St. Martin import permit to bring a dog to st. barths

Awesome.

Can you tell me how you were able to coordinate the trip to your local vet....the fedex to the nearest USDA office (and back), in the 10 days you are allotted? That is where my concerns are. Throw a weekend or a holiday into the mix, and it seems pretty tight.
 
We just traveled to St. Bart with our 70 pound German Shepherd . For the reasons mentioned above, we elected to fly Tradewinds from San Juan. So much easier than SXM and no problem with bring the dog. All you need is up to date rabies immunizations. Also, remember tick borne diseases on the island are a big threat to dogs in the Carribbean as well as mosquito transmitted heartworm disease. Talk to your vet regarding preventative products. (ps... I'm a vet)
 
Thomasj: You are going to love Tradewind Aviation and will never want to travel to SBH any other way! We have done it many times, both directions and it is a breeze. We are going back to NYC on Tradewind on our trip, which is in March.
jdr: Your account of your experience is encouraging. We are planning on going through the process. I do suspect that the forms will never actually be looked at since we only go through the transit desk and our only contact will be with St Barth Commuter. But we will be ready nevertheless!
smartmoose: I know what you are referring to (I have seen them online)...however, those instructions (sending to USDA office and having to get them back) are not on the instructions that the official in SXM sent me. You only have to fill out the "application to import animals" form that they will send you as well as an international health certificate and vaccine certificate (they do require specific vaccines, which are stated on instruction sheet) as well as an international micro chip registration number. You then email those to the official, he then emails them back with approval stamps. jdr, please correct me if any of this is wrong.
 
Krand1 you are so right. The process of dealing with the St. Martin office is like sending a message in a bottle via the ocean and hoping that the right person finds it (within a tight time limit). First they send you forms for your vet to fill out, then you send it back, then you NEVER hear from them again. I have tried at least twice, and resent numerous copies through Fedex to no avail. When I spoke to people in st. barth, they say this is typical. I know a few people who know a few people, in st. martin and they say the island and the airport are losing a ton of money over this debacle. Everyone in the US is transiting via Puerto Rico and in France, they are transiting via Guadeloupe. This is so much easier and quicker. Lol, those St. Martin people just don't want to make money. :eek:
 
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As for traveling to St. Barth via St. Martin or San Juan, I think the vast majority of visitors still travel through SXM. I expect that some of our members have statistics that would enlighten us on the issue.
 
JFK and all who might be interested in the info...we did indeed bring our small dog to St Barths this past March via St. Maarten airport on the trip in. We jumped through all the hoops that SXM now requires. Filled out their form, got Vet vaccination/health certificate (with all the vaccinations that SXM required, with even one of those that our vet rolled his eyes over) fedexed it (overnight) to New York agriculture department (in Albany) to sign off (this packet included a return overnight fedex label). Got the forms back 48 hours later from NY agriculture. I then emailed the forms to SXM who then sent them back signed and officiated that day. And guess what, NO ONE in SXM checked these papers that I spent a whole lot of time, anxiety and money on. We simply deplaned, went through transit desk and on to SBH. Next March, sans kids so will make it a little more financially palatable, we are flying through San Juan on Tradewind Aviation both ways. Although anyone else planning on taking their pet through Puerto Rico should note that the Rabies vaccination needs to be within 6 months of travel. Good luck with all those wanting to bring their little spoiled furry ones (like ours). And we had a great week with Lily in St Barths.
 
Re: Better ways to spend my time.

I find it shocking that St. barths doesn't work with St. Martin to distinguish the difference between "transit passengers" vs "destination passengers" concerning the dog requirements!
I wonder if you have some information to confirm that St. Barths has not sought to work with "St. Martin" concerning the dog requirements? I suspect that such efforts have been made, but the local St. Maarten airport authority would appear to have firmly entrenched policies that probably are not easily amended.
 
When we enter St Barths, the custom official does not so much as notice the dog. I doubt that there has been much effort. Live and and let live? I would say it in french if I knew how. :) Maybe St Barths figures that the process limits the number of pets brought to the island with SXM having to be the bad cop! Who knows. It is a silly process for transit travelers.
 
Even if sometimes SXM officials turn a blind eye, the worries that someone may hassle you and your pet on the way to SBH would deter us to pay the extra for the SJU Tradewinds route for peace of mind.
 
Absolutely Stbarthshopper! I would not dream of rolling the dice and try to fly to SXM without the import forms. Which is why, next March, we are flying both ways thru SJU on Tradewind Aviation. The fact that our kids cannot make it on that trip make the extra cost comletely worth it. The price of the Vet health checkup, any extra vaccines, the NY agriculture department fee, and the two overnight labels that I have to be paid for to get the NY agriculture sign off back to me in time, pretty much adds up to the cost of one way on Tradewind! :) It's actually going to be great, because we are going to fly down the night before we are due in St Barths and take the late morning flight, landing in time for lunch, get a little supply shopping done and then when we get into our villa at 3:00pm we are already relaxed and ready to hit the ground running. Not that we do ANY running on vacation.
 
Re: Better ways to spend my time.

I wonder if you have some information to confirm that St. Barths has not sought to work with "St. Martin" concerning the dog requirements? I suspect that such efforts have been made, but the local St. Maarten airport authority would appear to have firmly entrenched policies that probably are not easily amended.

