I know the Dutch are cheap. So this question may have an obvious answer. But I want to know if anybody here has had any experiences with Dutch Weddings and if any significant money is put into them. I know that this is not the US or Britain, but do the Dutch skimp by when having a wedding. Do the parents put out any significant cash for their childrens weddings or is it all bare minimum with juice and crackers. Do they hire caterers? Or do they just go to Albrert heijn for a snack tray. Do they hire wedding videographers? Or do they break out there old Hi8 camera and have a friend shoot away. Anything like this? While I am sure that some do spend real cash, what I need to know is...is it more than a small handfull? I really would appreciate any info any of you may have on this. Thanks in advance.

anjakachet (Feb 16 2009, 11:10 AM) said: > original post
Hi,

could someone suggest some reliable law firms in A'dam (preferably, in the centre) or den Haag, that specialize in Immigration Law?

Especially, if you used them before and have good opinion of the firm.

Thanks!

My wife and I spent many months trying to find out who the best lawyer for this was. There are many sham artists out there and many that will teake your money to do the same thing that you can do. My wife and I met a very well known american immigration attorney that wanted to charge us 14000 euros for our procedure. In the end the name that kept coming up as the best was a firm in Amsterdam named Everaert Advocaten. And a fantastic attorney named Sevil Karadag. She led us through the entire process for about 1500 euros. And we had an intricate process to residency. She specializes in residency for foreigners, the dutch american friendship treaty and foreign workers looking for residency. The place is the real deal. It is a fully staffed law firm. Here is the link and you can view the site in english by clicking the british icon on the top left corner of the hom epage. Then read through the site and click on Sevil Karadag's name. She will help you. Here is the link:

www.everaert.nl/

mkitchell (Feb 18 2009, 11:13 AM) said: > original post
Great advice but I have never heard that the airlines require you to use a pet forwarder if you are not flying on the same plane as the dog. Air France does not require this.

I do not see how flying in the plane means anything. The procedure for dropping off and picking up the animal is done totally separately from passengers.

That what how it used to be. But in the past year, any airline that is departing from a United States airport must abide by these new rules. When I had started the process of shipping my dogs to Amsterdam it was being done the old way. But in the weeks leading up to my dog departing from Los Angeles, my wife happened to call KLM to ask some more questions. And then we were informed of the new rule. It seems that the airlines had problems with dogs that were traveling unaccompanied. Situations would arise in which the dog would be ill or the dog would be acting violent in the crate prior to departure and there would be nobody that belonged to the dog at the airport to speak with. So being that pet forwarders supposedly must stay at the airport until the pet is loaded onto the plane, they decided to go this route if the pet is flying alone. So if the airline had or saw a problem with a pet they could easily reach the pet forwarder who was still in the terminal.So these days it is either one of the two. You travel with your pets as checked in baggage(which still means that they go under the plane if they are more than 15 or so lbs).....or you send your pet unaccompanied as cargo and you must absolutely use a pet forwarder. The cost of the pet forwarders is insane. It is way better to buy a friend or family member a ticket to visit you and travel with the pet or buy yourself a ticket to pick up your pet and travel with it and do it yourself. Either option is still way cheaper than the cost of a pet forwarder. Plus the pet forwarder is not on the flight. You would rather have a person who loves the dog on the flight, just in case the flight is delayed in a holding pattern on a hot or warm day. Because it gets hot under the plane until they take off. And you can inform the crew that they need to remember that there is a live animal under the jet and to check the temperature. Stuff like this can happen and horror stories happen.

Hope this helps to answer your question and the some more for the original poster of this topic.

lizcopywrite (Jan 23 2009, 03:32 PM) said: > original post
Hello -

I'm currently in Amsterdam and I'm trying to fly my dog (who is staying with my parents) from Atlanta to here. I've gotten a few quotes from some pet relocation services and they all cost about $4000 which is entirely too expensive for me. I was wondering if anyone has experience with flying a dog into the Netherlands through an airline's cargo service. She's about 45 lbs so she is too big to fly in the cabin.

Do I need to get a specific pet passport?
What are the Netherlands specifications for letting foreign dogs into the country?
Is there a specific airline that I should work with?

Any help with this subject would be greatly appreciated. I miss my dog terribly and I must figure out a way to get her over here. Thank you!!!

I had the exact same experience as you did. This is what to do. First off, your dog only needs a rabies vaccination to enter NL from the states. It does not need the rest of them. And the vaccination must be done at least 21 days prior to departure from the US. And no longer than 1 year Prior to departure.

And do not use a relocation agent. They are scum and will take you for all you are worth. The problem these days is this. If your dog is going to fly without a person accompanying them , then the dog is not considered baggage and the airlines demand that you use a pet agent, relocator,forwarder. And this will cost a ton. But if one of your parents is willing to take the trip with the dog then the cost for the dog ticket is $500. plus the cost of your parents ticket. Still cheaper than the relocator fee. The dog will definitely have to travel under the plane. And if you flying out of Atlanta only use Delta. They are the best US domestic airline when it comes to flying pets. DO NOT use any othe rUS carrier. If you can use KLM/NWA that is perfect. And make sure that it is a nonstop flight into schipol.

You do not need a pet passport as your dog is based in the US and not yet in europe. But what you need to do is print out the Netherlands Veterinary import certificate from the site that I will link for you below. And they have a Q&A to answer some basic questions too. Read it many times over so that you become an expert on the procedure. Trust me. It is your dog. And make sure that your parents also get a general health checkup that states that your dog is healthy for flight, because any airline will require this in order to allow your dog on the plane. And have the health checkup and papers filled out within the last 7 days before the flight departs. But PLEASE read the Q&A section that accompanies the NL Veterinary Import Certificates. It gives much info , especially about the microchip. If you mess any of this up , your dog will be the one who suffers in a quarantine until they sort it all out. If you do it all perfect then your dog will be with you immediately after arrival. And PLEASE do not sedate your dog with anything! Nothing at all , not even herbals. It is the #1 cause of dog deaths while under the plane.

Also make sure that your dog flies inside of an IATA approved crate such as a Kennel Air or a Travel Aire crate. And be sure to have somebody use plastic ties to extra secure the metal door hinges. Because dog can still break out of the crates while in flight. Mine did. And you also dont want creepy ramp agents opening the kennel to pet the dog. And yes, there are creeepy airport people. And dont forget a well secured bowl of water for your dog inside the crate.It is an intricate process, but once you understand it all, it is not that hard. PM me if you need any more info.

Here is the link for the above. just copy and paste it into the internet address bar.
www.netherlands-embassy.org/printerfriendly.asp?articleref=AR00001149EN

He is making his way to Dam Square. And he will rule your world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1nzEFMjkI4