How Much Does It Cost to Relocate a Pet from the US to Italy?

SHORT ANSWER

Starwood's starting cost to relocate one pet from the US to Italy is $3,595, rising to $4,395 for two pets, $5,595 for three, $6,395 for four, and $7,795 for five (families with six or more pets get a custom quote). That starting price covers professional relocation service, but it does not cover everything tied to your move. You should budget separately for pre-export veterinary costs like microchipping, rabies vaccination, and your pet's official health certificate, plus ongoing vet care once you land, which in Italy typically runs about 60 to 80 euros a month for routine treatments like vaccines, parasite prevention, and annual checkups.

What's Actually Included in Starwood's Starting Cost to Italy

The pricing table below reflects Starwood's published starting cost for moving pets from the US to Italy, based on how many pets are traveling together.

That starting figure reflects Starwood's Economy tier, the base level of service, and what moves the number up from there is largely your pet's size and which service tier you choose. A larger dog needs a larger, properly fitted travel kennel, which affects freight cost, and every quote is shaped by your exact departure and arrival cities. Starwood offers three tiers, and each one builds on the last.

Economy is the foundation and covers what most families need for a smooth move: a dedicated Pet Travel Coordinator, 24/7 access to Starwood's Pet Travel Knowledge Base, the Pet Travel Portal for tracking documents and booking status, an Operations Team that works directly with the airline to book your pet's flight, pickup at your residence or a meet-and-greet at the airport, crate labeling and final prep, airport check-in services, airfare from departure to destination, and customs clearance and import at the destination airport. One thing worth knowing: Economy pricing is the total for all pets traveling together, and it doesn't typically include home delivery after arrival, though that can be added.

Business includes everything in Economy, plus a CareTag for tracking your pet as they settle into their new home, an industry-first tracking label with automatic SMS and email updates at key points in the trip, Starwood's Kennel Sizing Kit so your pet's crate is measured correctly the first time, and a dedicated Documents Team that liaises directly with your vet clinic, pre-fills your pet's health certificate, sends final appointment instructions to your vet, and gives your vet a direct hotline for questions. Business also adds collection from the airport after clearance and import, plus delivery straight to your residence.

Premium includes everything in Business, plus the final vet check and health certificate completion at one of Starwood's USDA-accredited partner clinics near the export airport, boarding for one to six nights while USDA endorsement is pending (or return to your residence or a hotel if you're near the export airport), electronic upload of your pet's health certificate to USDA, all USDA endorsement fees, all FedEx fees for getting the endorsed certificate back from USDA, a Documents Team that tracks the endorsement status directly with USDA, administration of any final treatments required by Italy, and one waived itinerary change fee if you need to adjust travel after the flight's already been requested. One important caveat: the vet services under Premium happen at Starwood's partner clinic near the export airport, not your own vet clinic.

Because every move is different, the number you'll actually pay depends on your specific route, pet count, pet size, and service tier. For a figure tailored to your situation, request a custom quote rather than relying on the starting price alone.

The Vet Costs That Happen Before Your Pet Ever Boards a Flight

Regardless of which tier you choose, there's a category of cost that happens earlier in the timeline and isn't part of Starwood's relocation fee: the initial veterinary work required to make your pet eligible to enter Italy in the first place. At a minimum, that typically means:

• Microchipping, if your pet doesn't already have an ISO-compliant chip, since every later vaccination record and health document has to reference that exact chip number.
• Rabies vaccination, administered by a licensed vet and kept current through your travel date.

These early steps happen at your own vet clinic, on your own timeline, well before your move date, and they're billed directly by that clinic no matter which Starwood tier you select.

Where the tiers start to matter is the final health certificate appointment closer to departure. Under Economy and Business, that final vet visit and its associated USDA endorsement and shipping fees are handled by you and your own vet, separate from Starwood's fee. Under Premium, Starwood absorbs that piece: the final vet check and health certificate completion happen at one of Starwood's USDA-accredited partner clinics near the export airport, and Premium's fee already includes the USDA endorsement fees and the FedEx charges for getting your pet's endorsed certificate back in time. That's worth factoring in if you're comparing Premium's higher starting cost against paying those fees separately under a lower tier.

Exact fees for the early, at-home steps vary by clinic and by state, so rather than quote a number that could be outdated by the time you read this, check current requirements directly on the USDA APHIS pet travel page before you budget your move. Our complete guide to moving a dog or cat from the US to Italy walks through the full document and vaccination timeline step by step.

What Vet Care Actually Costs Once You're Living in Italy

Pre-export costs are a one-time hurdle, but ongoing vet care is the expense that shapes your budget for as long as you live in Italy, and it's also the piece most families know the least about before they move. According to a Starwood Pet Travel Insider interview on the subject, vet care in Italy runs noticeably different from what American pet owners are used to:

"Vet care in Italy is private, and it's generally cheaper than in the United States. For routine care, like vaccinations, parasite treatments, and the annual checkup, you're looking at a monthly cost of around 60 to 80 euros, depending on the animal and the region. The north of Italy is usually more expensive than the south, so it really depends on where you live. There are also clinics open 24/7 in the biggest cities, and they cost more, but the care is excellent."

A few practical takeaways from that: routine care for one pet in a mid-sized Italian city will likely land somewhere in the 60 to 80 euro a month range, which converts to roughly $65 to $90 depending on the exchange rate at the time. That's a meaningfully lower baseline than most US pet owners are used to for the same routine services. Where you'll pay more is if you live in a northern city like Milan versus a southern city, or if you rely on a 24-hour emergency clinic rather than a standard daytime practice.

How Pet Count and Size Change Your Final Price

The jump between price tiers on Starwood's table isn't just "one more pet, one flat fee." Multi-pet households often need larger or additional kennels, more complex documentation coordination since each pet needs its own health certificate and vaccination record, and sometimes different flight logistics depending on total combined weight and crate dimensions. That's why the cost per additional pet decreases slightly as the group grows (moving from $3,595 for one pet to $4,395 for two is an $800 increase, not a doubling), but it's also why a family with six or more pets is directed to a custom quote instead of a flat table rate. At that scale, kennel logistics and airline capacity become individual enough that a general price stops being useful.

Ways to Manage the Total Cost of Your Move

A few decisions early in the process meaningfully affect your final number:

• Book your vet appointments early. Rushed, last-minute health certificate appointments sometimes come with rush fees, and a lapsed rabies vaccination means starting part of the process over.
• Get your pet's kennel sized correctly the first time. An improperly sized crate can mean a costly do-over closer to your travel date.
• Ask about service tiers before you assume you need the top one. Business and Premium both add real value for many families, especially Premium's built-in USDA endorsement handling, but they aren't necessary for every move, and Economy tier still gets your pet where they're going safely.
• Confirm your destination city. Costs can shift based on where in Italy you're headed, so lock in your city before requesting your final quote.

As Adam Melton, VP of Strategic Initiatives at Starwood Pet Travel, puts it: "The number families fixate on is our starting price, but the real budget conversation should include what happens after your pet lands. Vet care in Italy is genuinely affordable compared to the US, and that surprises people in a good way. The costs that catch families off guard are usually the ones nobody mentioned upfront, like a bigger crate size once your dog is professionally measured, or a rushed document fee tied to a fast-approaching move date. That's why we build the full cost picture into every quote instead of leaving people to guess."

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