable to arrange a direct, single flight to Portugal, you will absolutely need to find a route that keeps you all on the same airline. On the East Coast, direct flights to Lisbon and Porto are available from Newark, New Jersey (Continental and TAP) and Boston, Massachusetts (SATA).

Try not to fly during the summer if you are checking your pet as luggage. Imagine your dog, stressed out by being cooped up in a cage and seemingly abandoned, and left out on a concrete runway in the sun and 90-degree heat for two hours while waiting to be stowed in a stuff cargo compartment. It is a likely scenario. You will typically need to check your dog in three hours before your flight, but must leave him/her two hours before your flight. Heat and stress could leave you with a dead pet.Many airlines have either restrictions on pets as checked luggage during the summer months, or simply suspend the practice altogether. The only airline with neither is TAP, which runs a direct flight from Newark, New Jersey to Lisbon. If you must fly your dog during the summer, fly from Newark on TAP.Cats, which are smaller, will not likely need to be checked as baggage unless you are trying to move several at once. However, in that case or with other animals, similar considerations apply.

Prepare your crate/kennel. You want to make sure the water supply is ample and durable if you are checking your pet as baggage, to guarantee water through the entire trip. Be sure to attach a package of stick-like treats, so that if your dog becomes anxious and either barks or snaps, the treats can be given to him/her by the baggage handlers without fear of being bitten. The treats will help calm the dog.