Taking a Pet Overseas

Deciding whether or not to bring the family pet is a personal decision. However, before making your decision consider some of the following factors:

• Will having your pets with you help your family in your adjustment to life in the host country?
• How long will you be in the host country? If the period is less than one year, consider this as well as any quarantine periods that may be required for bringing your pets back to your home country. Quarantine is applicable in: England, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Hawaii or New Zealand only. Most other countries don’t have quarantine requirements.
• Can the animal adjust to the new environment? Long-hair animals may have health complications in the hot, humid climate. It may be difficult to bring your cat and confine it to your home for years. Remote areas may not have access to good veterinarians and other pet services that you would be able to find in other major cities of most host countries.
• Can your pet be fostered out to a friend or family member and returned to you upon your return home? Or would you be worrying about your pet the entire time you were in the host country?

If you decide to bring your pet to your host country, you will have to comply with import requirements. Import documentation is usually required from the the host country’s Department of Agriculture. Ask your freight forwarder, moving company or airline to ensure that the necessary paperwork is completed to import your pet to your host country. Bring a veterinary assessment of your pet’s health and immunization records. Birth and pedigree certificates will be needed if you intend to breed your pure-bred animals during your stay.

Special Note: In a crisis in which chartered or military aircraft or ships are used to evacuate Americans from a danger area, pets will not normally be permitted on the carrier. The pet owner will need to make other arrangements to remove the pet from the area. (Service animals, such as guide dogs, are not considered pets and will be accommodated if possible.)

Vaccination, Infectious Diseases, Pandemic Influenza, Foot & Mouth Disease, Chemical/Biological/Nuclear Incidents

General guidance on vaccinations and other health precautions may be found on the Travelers’ Health page of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website.

Fact Sheets on foot and mouth disease, responding to chemical and biological or radiological and nuclear incidents, and avian flu may be found downloaded from the Department of State’s Travel website.

Information about pandemic influenza can be found on the Pandemic flu website. This site also carries further information about Avian Flu. Information about infectious diseases abroad may also be found in the International Travel and Health section of the World Health Organization (WHO) website.

Bringing Medications or Filling Prescriptions Abroad

A traveler going abroad with a pre-existing medical problem should carry a letter from the attending physician describing the medical condition and any prescription medications, including the generic names of prescribed drugs. Any medications being carried overseas should be left in their original containers and be clearly labeled. Travelers should check with the foreign embassy of the country they are visiting to make sure any required medications are not considered to be illegal narcotics.

If you wear eyeglasses, take an extra pair with you. Pack medicines and extra eyeglasses in your hand luggage so they will be available in case your checked luggage is lost. To be extra secure, pack a backup supply of medicines and an additional pair of eyeglasses in your checked luggage.

If you have allergies, reactions to certain medications, foods, or insect bites, or other unique medical problems, consider wearing a “medical alert” bracelet. You may also wish to carry a letter from your physician explaining required treatment should you become ill.

Information on filling prescriptions abroad is available at the Medical Information for Americans Abroad web site.

Assistance from American Consuls

US consular officers are located in over 260 Foreign Service posts abroad. In addition, consular agents in approximately 46 foreign cities without US embassies or consulates provide a more limited but still important series of emergency and other consular services.

Providing assistance to Americans during a crisis abroad, such as political upheaval or a natural disaster, is one of the most critical tasks that a consular officer performs. During a crisis, consular officers look for missing Americans and help Americans return to the US, among many other duties to assist Americans. The State Department strongly encourages American citizens planning travel abroad to register their travel with the Department of State so that you can be found during a crisis. Travel registration is free, it’s confidential, and it’s easily accomplished online.

Consuls also advise and help Americans who are in serious legal, medical or financial trouble, including health emergencies, arrests, deaths, missing persons, and destitution. For information about emergency assistance to Americans in trouble abroad, see Emergency Abroad Getting Help on the Department of State’s website. In addition, note the following information for assistance in emergencies:

• Finding a hospital or doctor abroad
• Victims of crime
• Financial emergencies or destitution
• Obtaining funds from the US (OCS trust)
• Missing persons
• Arrests
• Deaths
• Passport replacement

Consular officers also perform non-emergency services, including providing information on absentee voting, selective service registration, and acquisition and loss of US citizenship. They can arrange for the transfer of Social Security and other US government benefits to beneficiaries residing abroad, provide US tax forms, and notarize documents. They can also provide information on how to obtain foreign public documents.

Note, however, that because of the limited number of consular officers and the growing number of US tourists and residents abroad, consuls cannot provide tourism or commercial services. For example, consuls cannot perform the work of travel agencies, lawyers, information bureaus, banks, or the police, nor can they obtain work, residence or driving permits, act as interpreters, search for missing luggage, or settle commercial disputes for US citizens.

