How We Moved Our Dog from the U.S. to Portugal

On April 24, 2021, a puppy’s life changed in a small town called Sheridan, Texas. As we scooped up our little 15-pound rescue puppy named Violet and made our way back to the big city (Austin), it foreshadowed a much longer trip Violet (now 70 pounds) would take four years later to Portugal in 2025.

When we started planning our move to Portugal, I was surprised by how many people asked if Violet would move with us. The question was never whether she would come with us, but how. Figuring out how to move overseas with a large dog is no easy feat.

Here are the many options we explored that didn’t work for us (but could be helpful for others!):

• We enrolled Violet in service dog training so she could fly in the cabin with us. She put in a solid effort, especially when treats were involved, but her guarding instincts meant she didn’t pass the program. Service work just wasn’t her calling.

• We tried to book a transatlantic dog-friendly cruise aboard the Queen Mary 2. When we called in 2024, they were booking two to three years out for the 12 large-dog spots available on each cruise. That didn’t fit our timeline.

• We looked into flying Violet in cargo.

• We researched pet relocation companies.

• We explored several Facebook groups that coordinate private pet travel.

In the end, we decided to go with Bark Air. We were incredibly fortunate to have funds from our home sale, and while we generally would never spring for such a purchase, we had read one too many bad stories about dogs flying cargo and ultimately felt better about flying with her. While the cost of this flight was steep, over the course of her life, it will pay for itself. We have already saved money by moving Violet to Europe. Healthy dog food is much more affordable, pet daycare and boarding costs are reasonable, and private equity has not gotten involved in the veterinary industry in Portugal as it has in the US.

After selling our home, we drove to the East Coast to spend time with family before officially moving to Europe. We decided to fly from NYC to Paris to save some money on the flight and then drive to Portugal from France. Everyone on our flight was doing the same thing: moving to Europe with their dogs. Some were moving to France and others to Spain or Greece.

We also have many friends who brought their dogs to Europe successfully through cargo. No matter how you choose to go, one of the most important things you will need is an EU Health Certificate for your pup from the USDA. You want to plan ahead for this. To get an EU Health Certificate:

• Make sure your dog is up to date on vaccines.

• Schedule an appointment well in advance with a vet who has USDA accreditation for pet passports.

• You need to receive your EU Health Certificate within 10 days of flying. This can be quite stressful!

Our flight was on a Wednesday, and as of Monday night, our vet still had not received an update on our file. We were scouring Facebook groups for information, reaching out to LinkedIn contacts with any USDA connection, and contacting our congressional representatives. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, a combination of these efforts, or maybe just plain luck, on Tuesday morning our vet got a notice that our PDF certificate was ready. We still weren’t in the clear because you are supposed to fly with an official paper copy. Fortunately, Bark Air was able to confirm that France (where we were flying) was one of the countries that would accept a PDF copy. Some countries require a wet ink signature.

Thankfully, all’s well that ends well and with our printed PDF in hand, Violet bravely boarded her one and only flight and headed for the adventure of her (and our) lives. In a future post, we’ll share our experience road tripping through Europe with a pet.