Hungary 2008!!: Note to self... bring the EU passport to the airport too

Yeah, an EU passport. I bet you're wondering how me, a loyal American citizen, scored an EU passport? Sadly it's not mine, it's Boo's. Yes, my cat has an EU passport - an Állatútlevél - an animal passport.

I took Boo to the vet in November just to have her "checked" out before I headed home. While I was there, I asked the vet (who speaks English, and practiced in Ohio) if there was anything special I needed to do when bringing a pet internationally. He told me that when he traveled back from Ohio in 2000, they didn't have to have any specific paperwork or anything so it should be okay. I double checked on line and it said to "check with local officials" and to "make sure you have the proper paperwork for entry to your destination country." Ok - well, the vet told me I didn't need any additional paperwork, so I'm okay right? NO.

I traveled to the airport to pick up my parents, and planned to take care of all the info while I was there. It's a 6 hour round trip to the airport and back, so I was making use of my trip there. On the NWA's "traveling with pets" checklist, it said you had to let the airline know that you were traveling with an animal. That's no problem, I was at the airport - so I pulled out my reservation and went to the Delta/NWA ticket window. I told them right off the bat that I did not speak Hungarian, but I was returning to the United States and that I would be traveling with a cat. The Hungarian man looked back at me and had a facial expression that read something like "I don't give a shit - why are you telling me?" He looked at me blankly, and looked at my reservation and started typing away at the computer. For some reason, he couldn't find my ticket, I don't know why - I've had it since September, and I had the confirmation number and the reservation number right there. Apparently my "itinerary" had changed through some turn of events at NWA, so all the numbers changed. He finally found me and looked at me and said "yes, you're flying on the 21st of January." Oh really? I had no idea. Don't I have a piece of paper telling me that I'm flying home that day? Does he really think I didn't understand the reservation - which is in ENGLISH - to know that I was flying home on the 21st? He looked at me blankly again, and spoke rapidly to his colleague in Hungarian... next thing I know, I'm being passed off to the woman and she looked at me and took the reservation paper from the guy. She started typing fiercely on the computer, and said, "your reservation information is wrong." She wrote a new "confirmation number" on my paper and handed it back. I looked at her confused and said in English, "I came here to tell you that I'm traveling on this flight with a cat; I read that I am supposed to tell someone that I am traveling with an animal, so I'm telling you." She looked back at me and said "a cat? oh."

She then seemed to realize why I was standing there - and then switched gears to ask for the information about the cat. She asked me how big the cat was... "um, a year and a half" how much does it weigh... "um about this much (holding hands about 12 inches apart)" well... how big is the carrier... "um.... this big (holding hands 14 inches above the counter, and then holding them a foot and a half apart)." She says, "well, we need this information, and you have to get the papers from your vet." I said reassuringly, "oh, I talked to the vet already, and he said I didn't need any additional papers." I then proudly produced the papers from my manilla folder marked "Cat-Boo" and showed her the random paper that said the pet hospital had given me a cat, that paper that said that she had been fixed, and the paper that said she had received eye drops for some sort of infection. NONE of which interested her in the least. She said again, "your doctor needs to give you the right papers." Since I had already spoken with my vet, I wasn't sure what she was talking about - so I asked her to write the name of the documents I need in Hungarian on my paper so I could bring them to the vet. Her response, "don't worry - he'll know what you need." Well shit. Now what? Then, she put a 6 digit number on the top of the paper and said "and when you get the measurements and weight, call us at this number and tell us." Ok, well that at least seemed promising...

So, frustrated, and with no information having gotten where it needed to, I left the airport. In class the next week, I told my kids of my frustrating experience, and one of them piped up and said, "oh Carla, you need a passport for her." I laughed out loud and said, "good one Szandi." She was taken aback and said, "no really, it's true." I had never heard of such a thing, but I had never traveled with a pet before.

I let some time pass getting busy with other things and finally decided that I needed to get to the bottom of this in December. So - I loaded Boo back up in her container and hauled her back to the vet. (By "hauled" I mean walked the 600 meters it is to the vet's office - ahhh the luxury of living in a small town.) I waited in the foyer patiently and once the vet came out and saw me - he smiled and greeted me warmly again "Ah, hello Carla, what can I do for you?" I took Book back and told him of my endeavors at the airport and his response surprised me... "yes, you need a passport for her." Hummina what? Where was this confident answer in November? He told me that the American soldiers had "adopted" a dog and were taking her home, so they just went through the process with him - so apparently they were good for one thing ;)

I asked if we should come back with an appointment and he said, "oh no, this will just take a few minutes." Incidentally, she also needed a vaccine AND she needed to have a micro chip injected into her. WHAT? A micro chip? Yeesh. I had initially thought that if the airport were to charge me too much to bring her home, I could just change my mind and drop her carrier off against a wall somewhere, not having to deal with her any more. BUT NOW - she has a tracking chip in her and I was stuck!!! (I would never have actually left her, but it was a funny thought that now they can track her to me) So, $60.00 later, we were vaccinated, on the GPS/tracking grid, and ready for as much international travel as we wanted. BUT, of course that isn't the end.

