If anyone here has brought a pet to Nevis would you please share with me what steps you took for the pet's entry to Nevis and how transported.

I have viewed and followed the necessary procedures on Nevis's website. Just attempting to verify my steps with someone who has experienced the process.

Thank you,
Robert.

I replied to your email about pets. Let me know if you need more info. I have copies of all my forms here with me and I can look at them for you.

Where did you get the necessary forms? How much in advance does this process need to be started?

PM me and I'll ask my wife to give you the information.

bumping this thread up as i'm looking for the same information.

it would be awesome if someone could post the info in-thread (instead of PM) for future searches... thanks!

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“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” ~Plato

If you have a cat or small dog that you can take in the cabin with you, by all means do it. I tried to bring my 2 dogs with me, but it was VERY hard finding airlines that take live animals as cargo...one of my puppies was too big to travel in the cabin so they would have to travel under the plane, which I was very nervous about. Also I believe it depends on where you live as far as which airlines will take pets so you need to contact the airlines directly. American airlines would take pets to San Juan, but then it was IMPOSSIBLE for us to find a local airline that would take them to Nevis. I believe some would like winair, but there were so many hoops to jump through it ended up not working out. Personally, I feel better knowing my dogs are at our home instead of having to deal with the problems of getting them down here. Also it can be a little expensive to bring them here.
Tony

thanks for the airline info, Tony.

i am also looking for government information (shots, permits, paperwork, etc) requirements to bring a pet into Nevis. specifically, i would like information on the requirements to meet the 30-day home quarantine conditions.

i have emailed MUA admin directly and will post an answer when i receive one.

__________________
“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” ~Plato

i am a bit disappointed that MUA admin is taking so long to get back to me... in the meantime, here are the things i have been able to find out so far:

1) pets are not allowed in the dorms (no big surprise there).

2) the MUA SOS site has the following information:

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Importing Cats and Dogs to Nevis

Veterinary Services
Department of Agriculture
Prospect Estate
Nevis, W.I.
Telephone (869) 469-0878
Fax (869) 469-0878 after 4:30pm

CONDITIONS FOR THE ENTRY OF DOGS AND CATS INTO St. KITTS & NEVIS FROM NON-SHEDULE COUNTRIES

1. RABIES VACCINATIONS
Animals under one year of age must receive two rabies vaccinations not less than 6 months apart with an approved monovalent killed rabies vaccine.
Adult animals that have received two or more rabies vaccinations go to section 1b .
a. The first vaccination shall not be given to animals less than 3 months of age.
b. The second or most recent vaccination shall be given not less than 30 days and no more than 12 months before arrival
c. The product name, serial or lot number, expiration date and route of administration, information for the two most recent vaccinations must be recorded on the health certificate.

2. ELECTRONIC MICROCHIP IDENTIFICATION
All animals to be imported into St. Kitts and Nevis must be identified with an AVID® or Home Again electronic microchip implant. The microchip number must be included on all relevant documents including written application form, blood samples submitted for rabies testing and on results of the rabies tests.

3. APPLICATON FOR IMPORT PERMIT
Apply in writing to the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for import permit. The application must include the species, name, age, sex, breed, colour or colour pattern and microchip number.
An import permit will be issued only after the Veterinary Authority receives a and b below.
a) Two Laboratory reports with Titre results > or = 0.5 I.U/ml from the RABIES/RFFIT/FAVN Laboratory at Kansas State University. Please see section 6a-f
b) A health certificate (USDA-APHIS FORM 7001) issued by a licensed veterinarian within 30 days of the date of arrival. The Veterinary Authority of the exporting country with seal or stamp must endorse this certificate for international travel; and must include

1) A full description of animal including implanted microchip number
2) Records of last 2 rabies vaccinations including name of vaccine, lot/serial number, expiration date and route of administration.
3) Last vaccination must have been administered not less than 30 days and not more than 12 months prior to the arrival date.
4) A Health Certificate issued by an accredited veterinarian within 72 hours of arrival must accompany the animal on arrival.
5) Failure to comply with steps 3 and 4 will result in immediate exportation of the animal or euthanasia at the airport.
6) RABIES NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODY TEST (RFFIT OR FAVN)
a) Two Rabies Neutralizing Antibody tests (RFFIT or FAVN) on sera collected at four weeks apart must be conducted.
b) For animals less than one year of age the first Rabies Neutralizing Antibody test ( titre) must be taken one month after the rabies vaccination.
c) For adult animals current on rabies vaccination the first titre must be taken no less than 30 days after the most recent rabies vaccine. If the result of the first titre is negative, a booster vaccine must be given and the titre repeated again in one month.
Please note that two positive test is required.
d) The second tests must be conducted not less than 30 days and not more than 12 months prior to arrival.
e) The testing laboratory must submit the test results directly to: The Government Veterinary Officer , Veterinary Services, Department of Agriculture, Nevis, West Indies. Telephone 1(869)4690-878, Fax 1869469-1698.
f) To be considered valid, the test results must include the number of the implanted microchip and complete description of the animal (age, sex, breed, colour or colour pattern etc).

