Have you ever been told it’s impossible to import your dog or cat to French Polynesia via a private vessel (sailboat)? We’re here to tell you it is possible—we did it in 2022 with two dogs. So, grab a drink of your choice, get comfortable, and let us guide you through the process in the easiest way possible.
The first thing you must understand is that details matter in this process. The most important thing to note is that you are taking your animal to French Polynesia, not France. Any information or experiences you had in France do not apply. We’ll provide examples of mistakes people have made throughout. Let’s get started.
Step 1: Familiarize Yourself with Biosecurity Information
The first thing you need to do is familiarize yourself with the information provided by the Biosecurity team in French Polynesia. You can find that information here. The requirements listed are not flexible at all. The official veterinarian is the law and will not bend just because you sailed across the Pacific. Please understand that there is no level of negotiation to be had. It is 100% compliance, or your pet stays on the boat the entire time you are in French Polynesia. If you plan to continue across the South Pacific, it is vital that the animals are imported and stay in French Polynesia for six months. That’s right—you will need a long-stay visa, which I will explain more about later.
Step 2: Identification Chip
Your animal needs the proper Identification Chip inserted. This chip needs to be ISO 11784 certified. It’s important to note that nothing about your animal matters until after this chip is installed, and everything that happens after the chip must be documented on the official records—everything. In 2019, the USA did not use the proper chip, so we had our chips installed in La Paz, Mexico. Not having the proper chip installed before you start the required tests and vaccinations is the number one reason pets are not accepted in French Polynesia. You should be issued a certification letter for the chip, which they will want to see when you arrive.
Step 3: Rabies Vaccination
A Rabies Vaccination is required between six months and 21 days before arrival. This is one that gets people in trouble. First, French Polynesia almost never accepts three-year rabies shots; they simply convert them to a one-year vaccination. So, if you are in year two of three, they will consider you out of compliance. You can’t get your titration test until at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination. We planned ours so we had the dogs vaccinated, then 31 days later, the blood was drawn for the titration test. The date of the last rabies vaccination will be part of the titration test application.
Step 4: Rabies Titration Test
The window for this test is no more than 12 months but not less than three months before you arrive. We recommend you get this test as soon as the window opens because there is a short list of laboratories French Polynesia will accept the results from. For us, we had the blood drawn in Mexico in August 2022. The certification of the test was delivered in September 2022. Our passage was in February 2023. If you are in Mexico, the Central Laboratory near Mexico City is an authorized lab for the titration test. We were in Chiapas and used a local veterinarian to draw the blood and facilitate the transportation and payments. If you are in Banderas Bay, Dr. Dunia can help with all the required tests and treatments. If you are in Panama, you can visit Dr. Sanda at Pet’s Inn.
Step 5: Review Requirements and Contact Officials
By this time, four to six months from departure, you should have reviewed all the requirements on the Biosecurity website. We recommend you contact the “Official Vet” as well as Biosecurity on Nuka Hiva if that is your landfall location. Be patient; they are terribly busy and sometimes do not respond immediately. It helps if you send your communications in French; we simply used Google Translate. They have form 211, the importation request, that needs to be filled out. We communicated directly with them every step we took. This way, they can tell if something is not acceptable. It is also especially important that you read the requirements carefully. Look for words like “between,” “less than,” “no more than,” etc.
Step 6: Time-Sensitive Tests and Procedures
When you are about one month from departure, you will need to conduct a series of tests and procedures that are time-sensitive. Although it may seem mundane, they will check when you arrive that you meet the stated requirements. If you don’t, this could trigger boat quarantine or denial of importation, at which time your animal will have to stay on board.
At one month from departure, you will need to have a Leishmania test conducted. Pay close attention to the requirements as this test is only valid for a short period of time. It is also required that the test method be ELISA. In Mexico, this can only be done at a human lab; Dr. Dunia can facilitate. The test still needs to be valid when you arrive “for the inspection.” Additionally, at this time, you will need to have your animal treated for internal parasites, fleas, ticks, and Echinococcus. Don’t forget to have this documented on the official pet record (the records with the chip information on them). You are getting close—just a few more steps.
Step 7: Final Treatments and Documentation
At least 14 days before the first treatment and within four days of your departure, you need to have a second treatment of internal parasites, fleas, ticks, and Echinococcus. At this point, make sure you have completed everything within the required time limits. Ensure you have all the original documentation and make copies. You have sent all of this to Biosecurity in French Polynesia. Now it is time to go.
You will be issued an International Zarpe from Panama or Mexico. The immigration team will not even care about this document when you arrive in French Polynesia, but Biosecurity will. The date they stamp as your departure is the date they will use to ensure you have met all the requirements. Have a great sail.
Additional Tips:
- French Polynesia will want you to pay the import fees before you arrive. This was not the case when we crossed. We recommend getting some type of assurance they reviewed the documents, and everything is in order except for the live inspection of the animal and documents.
- The Official Vet has to inspect the animal. This person resides in Tahiti. Sometimes, if there are four or more boats that need animals checked in, they will travel to the Marquesas and check you in. Make sure you know these rules ahead of time as they seem very fluid.
- We found the dogs on some of the islands to be rather aggressive. The Marquesas were fine, but some places did not want the dogs in their village even though you have the permits. Most of the Tuamotus are great, although many of the beaches are crsuhed coral and tough on their paws. The Society Islands were the hardest place to walk our dogs—be careful.
- Now that you have completed the importation to French Polynesia, we are sad to report it only gets more difficult. It is vital that you are planning several countries ahead for your animals. If New Zealand is on your list, as of this writing in 2024, the only places you can export your animal to New Zealand from, are French Polynesia and Fiji. You always have the choice of showing up in NZ and putting your animal into quarantine for four to five weeks—VERY EXPENSIVE. Fiji requires your animal be in the exporting country for at least 6 months. Fiji no longer accepts animal imports via private yacht, so you have to fly them. We believe it is super critical for you to understand what happens after French Polynesia.
- Many of the countries after French Polynesia will accept a titration test up to 24 months old.
- We cannot stress enough that once you have the chip inserted every procedure performed on your animal must be documented properly on the official record. This means the record with the chip number on them. If you get vaccinations, the sticker with the lot number must be included. We even went so far as to have the vet administer the flea and tick pill and document that. At this point we have an English, French and Spanish version of their official records.
