Preparation

Before horses can be shipped there is a lot of planning, organisation and administration involved. Depending on the health requirements of the importing country, blood and/or CEM-swabs of your horse will have to be tested prior to shipment. Vaccinations must be checked. Permits for either export, transit or import will have to be applied for. Quarantine reservations might have to be done. Export health certificates and examinations need to be organised. Customs formalities both in the exporting and in the importing country are to be completed.

These are only some of the assignments involved with worldwide horse transportation. Succesfull shipping starts with precise planning and organisation as taken care of by the experienced specialists at Horses By Air ApS.

Documents

Horses By Air ApS will make sure that all required and necessary documents accompanies the shipment. The most important document is the health certificate. Thanks to our global network we always know the recent health certificate requirements as well as import- and export requirements. In co-ordination with the local official veterinary services we provide the correct export health certificates.

We also take care of issuing the correct customs documents and provide proof of export to the consignor.

Veterinary & laboratory examinations

Only a few destinations require vaccinations away from the normal influenza vaccinations. Some countries do however have specific requirements. More countries require pre-bloodtests for specific diseases and/or CEM swabs for mares & stallions. Some countries will carry out these tests themselves during the quarantine period. When shipping to such destinations we strongly recommend still to do the pre-tests before departure in order to make sure, that the horse is not tested positive, as this will mean entry denied, and the horse will have to be returned.

For all overseas destinations a health-certificate has to be issued by lisenced and government veterinarians. When shipping your horse with Horses By Air ApS we co-ordinate all these details.

Customs

All horses exported or imported to/from the EU needs to be declared to customs.

Export from the EU:
The seller issues a sales invoice without charging VAT and provide us with a copy in due time. On departure from the country we arrange for an export declaration, which after being fully endorsed by customs at the airport of departure, will be returned to seller as proof of export from the EU. This declaration will also be valid for clearence of temporary exported horses (e.g. after competing abroad) without paying import duties and VAT.

Import to the EU:
For all horses entering the EU import duties and VAT must be paid. Breeding horses can be exempted from the import duties provided that necessary documentation is present. Depending on importers registration for VAT or private person you can choose to pay the import duties upon arrival to the EU airport. This could mean a considerable saving for the private importer. We shall be pleased to inform you about the regulations. Horses can also be imported as personal belongings, if you have been living abroad.

Documents

Get more information

Veterinary & laboratory examinations

Customs