I have seen discussions about how to bring a pet, specifically a dog from the US to Ecuador, there are two options and as I have now experienced them both I must warn anyone considering shipping a dog as cargo that it is not an easy precess. The paperwork state-side is the same no matter which way you decide to bring the dog down. First you ask your vet to give you a certificate of health and ensure that your pet is up to date on all of the necessary vaccinations. You then take that certificate to the USDA (you must make an appointment) to be stamped, they will charge for the service and do not accept cash. That same stamped certificate needs to be taken to the Ecuadorian Consulate or Embassy to be endorsed which will cost you $50 in cash. All of the aforementioned must be completed within 10 days of the animal's departure.
If you decide to take the dog as part of your personal effects, it must have a reservation on your flight. Most airlines have clear regulations on how the dog can travel and some have restrictions on what breeds they will permit to fly. For example American Airlines recently changed their policies and will not permit breeds with short snouts such as pugs for respiratory reasons. So make sure to the airline you select will allow your dog on board. Most of the airlines that fly to Ecuador have similar rules; 1. The dog must travel in a sturdy cage that is large enough for the animal to sit, stand, turn completely around and lie down comfortably without hitting any of the sides. 2. The dog must have a water bottle attached to the cage for the duration of his voyage. 3. The cage must be closed securely (with zip ties) 4. The cage must clearly indicate the address of the animal's destination, 'this way up' arrows and a sticker that clearly reads 'live animals' 5. Not all airlines require it, but I highly recommend sending some food and a leash taped securely to the top of the cage in case of any complication, someone can feed and quickly walk your dog.
If you decide to take your dog as if he were a checked bag, you will pay a fee and have to show up to the airport at least 4 hours before the flight. The dog will travel in a pressurized area that is the same temperature as the rest of the plane. When you arrive, they WILL put the cage on the carrousel with the rest of the bags, despite what they might tell you at the counter in the U.S. So make sure that you get a seat near the front of the plane and try to be one of the first in line at passport control. When I flew into Guayaquil with the first dog I brought down, she was the first 'bag' on the carrousel.
Once you have the dog and your other belongings, the customs agent will ask you for the certificate. Just hand them the paperwork and they should wave you through without a snag. At this point you and the dog are free to enter the country, the process is over.
If you decide to send your dog as cargo, which in my experience is a bad idea, the health certificate is the same as for flying with the dog. Someone still has to drop the dog off at the airport 4-5 hours before the flight. There will be more forms to fill out at this point, but the airline you select will guide you through it. There will of course be a fee, based on the combined weight of the dog and the cage and the dimensions of the cage itself. LAN Chile for example told me that they charged about $150 to ship a Chihuahua and about $700 to ship a Great Dane, so the rate can vary wildly. I would highly recommend that you have someone email or fax you copies of all of the paperwork so you have a starting point when the dog arrives.
Once the dog arrives is when the real work begins. Unlike traveling with the dog, there is a huge process to go through in order to claim the dog. NO the airline will not do this for you. NO this is not an easy precess that can be done by yourself. This is the process with LAN which was the only airline that will fly a short snout breed directly from Miami to Guayaquil (the only other airline that will fly that route direct is American Airlines, the carrier I brought my first dog in on). I would recommend that you get a direct flight if at all possible to reduce the stress on your dog. From the moment the dog arrives there are at least 10 hours of work to be done to get the dog and another 10 once you have the dog.
1. You must deposit a fee of $25 (or whatever the airway bill says) directly into the LAN cargo bank account at their bank.
2. You must then take the deposit slip to the LAN Cargo office near the airport. The person listed on the airway bill must go in person and present either a cedula or a passport, sign a few things and receive the original copy of the airway bill and health certificate that you got in the States.
3. You then take all of these papers, your cedula and/or passport to a customs agent. To be clear this is a private person or company that can be hired for a fee of $150- $500 or more. They will then work with customs (the government). The process takes at least an entire day if you start as early as possible. There are forms to fill out which are so unbelievable complicated that there is simply no way that a lay person could complete them correctly, but the Orwellian bureaucratic nightmare that is Ecuadorian customs will not permit a private person to complete the process anyway, so it is just as well.
4. After filling out just about every form imaginable, you will need to decide exactly who or what is responsible for the importation of the dog. If you are in good standing with the legal representative of a company or person that has a license to import they can import the dog. This means that the legal representative of the company or the individual who can import will need to be there in person to sign for the release of the animal. Customs sees no distinction between a box full of cellphones and a dog in a cage. Do not expect to be able to skip any steps just because the cargo is a living thing.
5. At some point in the process try to sweet talk your way into seeing the dog. If you don't speak perfect Spanish bring someone who does to help. They may let you feed it and take it out of the cage for a little while. I had a good experience with the warehouse guys, they had taken it upon themselves to let the dog out of his cage for a quick walk to relieve himself, but I would not expect that this is common practice.
6. If you do not bring an already registered importer with you, you will have to register as an importer yourself which is another bureaucratic labyrinth. Again the customs agent can help you with the paperwork, but you must get a RUC number in person from the Ecuadorian SRI (their IRS). You must bring a copy of the cedula or passport, censo or visa and a copy of your lease and power, water or telephone bill stating your address to the SRI office.
7. There are a series of payments that you will have to make through out the process, the importation license requires a fee and in order to take the dog off the premises you must leave a 'guarantee' with customs to be deposited directly in their account. The amount is based on the value of the dog and the cost of the airfreight. I paid $120 to customs for a dog that was valued at $100 and an airway bill that was $177. I would recommend listing the dog as having no value at all- $0.
8. If you are really lucky and the customs agent you hire has a good relationship with someone in customs, with a whole lot of luck you may get the dog within 24 hours of his arrival. You will have to promise to come back and complete the paperwork the following day. Or if you ask really nicely the customs agent might send a messenger back and forth to your work or residence to complete all the paperwork.
There is no such thing as a quarantine for dogs coming into Ecuador provided that they have all the necessary paperwork. If you read that there is a quarantine period for your dog, you have been misinformed. The '2-3 day quarantine' is simply the time it is going to take you to complete the paperwork necessary just to get the dog out of a warehouse.
So if you really don't care that your pet has to spend 24-48 hours in an un-air-conditioned warehouse while you spend at least an entire work day in the customs building, go ahead and ship the dog as cargo and he will be treated as such.
After going through both processes, I cannot stress enough that you will save neither time nor money sending a dog as cargo. I would recommend to anyone who wants to bring a dog to Ecuador, buy a plane ticket and fly with it, at least from Miami if not all the way from your previous residence.
I wish I had know all of this before I had my dog shipped as cargo.
If there is no other way than to ship the dog cargo, as was the case for my brother in Panama, c'est la vie. But if you have the choice. FLY WITH THE DOG!
Best of luck to all of you moving with the family pet!
If you respond to this post and I can recommend at least two customs agents that can help.
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