How to Contact the Embassy or the State Department in an Emergency

Consular duty personnel are available for emergency assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at US embassies, consulates, and consular agencies overseas and in Washington, D.C. To contact the Office of Overseas Citizens Services in the US call 1-888-407-4747 (during business hours) or 202-647-5225 (after hours). Contact information for US embassies, consulates, and consular agencies overseas may be found at the Department of State’s Countries website.

When the family of an American traveler needs to reach him or her because of an emergency at home or because family members are worried about the traveler’s welfare, they should call 1-888-407-4747. The State Department will relay the message to the consular officers in the country in which the traveler is thought to be. The consular officers will try to locate the traveler, pass on urgent messages and, consistent with the Privacy Act, report back to the family.

For executives, one key to company leadership positions remains a successful overseas assignment. Organizations rely on managers to conduct business all over the world. First-time expatriates need know that the potential effects, both positive and negative, of overseas assignment are enormous, both professionally and personally.

Executives considering their first expatriate assignment can reduce their career and personal risks with thorough preparation. There are four factors that are especially critical to a successful assignment abroad, for both the company and the expatriate:

• Cross-cultural preparation that emphasizes flexibility and adaptability.
• A company approved plan for upward career opportunities with emphasis on what is planned on return from abroad.
• An expatriate package that properly supports employee needs.
• Attention to the needs of spouses/partners and family.

Cross-Cultural Preparation

Proper cross-cultural preparation helps to relieve two concerns for the first-time expatriate. The new country will cause culture shock and often increase the difficulty of intracompany communication. Cross-cultural training programs are offered by the most progressive employees. Whether or not your company has a formal cross-cultural training program, it’s clearly an advantage to become familiar with your host country’s history, customs, and etiquette, before you go. For a general rule of thumb, focus on positive aspects of the host country and rarely mention the better things of your home country. It is very easy to offend host country nationals without intending to do so.

No matter how complete your cross-cultural preparation or how many times you have visited your host country, there is still a difference between theory and reality. When you finally begin living and working abroad, the common trait shared by successful expatriates is their ability to be flexible and adaptable. You will not be effective and happy in your assignment if you do not assimilate as much as possible into the new culture. You can not afford, financially or professionally, to recreate your home country lifestyle.

Successful expatriates are able to put aside preconceptions about work and relationships. They quickly recognize and adapt to new cultural customs. The leadership style that made you successful in your home country may not work as well somewhere else. Business culture varies by country, so sensitivity to different ways of achieving goals is essential. Working knowledge of the host country language helps enormously in expatriate assignments. Even though currently English is the language of business, the English speaker should try to learn some of the host country’s language. Such knowledge contributes significantly to establishing good relationships with staff and business partners.

Expatriate Career Development

The majority of expatriates originate from the company’s home country. Often candidate expatriates are reluctant to go abroad because of the considerable professional and personal risks. To address professional needs, an executive needs to ask some hard questions before accepting a foreign assignment, particularly about what going abroad will mean for your future career with the company. Although your immersion in a foreign business culture can increase your value to a company’s global operations, it can also lead you to a career backwater. Going abroad requires that you strategically manage your career, by making sure you are not out of sight and out of mind, particularly as the head office hires new people who don’t know you. Expatriates often return home to find their companies are not prepared to place them in a suitable position. As a result, most returned expatriates leave their companies in about two years. Another company reaps the benefits of the employee’s overseas experience, not the company that sent the employee abroad. If you are prepared to switch companies, an expatriate assignment still is often the shortest path to a senior leadership position.

The Expatriate Package

Regardless of the global scope of your employer, the human resource department might not have much of an international mindset. It is critical to make sure that the agreed expatriate package meets your personal financial and quality of life goals.

Relocation Assistance:

A good relocation company in your host country can take care of many details that would cost you time and money to find out for yourself. Relocation experts can take care of moving your personal possessions to your host country, negotiate a real estate lease, obtain necessary residency permits for yourself and your family, and help you with getting utility service.

Compensation Package:

Your salary needs careful consideration. The simple logistics of how you will be paid can cause you stress and frustration. Understand which currency you will receive as compensation, and whether your company will protect you from exchange rate fluctuations and tax disparities. Banking regulations in your host country are another important consideration.

Allowances:

The costs of sending an expatriate on a foreign assignment can easily equal the employee’s salary. Allowances for housing, children’s education, visits back home, expatriate clubs, a car and sometimes a driver, are just some of the additional costs a company might cover to keep an expatriate safe, happy and financially whole. Large companies are more likely to offer these benefits than a smaller firm. If your company has no allowance policy, you might want to negotiate a package that meets your priorities.

Health Care:

Another critical issue is health care coverage for yourself and your family. Your health care coverage abroad should cover your health and prescription medication needs satisfactorily, including the option to return to your home country for major problems as well as annual check-ups. If your company’s health care policy does not extend to an overseas stay, you will need special coverage.

Financial Support:

You should find a tax attorney who can appropriately handle your multinational tax obligations. Make clear who covers these fees and costs.

