importing from the u.s

[sea_beaver]

hey guys,
i am hoping that you will be able to help me here.
i have stumbled across someone in the u.s who is willing to ship me some geckos, and some in mind are 3 captive bred satanics, his prices too are rather cheap.
anyways i am just wondering how i go about obtaining the import and export papers and the other nessecary info.
many thanks in advance.
paul

[xXFooFooLaFluffXx]

3 satanics, you jammy begger, how did you "stumble" across him? i want some! though i dont actually know the anser to your question lol, free bump i suppose though

[Athravan]

Most people seem to deal with a broker, he will have to deal with a broker his end for the export papers, there are fish and wildlife certificates, vet certificate, and for some animals (i don't know in this case) cites applications have to be obtained (usually takes 4-6 weeks but i've known it to take 6 months depending on the species!)

The broker and the shipping fee is usually quite costly, and they charge "per box" not per animal, so you may find it cheaper to go halves on a box with someone else, or add animals you can sell to recoup some of the money spent. I've seen quotes from $250 - $1000 for shipping and broker costs, but I think there is not a lot you can do this side regarding the export, the seller/broker is going to have to do it in the USA.

As for this side, I would recommend phoning Heathrow airport, ask for the animal section, and ask them for the paperwork and information you need. You will have to pay 17.5% import duty / VAT on the value of the shipment, as far as I'm aware this is usually done when you collect the animals from the airport. There may be vets fees and other paperwork costs. There is quite a lot of paperwork from what I remember but I don't have exact details, always used a broker.

Don't think there are any forms or anything online, have to phone up and ask them for the information that they can send out. There are UK brokers who will do all the paperwork for you, costs i've had quoted are generally the £250-500 mark.

It isn't cheap to import, often if you are just importing a small amount of goods, it will bring the price to double or triple what you were expecting. It gets better value for money the larger the shipment you bring in basically.

You could also find out if the animals can be delivered to any of the EU shows via a big breeder, as this cuts costs hugely.

[sea_beaver]

cheers, ill be givin heathrow a call in a bit