International Pet Travel

Home » Information » Articles » International Pet Travel

The quarantine rules, regulations and required forms for international pet travel are constantly changing. Countries worldwide are guarding against the import of contagious diseases carried by warm-blooded animals including dogs, cats, ferrets and rabbits. As an example, the United States recently imposed significant restrictions on the import of dogs from any country, especially those countries classified as having a high incident of rabies.

Pet Identification

Virtually all countries that require that your pet be microchipped as a condition of entry. The most accepted type of microchip is a 15-digit ISO microchip that is compliant with ISO standards 11784 or Annex A of 11785 operating at 134.2 kHz. If your pet’s microchip has 15 numbers (no letters) and does not begin with the numbers 1, 8 or 99, it should be read with any universal scanner and is ISO 11784/11785 compliant.

Rabies Classifications

European Union (EU) countries have relaxed the rules for importing pets. Most EU countries now recognize 125 different countries as having a low incidence of rabies (listed third countries), the latest addition to the list being Mexico and North Macedonia. When entering from a country with a low incidence of rabies, your dog, cat or ferret will need to be microchipped, then vaccinated for rabies, then wait for 21 days before traveling. Pets entering the EU from high-rabies countries must have a rabies titer test no sooner than 30 days after rabies vaccination and more than three months prior to travel. If these procedures are followed, there will be no quarantine when entering the EU.

Other Tests and Treatments

In addition to rabies, your pet should (and must in many cases) be vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus and parainfluenza (dogs) and panleukopenia (distemper), viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and leukemia (cats). Parasite treatments may also be required and are highly advised for pets headed to tropical or desert climates. The United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Ireland and Malta will require internal parasite treatment before import.

Medical Health Certificates

Gone are the days when a universal international health certificate (e.g. APHIS Form 7001 in the United States) would suffice for travel to any country. Now, many countries have their own unique veterinary certificate. In most cases, this certificate is issued by a licensed veterinarian in the origination country and endorsed (certified) by the government agency that is responsible for the import and export of live animals. The validity of the health certificate is notable and can be as little as 48 hours and, at most, 30 days prior to import depending on the country. Careful planning should be given to the timing involved with the veterinary inspection, health certificate issuance, endorsement time and date of your pet’s travel.

Most countries require that medical health certificates be endorsed by the “competent authority”. This is the governmental agency that licenses veterinarians in the origination country. In the United States, endorsement is done by the United States Department of Agriculture and in Canada by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. In your country, it will be done by the government agency responsible for the import and export of live animals, generally a division of the Department of Agriculture.

EU Pet Passports

Pets living in Europe have an easier time, as the EU has adopted a singular form to record pet’s microchip, vaccinations, tests and treatments called the EU Pet Passport. However, the EU Pet Passport can only be issued by veterinarians in the European Union, and they can only be substituted for health certificates for traveling within the EU and very few adjacent countries. Pets entering the EU with an EU health certificate can travel throughout the EU for 4 months or until their rabies vaccination expires, whichever comes first.

Quarantine

Although there are countries that require mandatory quarantine (e.g. Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Singapore, South Africa – dogs only), having your pet quarantined almost never happens any more now that the rabies titer test is a reliable means of making sure that pets have an acceptable level of rabies antibodies in their blood. However, every day more countries are requiring the rabies titer test, so you need to check your destination country’s pet import requirements carefully. The Turks & Caicos, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are recent additions to the list of countries requiring this test.

Related: Will my pet be quarantined?

It is VERY important that you have the current information and all of the necessary forms before traveling internationally. The consequences of non-compliance can be disastrous and certainly not what any pet owner would wish for.

Have a comment or story about international pet travel? Post it below and be published! You can also reach out by posting to our Blog, X (Twitter), Facebook, or Email or follow our activities on Instagram and TikTok.