New school for the upcoming academic year.

As I mentioned in a previous post I will be moving to Dubai for the new academic year.  So, now I am working through 1) the visa process for me, and 2) the relocation process for the cats.

So far the cats process is fairly straight forward and by far the easier of the two.  UAE does not permit animals to enter: as cabin baggage - not an option as there are 2 cats and only 1 person in my case; nor as excess baggage  - the way they have travelled to date.  The only way they are permitted to enter is as LIVE CARGO.  Korea does not permit individuals to process live cargo so I need to have a pet transportation agency in Korea.  I seem to have found a helpful and invested company.

In Dubai there are numerous permits and process that need to be completed prior to arrival and more after arrival.  Final clearance in Dubai can take more than 5 hours, so again using an agency is an essential.  Again, I seem to have found a very helpful and invested agency.

Now, all I need to do is all the pre-depature veterinary processes.  Which I am working on.  There are a few stressful areas which if not completed properly can result in refusal of entry or confiscation and potential 'destruction'.

My VISA is another issue altogether.  The required paperwork is extensive and frankly a bit difficult to accomplish from my current location - but nothing worth doing is ever easy, right?  

I will be couriering many documents to various parts of the globe to have them authenticated or apostille stamped, then couriering the documents back to me to organize and send on to the school in Dubai so that the visa process can actually start.

I know I can enter the UAE for 30 days on a tourist visa and then do a visa run to Oman if the process is not completed before my travel dates (still to be determined), BUT can the cats enter the UAE while I am only on a tourist visa or will I have to board them for an undetermined amount of time in Korea prior to my successful visa run?  This is causing stress.

I am concerned on several fronts all of equal importance - the costs of relocating the cats is not inexpensive and the idea of adding an undetermined kennel stay is becoming daunting; Koshka - the small 6 lb soaking wet female - does not do well when separated from her momma.  She loses weight.  Hooligan - the beefy 12.5 lb male -  also doesn't like to be without human contact, on his terms, and can become quite depressed; kennels are great places to pick up all sorts of viruses regardless of vaccinations.

keep your fingers crossed for us. :-)