Crossing the Ukrainian-Slovakian border with many pets (dogs, cats)
The ONLY crossing point at the Ukrainian-Slovakian border designated for more than 5 pets is Vysné Nemecké.
(Important: pet passport, individual marking (microchip, i.e. transponder) is required in case of 5 or less animals too, and the "5 animals per person" rule strictly (!!!) means that the animals are allowed to enter only with the person under the name of whom the animals’ microchips are registered and pet passports are issued (that person is usually called “the owner”). In case of 2 persons with 10 cats it only works if the pet passports of 5 cats is under the name of one person and the other 5 cats’ pet passports are under the name of the other person. If all the 10 cats are under one and the same person’s name or under a foreign name (another person’s name), the transport of these animals falls under the rules of "commercial transport" and the animals are allowed to enter only at Vysné Nemecké.
So with more than 5 pets and/or pets that are under the name of another person, you have to choose ONLY Vysné Nemecké, otherwise you will be turned back at the other border crossing points.
I crossed the border with 28 cats + 3 dogs (and 2 Ukrainian ladies who had been running the shelter until it was bombed) at Vysné Nemecké on 16 March, 2022.
The most important requirement:
Each animal must have an individual marking (microchip) and a pet passport. But at least microchip.
You have to inform (via email) the official veterinarian about your arrival 24 hours before your arrival at the border. This email must include how many and what kind of animals do you transport to the border.
Email address: his.vysnenemecke@svps.sk
(It’s a pity, with the wisdom of hindsight I know) this is a useful help for both parties. They are waiting your arrival (the vet was very normal and spoke good English), but if there is a sticker "live animal transport" on your car, you don't have to stand 14 hours in the queue, like I did, but simply drive past the long queue waiting for passenger crossing, as the trucks and big buses do, and drive to the “cargo” side of the customs area as the vet’s reception office is there. If the Ukrainian policeman watching the queue stops you, show and tell him that it is a "live animal cargo". (If it's not written on your car, they won't accept it.)
It is useful for the driver to have a driving license for live animal transport (so many cats fall under a "commercial transport" category).
Very important >> you need to have a so-called "adoption declaration" issued by an animal rescue organisation in the country of destination (in our case a Hungarian one) that should contain the name of the organisation, its address, main details, a list of animals (e.g. in our case "28 cats with the following chip numbers (list), 3 dogs with the following chip numbers (list)" and, the organisation has to state that it agrees to take the animals and place them at the given address in the country of destination (Hungary). (Edited:) It must also include (we accidentally and instinctively wrote in it) where the animals come from, who they come from and why, i.e. the point of origin also must be mentioned (last night an Italian team with 45 cats was turned back for this reason).
The declaration also must be signed and stamped by the vet providing veterinary care for the animals of the animal rescue organisation.
Without this, the animals will not be allowed to pass.
But if you have this declaration (we organised it from there by phone, Hungarian colleagues sent it by email to the official veterinarian in Vysné Nemecké), then you can fill in the so-called "transit declaration" which guarantees the Slovaks they will not be left with all the animals.
That is all.
Once all this is done, they will allow even 40 dogs per 1 person cross the border.
Why this information can't be posted on a government or EU website is a good question (I brought it up to Slovak journalists yesterday). It is also important (and annoying) that the Slovak customs officer on duty is either aware of all these procedures and is normal, or he has no idea and is a jerk and wants to turn us back at all costs, like he tried to do yesterday.
In such cases, you have to ask for the consignment of animals to be taken to the vet.
If anyone there gets in trouble, contact me privately, I’ll try to help.
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