US Virgin Islands with pup
 

I looked at www.gov.vi but could not find information on this.

I am thinking of taking my wife and tiny dog to St. John for her birthday...my wife's, not the dog's. So we would fly in to St. Thomas and then catch a boat over to St. John.

I see some unofficial websites that say I would need a health certificate dated within two weeks of the trip (some sites say 4 or even 6 weeks) and proof that her shots are up to date...the dog's, not the wife's.

Can anyone give me first hand experience or point me to an official source of information for this? I tried contacting the hotel where I would stay but they were unable to assist me.

http://www.visitusvi.com/frequently_asked_questions

HTSC

Bermuda wihth 2 pugs
 

My fiance and I are planning to travel to Bermuda with our 2 pugs in June. There is a lot of conflicting info that I have been reading about bringing dogs into Bermuda. Since they're a British territory, I know that guidelines are fairly stringent. Have you also traveled to BDA with your pets too? Any tips or pointers as to navigating this smoothly? Do they quarantine the dogs? This is our main concern.

Don't know about quarantine in BDA, but I would also be concerned about how you plan to fly with them. Most pugs that I've seen are too big to meet requirements to fly in-cabin, they're just too big to fit comfortably in an under seat carrier. Most airlines will not transport pugs as cargo in the warmer months, check individual airline websites for info on this.

Looks like there are no quarantine facilities in Bermuda, if you don't have all of the proper paperwork ahead of time they will deny you entry. The IATA website also stated that cats and dogs must have a microchip.

From a pet travel website:


Pet Passport, Immigration & Quarantine Travel Info: Bermuda

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pets arriving in Bermuda must be accompanied by an import permit issued by the Bermuda Department of Agriculture & Fisheries. Without this permit the pet will be denied entry, as there are no quarantine facilities in Bermuda. Pets must be at least 10 months old unless they are arriving from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Jamaica or Australia.

You must file the application for permit not less than 10 days prior to arrival and the health certificate must have been issued within 10 days prior to arrival.

It is suggested you fax the application (completed veterinary certicate) to assure speedy delivery. A permit will be faxed back to you with 2 to 3 working days.

The health certificate signed by your veterinarian must contain the following:

Name, date of birth, breed and description of the animal.
A statement that the animal is free from any communicable disease and is free from external parasites.
A statement from the veterinarian that the animal has been treated with an acaricidal preparation the brand and type of which must be contained in the statement. A statement by the veterinarian that the animal has not been exposed to rabies nor been in an officially quarantined rabies area within the past six months.

Note: The statement regarding rabies is not required if the pet is arriving from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand or Jamaica.

The rabies vaccination history of the animal including:

That after the age of three months the animal received a rabies vaccination.
That the animal received a second vaccination between six months and one year following the first vaccination.
That the latest vaccination was given to the animal not less than 30 days prior and not more than 12 months prior to arrival in Bermuda.
Bermuda requires that you submit a veterinay certificate to obtain the entry permit.

I live in the US Virgin Islands and travel often back and forth from the mainland with my two small dogs. All your dog would need is a health certificate dated a maximum of 10 days prior to travel. Make sure the vet does a domestic health certificate since we are part of the US and NOT considered international. Your only problem may be on the outbound when you return home as you will need a health certificate dated within 10 days of travel. So if you only stay a week and get the certificate in the states a couple of days before travel, you should be fine. The certificate basically is proof of an up-to-date rabies vaccine (since we don't have rabies on island). They rarely check them, but you won't be able to travel if you don't have one.
You may also run into trouble with taxi's transporting you from the airport to either Charlotte Amalie harbor or Red Hook where you will catch the boat. Some taxi drivers may try to charge extra or be disagreeable about transporting a dog (no matter how small). So when getting a taxi, keep the dog in its carrier and avoid mentioning it at all. Hopefully your dog won't bark and the driver will never know.
Have fun in beautiful St John!

Thanks for the information folks; it looks like this trip is on hold for us but having the information is still much appreciated.