Coming Home: Repatriation Issues

After several years abroad in a successful foreign posting, the expatriate and accompanying family members now face a new challenge: coming home. Repatriation causes its own issues for the employee and the family because even if circumstances at home haven’t changed that much, expatriates now view them with a new perspective. While reverse culture shock will probably not be as dramatic as the initial introduction to the host country, expatriates and families should expect some initial difficulty in adjusting to home life. For the employee, the critical issue is whether he or she is still relevant to the company back home. Too often, a company does little to incorporate the expatriate’s experience and knowledge gains. As mentioned earlier, taking an overseas assignment to boost your career may mean taking a senior position with another company. If you prepare yourself for this possibility, your career can maximize on your experiences abroad.

Federal law allows citizens abroad and citizens in the uniformed services to register to vote only in the state that they last resided.
If you never lived in the USA, you may be able to vote using the address where your American parent(s) last lived. To make sure of your eligibility go to Can I Vote? and find out if you can vote!

In this section of The Expat Advisor, we provide a choice of three ways to register so that you may vote from outside the USA.

1. Automated Registration Form (print out and mail):

This option takes you step-by-step through the process of registering and requesting an absentee ballot.

You will be led through several screens of customized questions. Be sure to consult the left column of each screen for instructions, explanations, and any error messages.

This process takes just five easy steps:

1. Answer all questions on each screen.
2. Download the completed form, or e-mail it to yourself.
3. Print the completed form.^*
4. Sign and date the form.
5. Mail the signed form. You can also fax it (optional).

^* Adobe Acrobat Reader is required. If you do not have it, or are not sure, download the latest version here.

2. Do It Yourself: Federal Voting Assistance Program

The Federal Voting Assistance Program provides access to absentee voting information to US citizens who are UOCAVA citizens who, by definition, are members of the US Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard), merchant marines, commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, their family members, and citizens outside the United States.

3. Automated Form (print out and mail):

This option is provided by the Overseas Vote Foundation and provides Non-partisan voter services for US citizens overseas and uniformed services members.

The three options provided above for expatriate voter registration are developed by (1) Democrats Abroad, the overseas branch of the Democratic Party, (2) the US Department of Defense, (3) Overseas Vote Foundation, allied with Google, Pew Charitable Trusts and the National Defense Committee, among others. All options are open to all Americans regardless of party affiliation. Voting in federal elections cannot be used to affect the determination of federal or state tax liability.

Quick List of Ten Things to Ensure Your Absentee Vote is Counted

1. Start by contacting your Unit/Embassy/Organization Voting Assistance Officer for help in absentee registration and voting.
2. Visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s website for information on the Absentee registration and voting process.
3. Ensure that you applied for your absentee ballot using hard copy or online versions of the Federal Post Card Application (FCPA).
4. Make sure your local election official has your current mailing address.
5. Sign and date all election materials.
6. Fulfill your state’s witness/notary requirements (if required).
7. Ensure that your ballot or FPCA is postmarked.
8. Register to vote and request your ballot in a timely manner - not later than September.
9. VOTE - mail your ballot not later than October 15th of the election year.
10. Use the Federal Write In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) if you are overseas and your State absentee ballot does not arrive in time to be mailed back by the state’s deadline.

Voting Registration and Assistance Links

• US Federal Sites
• State Election Sites
• State Legislatures
• Overseas Citizens Groups
• Election Organizations
• Political Parties
• Miscellaneous Election-related Organizations
• US Army
• US Navy
• US Air Force
• US Marine Corps
• US Coast Guard
• State Voter Registration Verification Web sites

If you are a US citizen or resident, you should register and inform the US State Department of your travel plans by using a free online travel registration service. Taking the time to register will allow easier contact if there is a family emergency in the US, or if there is a crisis where you are traveling. In accordance with the Privacy Act, information on your welfare and whereabouts will not be released to others without your express authorization.

Tips for Traveling Abroad

Check Your Travel Documents

Make sure your passport is signed. Check the validity of your passport and visa (if required) and fill in the emergency information page of your passport.

Inform Family & Friends

Leave copies of your itinerary and passport data page with family or friends. This, plus embassy registration, will facilitate contact during emergencies.

Check Your Overseas Medical Insurance Coverage

Ask your medical insurance company if your policy applies overseas and if it covers emergency expenses such as medical evacuation. If it does not, consider supplemental insurance.

Check Current Information on Local Conditions and Laws

While in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws. The State Department has useful country specific safety and other information about the countries you will visit.

Take Precautions and Be Low Profile

To avoid being a target of crime, do not wear conspicuous clothing or jewelry and do not carry excessive amounts of money. Also, do not leave unattended luggage in public areas and do not accept packages from strangers.

In Case of Problems

Consular personnel at US Embassies and Consulates abroad and in the US are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to provide emergency assistance to US citizens. Contact information for US Embassies and Consulates appears on the Bureau of Consular Affairs. Also note that the Office of Overseas Citizen Services in the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs may be reached for assistance with emergencies at 1-888-407-4747 if calling from the US or Canada, or 202-501-4444 if calling from overseas.