[Kaju43]

Hello everyone,

I have searched everywhere for information regarding this, then I found this forum and I hope you guys can help me out.

I have a 3 years old male cockatiel, Kaju, he has been living with me since he was 1 month old.
Now that I am relocating to the Netherlands in March, I am REALLY stressed about him, as it seems like no one has any idea on the process or the required documents (Kaju might be the first lol).

Checking this website:

Can I bring a pet from another country to the Netherlands?

It is possible to bring a pet from another country to the Netherlands, if all the conditions are met. For example, dogs, cats and ferrets must have been vaccinated against rabies. The conditions depend on the kind of animal you want to bring in and the country it is coming from.

www.government.nl

says that I must contact NVWA, which I did, then they replied with an email saying that they don't provide support in English.

I talked to a friend who knew some dutch, he called them, and their answer was that:
1- I and Kaju must come on the same flight (Talked to Turkish airlines, I can take him to the cabinet with me as he is a small bird)
2- He should have proof that I am his owner, (talked to my vet, I can get have such paper ).
3- They need some health reports, but they don't have this info now, and that I must email them in Dutch until they check that info for me, which we did, but no reply yet.

Does anyone have any clue on how to do this? Kaju is family now and we are trying hard to make sure his papers are ready before ours are ready even.
Note: Kaju doesn't have a leg band, I adopted it from a friend who isn't a breeder, and the vet suggested against adding it at this age.

 

[mel&sydney07]

thats an impresive move! ive traveled short disances in car with my birds, but i have no expirience by plane. good luck!

 

[mari87]

Hi Kaju,

I'm in a similar spot. I'll be moving to Germany soon, with my 14-year-old cockatiel. Leaving him at home is not an option, as I have no one to take care of him.

Here are the links with information for Germany:

Pets and zoo animals - Travelling with pet birds

Imports of pet birds from countries outside the EU (third countries) are carried out under controlled conditions in order to prevent the introduction and spread of "Avian Influenza".

www.bmel.de

Specific provision on the import of pet birds

www.zoll.de

I think these rules apply to the EU, and aren't country-specific. But maybe the Netherlands has extra country-specific rules, so it's best to double-check. If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask, even though I'm still pretty early on in the relocating process (and I'm from a different country of origin).

I have a question for you, if you don't mind. I'll also be travelling with Turkish Airlines, however, they've informed me that he can only travel in the aircraft hold; not in the cabin with me. The idea of leaving him there for 10+ hours terrifies me. Can I ask you if you have an email address or phone number that I can contact to ask questions? I have the impression that they only took a quick look at the "traveling with pets" information from the website 😔.

 

[Kaju43]

Hi Kaju,

I'm in a similar spot. I'll be moving to Germany soon, with my 14-year-old cockatiel. Leaving him at home is not an option, as I have no one to take care of him.

Here are the links with information for Germany:

Pets and zoo animals - Travelling with pet birds

Imports of pet birds from countries outside the EU (third countries) are carried out under controlled conditions in order to prevent the introduction and spread of "Avian Influenza".

www.bmel.de

Specific provision on the import of pet birds

www.zoll.de

I think these rules apply to the EU, and aren't country-specific. But maybe the Netherlands has extra country-specific rules, so it's best to double-check. If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask, even though I'm still pretty early on in the relocating process (and I'm from a different country of origin).

I have a question for you, if you don't mind. I'll also be travelling with Turkish Airlines, however, they've informed me that he can only travel in the aircraft hold; not in the cabin with me. The idea of leaving him there for 10+ hours terrifies me. Can I ask you if you have an email address or phone number that I can contact to ask questions? I have the impression that they only took a quick look at the "traveling with pets" information from the website 😔.

Hello,
Thanks for the links! I am still gathering information but I think I am close, it seems that the Netherlands is a bit more strict regarding birds though.

Regarding the Turkish airlines, I am not able to confirm it as well, on their page they mention that:

Cats, dogs and small singing birds (e.g., parakeets, canaries) kept as pets may be transported in the cabin with the passenger. Conditions set below are taken into consideration when pets are brought onboard:

Passengers traveling with in-cabin pets: The pet must be kept in a carrier that fits underneath the seat in front of the passenger.
Passengers traveling with pets in the cabin may select seats that are not located in rows with emergency exit doors or infant stroller apparatus.

But at the same time, they mentions this:

Parrots and pigeons must be transported in the aircraft hold (AVIH).

as per this Wikipedia page :

The cockatiel is the only member of the genus Nymphicus. It was previously considered a crested parakeet or small cockatoo; however, more recent molecular studies have assigned it to its own subfamily, Nymphicinae. It is, therefore, now classified as the smallest of the Cacatuidae (cockatoo family). Cockatiels are native to Australia, favouring the Australian wetlands, scrublands, and bushlands.

