Need to bring my dog and cat with me as I move to Switzerland from US..pls recommend a Pet re-locator familiar with Swiss requirements. Thanks

A firm that colleagues have used, and with whom i have had some contact, was Ace Pet Moving. It seems that the company has now changed it's name to Moving Animals. Website here:
https://www.movinganimals.com/home-en.html

This should be considered information only as I do not have any experience with the new company, However, in the 'about us' page it says that the company is staffed by the same team as under the old name.

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But before you get much further, perhaps we could help with some of the basics of importing your pets.

First, have you looked through the BLV website detailing what you need to do to bring dogs and cats to Switzerland? It's all laid out in their interactive tool, here:

https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/en/home...frettchen.html

And more information here:
https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/en/home...frettchen.html

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Just a heads-up - Might I ask what breed or mix your dog is, and which canton you are moving to?

About half the cantons in Switzerland have some kind of BSL on the books, either banning certain breeds outright or requiring certain breeds to obtain a permit. Dog control is the competency of the various cantons, not the federal government, so this is something that people new to Switzerland sometimes miss. Each canton sets it's own dog law.

Hopefully you won't be affected by BSL, but if you let us know what breed or mix your dog is we can clarify that issue for you.

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Once you are in Switzerland, you will have 10 days to register your dog with the Switzerland-wide database, AMICUS. This is a federal requirement, all dogs resident in Switzerland must be traceable from birth (or import) to death. The AMICUS website is here:
https://www.amicus.ch/Account/Login


Good luck wth the move!

Thank you for the contact info. We are moving to Basel with our mini golden doodle (38lbs) and rag doll cat.

In that case you are good, no worries about BSL.

FYI, here is a summary of the dog control rules for Basel Stadt:
https://tierimrecht.org/de/recht/hun...t/basel-stadt/

And for Basel Land:
https://tierimrecht.org/de/recht/hun...el-landschaft/

In addition to the AMICUS registration for your dog, you will also need to register with the Gemeinde, and of course pay the dog tax.

FYI, if you take one of the recognised dog training classes, you can get a reduction in the dog tax in Basel Stadt.

You can do the Gemeinde registration online in Basel Stadt:
https://www.veterinaeramt.bs.ch/hund...LraAUROJt2jSWq

I couldn't find an online Meldung for Basel Land, so if you choose to live there, contact your Gemeinde after you arrive.

And, don't forget to take out liability insurance - minimum 3 million is required in BL. Liability insurance for dog owners is generally included in your Privathaftversicherung - if not in the package you choose, add it in. It is usually inexpensive.

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Your cat is not regulated in the same way dogs are - you will simply need to follow the import regulations linked in the earlier post.

While there is no registration requirement for cats, it is strongly advised that you do so, especially if an outdoor cat, as so many cats go missing. The database for registering a cat's chip is ANIS, here:
https://www.anis.ch

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OK, just a few things to get you started. Good luck with the travel, and with settling into Switzerland with your pets.

And if you are travelling via Zurich or Geneva you may be required to meet their Cantonal rules as well. And don’t arrive on the weekend, at least at Geneva.

KLM serves Basel airport via their hub at Amsterdam. They have a very good in transit centre for live animals, but schedule at least a 90 minute, or more, connecting time.

We moved here (Aargau) about 3 years ago from the US, and we used Animal Land Pet Movers (https://www.petmovers.com/), who coordinated on the Swiss side with Ace Pet Moving (http://www.acepetmoving.com/).

We brought with us 5 dogs and 3 cats, of those dogs 2 had fairly serious medical conditions, and all the animals but one were pretty old. The process is a bit complicated, but Animal Land walked us through the whole thing, made sure all the paperwork and requirements were five by five, and everything went off without a hitch.

I'd definitely recommend both. And odds are if you use one, you'll end up using both anyway, since they seem to work together. I'd start with Animal Land though, since you and they are on the US side.

Animal Land is (I believe) Atlanta-based, where we lived. I assume they can help anywhere in the US, but I'd ask at the beginning of the process.

Also, as indicated above, Ace seems to have changed names to Moving Animals (https://www.movinganimals.com/home-en.html).

Best of luck, and please let me know if you have other questions.

Thank you for the recommendation.