Atilla (the vet) told me that I also had to contact a "state" vet and he had to give an additional paper and check her out so that I had all the info in its entirety. Ok... so he wrote down an address and a phone number (from a neighboring village) and sent me on my way. Well seriously. Here we go again.

I waited until after the holidays to contact the other vet - mostly because I was so annoyed with the whole situation in the first place. Ultimately, I had one of my students call him and talk to him. She told him I was returning to the US and that I needed to have him check out my cat. She asked where his office was in relation to the bus stop, since that's how I would be traveling, and surprisingly, he told her he'd just come to my house so it would be easier on the cat and me. What? He's coming to my house? JOJJ. While convenient for me, how awkward. Has an American vet EVER gone to someone's house for an appointment - except for those who are checking on farm animals? So - the next day, I waited patiently for the "state official" vet to show up and check out Boo.

I was watching out the window for a car I didn't recognize, because we hadn't told him which apartment I lived in, and a small jeep tore around the corner at 10 minutes past the appointed time. I assumed it was him, and walked down stairs to fetch him. OF COURSE - the nosy first floor neighbor lady was down there in the hallway because she too recognized a car that wasn't normally there. I told her he was with me and was here to check on my cat. Still skeptical, she stood there until he came inside and asked him what his business was there. After a brief grilling, he was allowed to pass and come up to the apartment.

He came in, made himself comfortable at the desk and pulled out some paperwork. I produced the folder "Cat-Boo" that now had some legit papers in it, not to mention a passport, and he got to work. He didn't speak a word of English, and my Hungarian is weak at best, so I just kind of stood there as he copied the information from the passport onto an additional piece of paper. "Cat... domestic....shorthair...Boo...." He scanned through the passport and noticed that one date that was stamped was too early. Apparently it's only good for 10 days- therefore necessitating an additional trip to the OTHER vet. Oh well, I can handle that. He took out his stamps and stamped with such force he could ONLY be Hungarian (they love to abusively stamp things as often as possible) and he signed some things and told me it was $20.00. Sorry, what? Don't you want to see the cat (who was hiding under the radiator in the corner)? Do you want to look at her? Do you even know that for sure I HAVE a cat? Ok - whatever, here's your 4000 Forint. Thanks for coming. Done. Right? No.

I now had the necessary paperwork, the passport, the measurements and weights, so I had another student call the number on the paper from the airport lady to tell her all these things. Well, wouldn't you know it, the number was wrong. So, she called again, still wrong. Then I googled the "Budapest Airport" and she called that number. It was apparently an old man. So she called information (the Hungarian version of 411) and asked for the Delta Airlines number. She called it, and it was a highway assistance number. Ok, now what. We tried one additional number I got off the internet, and it was a success... in that they gave us a different number because it too was wrong. FINALLY, she got through to the airport people we needed. The guy on the phone told her what he needed, and I had it all written down for her so she was set. Wrong. The container I have to carry her in is too big to be inside the plane, and since she is the only animal, they wouldn't put her below. Ok, well what do I need? She was told a soft sided, carrier that was 40x30x20 centimeters. Great... off I go again. I went to four different pet shops in town, and back to the vet -both in search of a new container and for a more updated stamp on the passport- and he recommended a "pet-smart" equivalent in the next village over. GREAT... here I go again.

I got home, dropped off Boo and set out to catch the bus. I knew where the shop was (didn't know it was related to pets, but I knew the name) but I wasn't sure which bus stop I had to get off at to get there. I thought it better to get off at the first stop in the village and then walk there rather than over shoot it and get all the way to Tatabánya to have to double back. Well, as things would have it, I got off TWO MILES too early. Insert expletive here.

I began to walk along the highway, hoping that at any turn the signs would appear that I recognized, and they were not there.... (funny enough this pet shop is right behind a McDonalds, so I was searching for the golden arches which I can usually spot miles away). I kept walking, dangerously along the fast paced race track that is highway M1 and continued until I found the shop. Hmph. I got to the store and began to look for the appropriate containers. So many to choose from, most of them too big and not soft, I wasn't sure what to do. After a once over of the aisles, I finally found the soft sided smaller containers for cats. Ok. Great - here we go... wait... it's how much? $50.00 for a carrier? My other one was only $15.00!!! UGH. So, I chose the "appropriate" one (in reality I have no idea if it's okay or not) and headed to the check out. I told the clerk that I didn't speak Hungarian, but I wondered if this container was good for the airplane because I was traveling to the US. He wasn't sure... he told me that the plastic ones were better, and I told him that I spoke to the airport and that they said I needed a soft one (ok, well actually I didn't say that at all - I said something like "speak, airport, not good, small, not plastic") he didn't know what to do, so he grabbed his phone and called a friend. Great - now I'm on the phone with a stranger, who has nothing to do with cats or the airport, but knows some English. After talking to the clerk, she told me on the phone that the answer was simple, "take the box to the airport and ask them if it is okay and if it is not, you can return it to any of the stores in Hungary." Oh. That's an excellent idea - BUT I DON'T have time to go to the airport to "check to see if the box is okay"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought the overpriced carrier, brought it home, "introduced" it to Boo, and that's what we're going with. Take it or leave it Budapest Airport. Done.

This is the inside of the passport - with her microchip bar code on the upper-right, and a space for her picture on the upper left. No joke. A picture.