So I think them treating cockatiels which was considered as a parkeet due to it's size, the same way they treat an African Grey sounds not right to me.

I will be going to Istanbul Airport (2 hours drive!) to confirm this with their managment, because as you mentioned, they just read that page and have no real list of bird species.

One more thing you need to take care of is this:

Cats and dogs or cats and birds are not permitted on the same plane, whether or not they are separated by cabins. Dogs and birds may be carried in different cabins, or in the same cabin at the furthest distance possible.

So if it goes well and we are allowed to take our cockatiels to the cabin, we need to make sure that the flight we are booking doesn't have any dog or cat booked before, then inform Turkish airlines immediately to make sure no one books another pet in the cabin before you do.

I will update you once I have the information!

 

[mari87]

Hello,
Thanks for the links! I am still gathering information but I think I am close, it seems that the Netherlands is a bit more strict regarding birds though.

Regarding the Turkish airlines, I am not able to confirm it as well, on their page they mention that:


But at the same time, they mentions this:

as per this Wikipedia page :


So I think them treating cockatiels which was considered as a parkeet due to it's size, the same way they treat an African Grey sounds not right to me.

I will be going to Istanbul Airport (2 hours drive!) to confirm this with their managment, because as you mentioned, they just read that page and have no real list of bird species.

Hi! Sorry for not reaching back sooner. I hope all is well. How are things going with Kaju's relocation?

I still haven't been able to find reliable information on whether cockatiels are allowed in the cabin, with TA. Although I talked to one person I found in a Facebook group, who was able to fly their bird from the US to Norway, last year. They just added pet in cabin when booking their flight with TA and then confirmed. So there might be hope for us.

Were you able to confirm the information with management?

So if it goes well and we are allowed to take our cockatiels to the cabin, we need to make sure that the flight we are booking doesn't have any dog or cat booked before, then inform Turkish airlines immediately to make sure no one books another pet in the cabin before you do.

Oh yeah, this would be important to check. Thank you.

 

[Kaju43]

Hi! Sorry for not reaching back sooner. I hope all is well. How are things going with Kaju's relocation?

I still haven't been able to find reliable information on whether cockatiels are allowed in the cabin, with TA. Although I talked to one person I found in a Facebook group, who was able to fly their bird from the US to Norway, last year. They just added pet in cabin when booking their flight with TA and then confirmed. So there might be hope for us.

Were you able to confirm the information with management?



Oh yeah, this would be important to check. Thank you.

Hi!
No worries! I am busy with the relocation preparations as well!
The management was so strict saying that they only allow budgies and canaries, I even went to the Istanbul Airport and talked with the pet check-in desk guy, tried to convince him for 2 hours, nothing worked.
I am traveling in 2 weeks, I prepared both an AIATA approved carrier for him incase they don't allow him in the cabin, and a covered soft shell carrier for the cabin, and I will try my luck there, maybe they will never ask about any info? I made sure not to write the word "parrot" on any documents.

Also, about that facebook user, was it a cockatiel? or a budgie?

Will update you in 2 weeks on how it went, please wish me luck, I am so stressed about the whole thing anyway.


Thanks!

 

[mari87]

Hi!
No worries! I am busy with the relocation preparations as well!
The management was so strict saying that they only allow budgies and canaries, I even went to the Istanbul Airport and talked with the pet check-in desk guy, tried to convince him for 2 hours, nothing worked.
I am traveling in 2 weeks, I prepared both an AIATA approved carrier for him incase they don't allow him in the cabin, and a covered soft shell carrier for the cabin, and I will try my luck there, maybe they will never ask about any info? I made sure not to write the word "parrot" on any documents.

Also, about that facebook user, was it a cockatiel? or a budgie?

Will update you in 2 weeks on how it went, please wish me luck, I am so stressed about the whole thing anyway.


Thanks!

Hi,

I hope all goes perfect with your trip. Wishing you and Kaju good luck!

The person I talked to on Facebook has a cockatiel. If you search for the airline's full name on the "Cockatiels" group (not sure if I'm allowed to link it here), you might be able to find them, in case you want to reach out. They posted some questions around June/July last year, although I sent them a DM to ask details on how their flight went. I asked specifically if they had to gather any special requirements or talk to someone to be able to fly with the bird in cabin, and they said all they had to do was reserve the seats, add pet in cabin and then call to confirm/make sure no cats were travelling in the same flight.

In case it's useful, they also mentioned about having to hold him outside the carrier while going through security (as they check carriers). I read on another forum, that using a transparent carrier may help avoid this in some cases, as security can then see all of the contents without having to take the bird outside. Although I guess sometimes they will ask anyway, so it's better to also be prepared for that.

Looks like you are very well prepared. Hopefully they won't ask about any info, the same way they didn't ask the person I talked to.

I appreciate you updating after your trip. Mine is in May and I am also stressing already.

 

[mari87]

Hi,

How did your trip go? I hope all is well!