Relocation & Settling In
Pet relocation to Germany, and every step after the airport.
Moving a dog or cat across borders is the most nerve-wracking part of any relocation. We manage the whole journey, the paperwork, the timeline, the flight, and then, where almost everyone else stops, we keep going: the arrival in Berlin, and the patient work of settling your animal into a new city.
The real challenge
The flight is the easy part. It's the week after that undoes people.
Plenty of firms will fly a pet from one airport to another. The journey out is a crowded, competitive market, and a capable origin agent isn't hard to find.
What almost no one handles well is the other end. Berlin has its own quiet gauntlet: clearing customs (Zoll) at the airport, registering your dog and filing its dog tax (Hundesteuer) within days, arranging liability insurance (Hundehaftpflicht), finding an English-speaking vet, and, often the hardest part, a flat whose landlord genuinely allows a pet. All of it in German, all of it while you're exhausted and jet-lagged.
And it only works if the paperwork upstream was right: an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination timed correctly, a titre test where your country requires one, and the right travel document, an EU pet passport or an official health certificate. One step out of order, and the whole move slips by months.
The calm, English-speaking arrival: that's where we're worth having.
The engagement
Door to door, and every step after, as one continuous handover.
One team from the first vaccination to the first walk in a Berlin park.
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Assess origin & timeline
We start with where your animal is flying from, and work back from the day you need to land. Whether your country is EU-listed or not decides a lot, and for some origins a rabies antibody test carries a fixed waiting period. We map the whole calendar before anyone books a flight.
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Paperwork & vaccinations
Microchip, rabies vaccination, and any onward jabs, sequenced in the exact order the rules require, so nothing has to be redone. We coordinate directly with your vet and confirm the document your pet will travel on: an EU pet passport, or an official EU health certificate.
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Transport, door to door
An IATA-compliant crate in the correct size, and flight or ground partners we've used and trust, chosen for temperament and track record, not the lowest quote. For snub-nosed breeds and seasonal airline limits, we plan the route around the restrictions rather than into them.
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Arrival & customs in Berlin
Someone meets the flight. We clear customs (Zoll) calmly, check your animal over, and get them out of the crate and into daylight without a scramble, the moment that matters most, handled by someone who's done it many times.
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Registration & settling in
Then the quiet Berlin work: your dog registered and its dog tax (Hundesteuer) filed within the deadline, liability insurance (Hundehaftpflicht) in place, an English-speaking vet nearby, and, if you still need one, a flat whose landlord genuinely welcomes a pet.
What you get
The whole journey, and the landing, handled.
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EU import rules & pet-passport guidance
Which route your country falls under, and the exact document your animal travels on, read correctly the first time.
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The microchip & rabies timeline
ISO microchip, rabies vaccination and any titre test, sequenced so the dates line up, the one error that costs months.
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Vet coordination at origin
We brief and liaise with your vet so every certificate is issued in the right order, signed and valid on the day of travel.
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An IATA-compliant travel crate
The correct specification and size, so your animal is comfortable and never turned away at check-in.
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Vetted flight & ground transport
Door-to-door partners we know by name, including care for snub-nosed breeds and airline embargoes.
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Customs on arrival (Zoll)
Cleared without drama at the Berlin airport, with someone beside you who's done it before.
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Registration & dog tax (Hundesteuer)
Your dog registered and its Hundesteuer handled with the district, comfortably inside the deadline.
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Insurance, a vet & a pet-friendly home
Hundehaftpflicht liability cover, an English-speaking vet, and a flat whose landlord truly allows pets.
Why us
We have looked after very particular travellers. Yours will be treated the same way.
Years in Berlin's hotels and hospitality teach you that the smallest members of a household are often the most precious. We've quietly looked after a lot of families, and their animals, with the same care.
That means a real person on the phone when you're anxious, a plan that puts your pet's welfare above the cheapest routing, and discretion at both ends. Your name, your address and your arrival stay between us. You'll never appear in our marketing, and with luck your dog will be asleep on a Berlin sofa sooner than you feared.
Questions
The questions we're asked most.
Which countries can you move a pet from?
Most of them. The rules differ mainly between EU-listed and non-listed countries, and a handful of origins add a rabies antibody test with its own waiting period. Tell us where your animal is now and we'll tell you the route, the paperwork, and a realistic timeline, before you commit to anything.
How far ahead should we start?
Earlier than most people expect: think months, not weeks. The rabies vaccination has to settle for a set time, and for some countries the antibody titre test adds a fixed wait on top. Starting early is the single best thing you can do; a rushed timeline is where pet moves go wrong. If your dates are tight, talk to us anyway and we'll find the fastest compliant path.
Will my pet have to go into quarantine?
Generally not. Germany doesn't impose quarantine on animals that arrive fully EU-compliant: a valid microchip, an up-to-date rabies vaccination and the correct travel document. Getting every one of those right, in the right order, is exactly the work we do, so your pet walks straight out of the airport and home.
My dog is a snub-nosed breed, is flying safe?
Brachycephalic (snub-nosed) breeds need extra care, and many airlines restrict or seasonally embargo them for good reason. We plan around it: the right carrier and cabin or hold policy, sensible routing and timing, and ground transport where flying isn't the kind choice. Your animal's safety sets the plan, not the other way round.
What happens with registration and dog tax once we arrive?
Every dog in Berlin has to be registered and taxed, the Hundesteuer, within a short window of arrival, and carrying Hundehaftpflicht liability insurance is expected too. We handle the registration, file the dog tax with the district on time, and arrange the insurance and an English-speaking vet, so none of it slips through the cracks of your first fortnight.
Can you also find a flat that allows my dog?
Yes, and it matters, because plenty of Berlin landlords quietly decline pets. Finding a home whose owner genuinely welcomes a dog is exactly what our Managed Apartment Search is built for: we raise the animal openly and early, present you as the easy tenant you are, and look for a flat where your pet is properly at home.
Continue
You may also need
Begin
Tell us where your pet is flying from.
The country, the animal, and roughly when you need to be in Berlin. A real person replies within the day, in confidence, and we'll map the timeline before you commit to anything.