Yes, I do have proof that St. Barth has not sought to work with St. Martin concerning a transit procedure for pets in transit to st. barth. I have spoken with the Bureau de tourisme and they relayed the fact that "St. Barth did not see pet transit as an issue". They told me not to worry that St Martin would be very accommodating, they weren't, that I would have all the paper work on time, I didn't, I had to take the plane to french side of the island then a taxi to the dutch part. As the dog was already on the dutch side, there was no request for paper work, the airline just needed proof the dog had her US customs papers, which are basically her rabies vaccine certificate I already had from her US vet. Is it me, or is there something weird about St. Martin customs? Apparently you can fly to the French side, then drive to the Dutch side and this is all ok. The best way is to go through San Juan as you can't land on the French side when arriving from the US only when you are departing from st. barth and returning to the US. San Juan may be a little bit more costly but at least you have peace of mind and it is easier then the dreaded St. Maarten process.
 
To summarize this thread- maybe a stickey?
Regarding bringing a pet to St Barth, never come thru St. Maarten. Only thru Puerto Rico.
 
I second that motion stbartshopper. Please stickyyyyy that passenger should only transit using SJU if traveling with a pet . People need to be aware there is a problem, pretending that there is none is a disservice to all who visit st. barth with a pet. Some poor person is going to be left stranded without the proper papers and it will totally ruin their vacation. It almost happened to me and I only narrowly avoided missing my return flight home because some kind soul told me I could go to the French side and taxi to the Dutch side. It was nerve racking having to rush and I just made it to my NY flight! If you care, please sticky this warning. Only SJU for pets.
 
View attachment transit declaration.pdf
Apparently the EU countries have an agreement for pet transits to avoid animals having to fulfill each customs border they must cross to their final destination. I suppose this help makes sure the pet will not be over vaccinated as each country can vary so much in their requirements.
 
A pet Import Declaration is a signed oath that you are in transit and that you will not leave the airport with your pet prior to your departure to your destination. This permits pets to transit from one eu country to another without having to abide by each custom regulation for each transit point. Passengers are still responsible for fulfilling the destination custom regulations which in this case would be St. Barth. Both St. Maarten and St. Barth are part of the EU and as such are included in the agreement concerning article 576/2013 and 577/2013.

To summarize this document is helpful to all those who wish to travel with pets to the EU and have transit stop or stops in the EU in that it exempts passengers of attaining transit requirement for transits. In the case of transiting via St. Maarten to St. Barth, it exempts passengers from St. Maarten custom regulations. Passengers would of course still be responsible for St. Barth custom regulations, for filling out the form and having an onward ticket.
 
I am pretty sure that the lady I was dealing with in SXM (via email) regarding the St Maarten Pet Import requirement would have mentioned this. I asked multiple times if it was necessary to fulfill the St. Maarten pet import requirements even though I was transiting immediately to St. Barths. The answer was always the same...Any pet touching the soil of St Maarten (even if not exiting airport) must have the signed Import papers. Unless I received the "Import Declaration" form that you describe from the SXM officials (and signed off by them), I wouldn't risk flying from the States with a pet into SXM. A "Declaration" form really makes no sense because the checking of paperwork starts with airline check-in in the States. If you are flying on a ticket to SXM, the airline officials want the paperwork required for that airport, not your final destination. And the notion that the airline staff would have any clue what to do with a "Declaration form" makes me laugh out loud - no offense. It is just already nerve racking enough checking in with the airlines with the "proper" paperwork. The bottom line is, if you want to fly to St. Barths VIA SXM, you need to jump through their hoops. Or fly thru SJU.
 
Krand1 I am not sure who the "lady you were dealing with in SXM" was, but I can tell that I know of two friends who used this form. One of them used it multiple times. As far as receiving any relevant documents from an SXM official, I wish you luck. I believe that was the issue to begin with, that SXM officials are not cognizant of customs laws and regulation which is perhaps why passengers can rarely attain the necessary forms including the infamous "import form". So why would you depend on them to point you in the correct direction? Article 576/2013 and 577/2013 are EU law, St. Barth and St Maarten are part of the EU.

I find your last sentence pretentious and bit laughable - no offence; but how can you purport the following as facts, when you don't really know what the situation is in reality?

I believe that was the entire purpose of this forum to help/educate/inform St. Barth tourist. Does this not fall under this category? Is there not a moderator to correctly explain this situation?
 
The "Declaration Form" that you are describing, from what I have researched, is a "pet passport" that EU countries use. It does NOT apply to travelers with pets from the USA. Where were your friends traveling from? And if you have access to a form that applies to USA travelers, by all means, send the link!
I do know what "the situation is in reality" because I have been traveling from the USA to St Barths thru SXM and Puerto Rico for the last 10 years (about 12- 14 times) with my pet so I have passed on my experience and exhaustive research on the subject on this forum. Trust me...I have looked for an easier way (besides flying thru SJU) since 2014 when St. Maarten changed their regulations. I have been in touch with officials both from the USDA and SXM. I don't think I am being pretentious, merely trying to be helpful to those who wish to travel from the USA to St Barths with their pets by passing on my experience.
 
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