LABORATORY WHERE THE PRE-ARRIVAL RFFIT/FAVN TEST IS AVAILABLE

Until further notice the only laboratory approved by the Veterinary Authority of St. Kitts and Nevis for the RFFIT/FAVN TEST is at KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr Deborah Briggs, Department of Pathobiology/Diagnostic Medicine, 1800 Denison Avenue, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-5600.
For information on procedures please have your veterinarian call (785) 532-4483, Fax: (785) 532-42982; e-mail: Briggs @ vet.ksu.ed

Summary of Pre-arrival Requirements
1) Complete application form
2) Two Rabies Neutralizing Antibody Test > or = 0.5Iu/ml to be done one month apart.
Stamped or sealed USDA Health Certificate (APHIS FORM7001) within 30 days of arrival.
4) Import Permit
5) 72 hours health certificate issued by an accredited Veterinarian accompanying the animal.
6) After completion of step 2 one annual RFFIT or FAVN test is required for frequent travellers.
Failure to have requirements 2-5 will result in deportation of your pet.

POST-ARRIVAL REQUIREMENTS
A thirty-day confinement is required.
Requirements for thirty day confinement

1) Dogs must be kept on approved premises, completely fenced and secure.
2) Cats must be kept indoors at all times and all windows and doors must be screened.
3) Dogs and cats, after inspection at the port of entry must not be removed from carrier until arrival at the place of confinement.
4) Dog and cats must not come into contact with any other animal during confinement.
5) Dog and cats must not be removed from the premises without permission of the Veterinary Authority. Permission will be granted for Veterinary emergencies.
6) Monitoring of animal during the 30 day confinement-4 visits

Quarantine violations will result in deportation of your pet.
Please note that importation of puppies has been suspended until further notice.
Fees
a) Inspection of premises minimum EC $200- four visits.
b) Airport inspection on arrival EC $100 per animal.
c) Fax charges EC $25 per fax.
d) Complete payment must be made on arrival. No exceptions will be allowed.



... sounds pretty simple, huh?

i will post more information about my experiences as they become available. in the meantime, if anyone has had first-hand exposure to this process, i would love to hear how it went. thanks.

__________________
“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” ~Plato

hi all,

well, it's been a few months and i just wanted to post an update on my experiences with pet import to Nevis. i'm hoping this info will help anyone else that wants to bring their pet with them to the island.

here is a very basic run-down of pre- and post-arrival requirements:

before you leave:
- get certificates for rabies vaccinations
- microchip implant
- send import permit application to Nevis
- two official rabies titre tests
- health certificate from your country's Veterinary Authority
- health certificate from your vet
- internal/external parasite treatment

after you arrive:
- keep your dog in fenced yard (or cat in house) for 30 days
- have the premises inspected/monitored 4 times

as you can see, the list of requirements isn't too intimidating. just be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get all the tests and paperwork done -- some of the rabies stuff has to be completed a minimum of 30 days before your arrival.

thorough details of the St. Kitts and Nevis Import Regulations can be found here (PDF download).

a short word on...

housing
we found housing (2-bedroom with fenced yard) near the school fairly easily. again, i think the key here is to start looking early and use whatever resources MUA can provide.

airline
we are flying American Airlines from Canada. they take dogs in the cargo hold, but you must let your travel agent know as space is limited.

island dog hazards
be sure to bring external parasite repellent/collar and obviously monitor them at all times to make sure they aren't eating or licking anything exotic that can poison them.

please feel free to drop me a line with any questions you might have. a vet student on St. Kitts who has been through the import process got in touch with me and was an extremely valuable resource. i would love to pass along that help to anyone else that can use it.

Maddy (my dog) and i arrive on the island August 24th! i am really looking forward to the first semester at MUA. see you soon!

__________________
“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” ~Plato