International move of a Goldfish 

25 Years ago I relocated  a very nice family from the US. They had a dog, a cat and a goldfish. The pets were joining the family after their move to the Netherlands. The dog and the cat were easy, although the costs were high. The pet animal had to be be marked by the implantation of a transponder and had to be vaccinated against rabies by an authorised veterinarian.

The goldfish was a different story. I had to consult the Ministery of Agriculture. Fish department of course. They informed me that is was quite impossible for a private person to import a goldfish. There are no rules for fish that are family members. They advised me to take a picture of the goldfish and to ask my client to donate the goldfish to the neighbours in the country of origin. Then after arrival in the Netherlands they should quickly buy a similar goldfish and pretend it was the family goldfish. This was quite a dilemma. They had to lie to their daughter about the goldfish. However, otherwise they had a traumatised goldfish and daughter.

So in the end, they did what was best although they never informed me where the goldfish actually went. But they got a pretty nice one in The Hague and there was no language barrier.

So if you need help to move, we are experienced in all categories. We wish you a pleasant move. If you need help or have a dilemma, please do call us. We like challenges!