Landing to drop-off,
and everything in between...

Your pet has just landed, but the travels aren’t over just yet. Scroll below to understand what follows for the next 3.5 - 5.5 hours – a step-by-step understanding of your pet’s landing to drop off.

Once the flight lands, all animals (and your pet, of course) are the first to be off-loaded from the aircraft and are taken to one of the dedicated animal areas in the cargo terminal at the airport. Then the paper shuffling and related work begin, which means that at this stage your pet is not ready to be taken home. The Ministry Vet now needs to check your pet and all the relevant documentation (vaccination records, import permit, health certificate, etc.), and the clearance process has to be completed. Although the amount of time to get all this done does vary from shipment to shipment and day to day, depending on a number of factors influencing airport activities, we tell pet parents that the entire clearance process usually takes somewhere between 3.5 and 5.5 hours from the time the flight lands to finally having your pet at home.

Document processing

Your pet is the first to be unloaded from the plane and taken to a temperature-controlled facility, documentation processing begins.

Estimated time is 90 - 120 minutes

Don’t worry, your pet will be hydrated by the airport animal facility

Document handover

Next, your pet’s original documents are handed over to our team at the airlines counter.

Immediate

If you’d like to receive updates, let us know and we’ll keep you posted through the process. Please note all original documents must arrive with the pet.

Sandy Paws takes over

Customs Clearance with the airport authorities begins.

Estimated 20 to 90 minutes

Ministry-related paperwork verification

MOCCAE Clearance begins.

Estimated 20 to 90 minutes

Sandy Paws meets your pet

Now, your pet is moved from the cargo area and into the Sandy Paws vehicle i.e., your pet’s taxi for which a gate pass will be issued.

Immediate

All our animal handlers are fully vaccinated and expertly trained to handle your pet

Pet release

This is the final checkpoint before your pet is cleared and released from the airport grounds.

Estimated 10 to 30 minutes

If you prefer to pick up your pet yourself, you can choose to do so after the release has been done. At this stage we will share the pet pictures and videos.