Not true. Until very recently (a few weeks) THS had letters that sitters could present to border officials, arguing and “explaining” to border guards that pet sitters should be admitted.
Also, the T&C’s were only changed this month.
2 Likes
Hi @LOVEANIMALS
I’m so sorry to hear about your experience.
Have you been in touch with our Member Services team? If not, please do reach out to them at support@trustedhousesitters.com.
EDIT: Adding Trusted Housesitters advice when preparing for an International pet sit.
Kind regards,
Mark.
1 Like
So, I am a little concerned. By not declaring the true nature of your visit to a country, you are basically entering on false pretenses. However, would anyone ever find out you’re in such country for pet sitting? Plus, isn’t the visit also for tourism? I winder how the border agents would respond if you told them you were entering the country to stay at someone’s place for free?
Anyway, I’m sure THS can’t say anything other than comply with the law. Recommending anything else would be suicide for them.
Actually, now I’m thinking, could a pet owner get in trouble for advertising sits to the international community?
Well, I hope we don’t hear any horror stories about people being incarcerated, sent to detention centers or CIA black sites because of unauthorized cat sitting.
2 Likes
Ay-yi-yi. Do you really want that to be your forum name @Cat-ophile?
EDIT: the poster changed their forum name (thank goodness) so my post doesn’t really make sense now but that’s ok by me.
6 Likes
They may ask more questions, like “How can you afford being a tourist for all this time?”
From January, visitors to the US must declare their social-media accounts. For example the account on this forum…
1 Like
As I have been keeping a housesitting/travel diary on Facebook I guess I won’t be going to the US even after you know who is no longer in office.
1 Like
What we finally did.
We cancelled the sit (prove).
HO texted us her son was going to look after cat (prove AND LUCKILY A SOLUTION BECAUSE HO WAS ALREADY IN DENMARK).
We booked a hotel (prove).
Via BOOKING.COM (prove of payment).
Took the P&O boat again.
Said to bordercontrol France and UK that we cancelled the sit and were now as a tourist visiting the UK because we wanted to celebrate my husbands 60 anniversary (19/12/25) (prove and was the intention).
So we are now in the UK.
UNFORTUNATELY THIS SITUATION - JUST BEING HONEST (AS DURING ALL THE PETSITS WE DID IN THE UK BEFORE) - MADE US NOW AWARE THAT WHEN PETSITTING IN UK THE FACT THAT YOU FACILITATE THE HOUSE WHILE PETSITTING IT IS ILLEGAL.
WE HONESTLY DIDN’T KNOW THAT.
WE WILL NEVER DO A SIT IN THE FUTURE IN THE UK.
THIS WAS A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE AND WE DO NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN (took us many, many more hours and we had an 11 years old dog on medication with us).
SO HO AND SITTERS BE AWARE OF THIS !!!
WHAT IF THERE HADN’T BEEN A SOLUTION IN OUR SITUATION (SON LOOKING AFTER CAT) ??? AN YOU IMAGINE …
2 Likes
Cat-ophile would just mean “lover of cats,” like “bibliophile” means lover of books. I think it’s clever and doesn’t have to have sinister connotations. Sometimes I think we need to take back language!
2 Likes
I will DM you as you are missing some info @Treeandcathugger
Yeah that part makes no sense…
1 Like
They did not get an entry ban, so there was no problem.
Is this a issue only in UK? I’m in US and have never gone outside of US w THS. Ty And if asked always state Tourist I guess. Ty
Do you think we’ll be questioned at customs boarder if we travel for several weeks or months ? It would be hard to lie.
You can tell that you are doing a home exchange.
I recall reading about issues pet sitters have had getting into Canada and I think Spain makes foreigners go through hoops but in most countries there aren’t any problems.
Border entry everywhere seems to be changing. We were questioned extensively entering Finland a few months ago. We were just tourists, accommodation and transport and exit flight booked. They didn’t ask to see proof but did want to know everywhere we were going.
4 Likes
There are some threads where it’s been discussed previously
https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/challenges-with-border-guards-re-the-laws
1 Like
Book a return flight for a week or two later, say that you’re a tourist. Book a hotel or Airbnb at least for the first night. Then change your flight once you’re in the country. Nobody will care how long you stayed when you are leaving the country again.
3 Likes
Does this apply the other way round IE if I want to do a sit in Europe (I’ve got a British passport)?
In theory, the rules are similar in most countries of the world. In practice, I have not heard about any cases from Europe (although recently, a German antifa guy was put in detention and forcibly removed from Sweden for demonstration).
I am sure that THS has statistics about when members contact them about problems at different borders.