When I entered Ireland yesterday (on a US passport) I was told that I can only “pet sit” for 2 weeks. They put a note on my passport stamp, and asked to see my exit airline ticket. Luckily I’m only here for 9 days, but I did not know this was a possibility. Anyone have more information about this. I thought I could just petsit on a tourist visa. She said I am “exchanging services for free rent” so it would require a special visa if it was longer than 2 weeks.
Thankyou @kkraft
for bringing your experience to the attention of the forum .
This has been discussed frequently on the forum and your experience provides useful insight.
What were the questions that you were asked on arrival that led them to knowing that you were pet sitting ?
What is the note that has been put on your passport stamp, does it restrict you from returning to Ireland in the future ?
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Housesitting can be considered ‘work’ by some countries given you are receiving something in exchange for your ‘service’ even if it isn’t money. There have been some reports of sitters running into trouble when coming to sit in another country.
But I think there is one very important thing to keep in mind about these incidents- they weren’t asked directly about this activity, they didn’t end up revealing their plans after being randomly selected for some deeper questioning about their visit. It was offered up immediately and voluntarily by the sitters.
So long as people don’t bring it up, they are unlikely to have any issues. In all the years I have been traveling, I have never been extensively questioned about my travel plans–in most cases, border agents don’t say a single word to me. In cases where I was asked, I say I am there for a vacation–I have never once mentioned sitting. I have been doing this for 10 years and it was only relatively recently I learned it could be viewed as a problem, so my not mentioning it was never about trying to hide it, it was because it seemed irrelevant.
People are not using sites like THS for employment opportunities, they are using it to engage in leisure travel at a reduced cost so when sitters say they are there for touristic purposes, I don’t think that is some sort of outright lie.
Obviously certain countries or individual agents may not see the activity this way, but again, so long as this information is not voluntarily offered up, it shouldn’t be a problem. I came to Amsterdam last week for a sit and when going through immigration the guy asked ‘vacation?’ I said ‘yes’ and my passport was stamped and I was on my way.
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Always keep your conversation with immigration agents to an absolute minimum. Don’t offer up anything that isn’t specifically asked.
You are staying with friends. This is basically true - the animals will certainly be your friends, and probably the humans too.
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It was my fault, I did not know that it could be an issue, so I volunteered it when they asked “what are you doing here”. I answered “petsitting for a week”. The replies to this forum are useful, and I hope future sitters get this advice. As sitters, I really do feel like we are just staying at friends’ (both the HO and the pets). As for me, I think my sitting days are numbered lol. I have a handwritten note in my passport that will flag me anytime I enter a new country, so I’m sure they will ask me directly. I don’t think it helped that I had a new/fresh passport, so they could not tell how long I had been traveling already etc. I imagine when I return, they will ask for evidence of a hotel or where I am staying.
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Unfortunately, I have read about attitudes from immigration officials around the world turning (more) sour towards visitors from the US in recent months.
I will post the article link when I find it!
Wow, really?! That’s the first time I’ve heard of something like writing in your passport. Crazy!
The handwritten note would be easy to overcome — “lose” your passport and get a new one. But it could be a problem if they entered such a note into their digital records and other border agents had access to those.
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Hi @kkraft and Welcome
I never knew that, interesting mind you. Did you actually tell pasport control you were pet sitting ?
I never say I’m pet sitting if arriving in different countries. I’m either visitng friends
( I usually have PP/HO address easilt accessible on my phone).
or I’m on holiday being a tourist.
Not a problem if you are an EU citizen. Ireland is not part of the UK, and no visa is needed.
If you come from outside the EU, just tell them you are a tourist. Book a hotel or Airbnb for the first night if you want to be extra sure and say you want to tour the country after that.
Do NOT mention pet sitting.
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Honestly, intentionally “losing” your passport is a really bad idea, and I’m not just saying that. I know a few people in my circle who have lost their passports, and trust me, you don’t want to go through that, especially if you plan to travel internationally.
Even if you manage to get a new passport, the old one will often remain flagged as “stolen” or “lost” in the system. That means you’ll be pulled aside and questioned at every border crossing while the border officers double-check everything. Sounds like a fantastic start to your vacation, right?
“Losing” a passport might sound like a clever idea, but it’s absolutely not. The trouble that comes afterward is definitely not worth it.
I had a passport stolen decades ago, unfortunately. I got a new one and I’d expect them to have flagged my stolen one, but I never had any trouble while traveling with the new one, happily. Of course, experiences will differ.
Then you are very lucky. Or maybe times have changed a lot, I assume. If it was decades ago, it probably wasn’t that big of a problem back then.
I lost my passport once in Tasmania. I applied for a new one at the British Embassy in Canberra. A few weeks later they contacted me to say my old passport had turned up in Canberra & did I want it back?! As it had only 4 years to run I took the new one but they sent the old back as well- cancelled- at my request as it had so many travel memories on it!
Another time, as a young traveller, I was flying to Vancouver from Tokyo - via Seattle. It had not occurred to me that as I was passing through the US - where they don’t have ‘international transit’ -I’d have to pass through US immigration. As I did not have a visa for the US or a return/onward ticket from Vancouver I was interrogated and searched and then hauled off to a holding room and kept under guard watch for 3 hours till my next flight! My passport was confiscated and only given back to me after I’d been escorted directly onto the onward flight. In my passport was a big stamp ATWV ‘Alien travelling without visa’!! That was back in the 80s and was a rather scary experience! US immigration is brutal! I don’t think we’ll ever dare housesit there- at least not in the current climate!
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