We cannot just leave them behind. Well, sometimes we do, when we find a happy home for them (usually a friend or a relative).  However, if there is a possibility of bringing our pet with us to our next destination, then people will probably do it.

Moving is a hard task, that is for sure.  It can be even harder, though, transplanting yourself with a pet.  There are so many hoops that you may need to go through before you have your pet with you, safe and sound in your new home/country.

Sign this form here. Sign this form there. Quarantine your pet for XX amount of days, weeks, or months??

Not so much fun for you or your pet.

For the love of this inseparable part of your family, you do it.  Because at the end of it all, you will both be able to enjoy and explore the new country together and comfort each other when things get tough and lonely.

Bringing a pet to another country varies across the globe as there are different laws in different countries.  Additionally, we must not forget about the international school itself. It is very possible your new international school highly discourages you to bring your pet (due to staff housing policies, etc…).  Good to know these things ahead of time then!!

Luckily, International School Community has a comment topic on our school profile pages related to international school teachers with pets, so you can stay the most informed as possible. It is called: “Describe your experience bringing pets.“

There are a total of 357 comments in this comment topic (June 2022).  Here are a few that have been submitted:

“The biggest obstacle will be the landlords not allowing pets. This despite that there are tons of dogs and cats around. The landlords that do allow pets will require a $1000 USD deposit. Lots of vets, people love dogs here, but also lots of strays and roving packs of dogs. Vets are inexpensive compared to elsewhere…”
International School of Belgrade (Belgrade, Serbia) – 95 Total Comments

“No support from school. Do all your own research. Viet Nam is fairly easy for bringing pets into the country but, depending on where you are going next or what type of pet you have, it may be much more problematic leaving…”
TH School (Hanoi, Vietnam) – 9 Total Comments

“Many staff this year successfully brought cats. Most chose to do the paperwork on their own – others paid $$$$ for pet shippers. Personal choice. The school didn’t help with this…”
International School of Panama (Panama City, Panama) – 89 Total Comments

“Very easy to come into the country with pets and a good area to have them. Not too many areas have grassy bits but there are parks etc to bring them to. Recently GRAB, (Uber here) started a pet carrying service. Veterinary care is very good too from my experience…”
KIS International School (Bangkok) (Bangkok, Thailand) – 401 Total Comments

“Updated on this pet situation. With the new housing benefits coming into effect now, many newly constructed apartments do not allow pets, and therefore housing that allows pets is at a premium. You need to discuss your pet situation with HR if you are considering coming here…”
Chadwick International School – Songdo (Incheon, South Korea) 158 Total Comments