International Pet Travel: 

Help Your Clients Meet the Requirements

On our pet travel Web site, you’ll find detailed information about 

taking a pet from the United States to another country (export) and 

bringing a pet into the United States from another country (import). 

The Web site covers the import and export of certain types of pets, 

including:

• Dogs

• Cats

• Birds 

• Ferrets

• Rabbits

• Rodents

• Hedgehogs and tenrecs

• Reptiles

• Amphibians

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service (APHIS) has launched a new Web site devoted to 

international pet travel. Pets are often considered part of the family, but 

traveling with a pet isn’t as simple as just booking a flight or driving 

across the border. As a veterinarian, you’ll need to work closely with your 

clients to make sure their pets have all required documents, vaccinations, 

treatments, and/or tests before they travel.

We know this process can be stressful. That’s why we designed a new 

Web site to help guide you and your clients through each step. Some 

countries have pre-travel requirements that take advanced planning and 

time to complete, so it’s important to start the process early. 

Taking Pets to Another Country

Countries often have detailed animal health requirements that must be 

met before pets can cross their borders. These rules can vary greatly, 

so it’s important to find out the exact requirements for the destination 

country and type of pet. 

With the help of APHIS’ pet travel Web site, you can provide your 

clients with the most current information available for a particular 

country. There, you’ll also find country-specific health certificates and 

instructions for completing them. This will help you and your clients fill 

out the forms correctly so they are accepted by foreign officials. Please 

note that you must be USDA-accredited to issue any international 

health certificates that require APHIS endorsement. 

To help you and your clients through the process, the site also 

provides:

• Frequently asked questions and answers,

• A step-by-step checklist to better 

understand and prepare for international 

travel requirements,

• Detailed documents on sending pets to select countries, and

• A link to find APHIS’ closest Veterinary Services office for 

assistance.

Bringing Pets Into the United States

APHIS’ mission is to protect the health and value of American agriculture and natural resources. To prevent the entry and spread of foreign 

animal diseases into our country, pets entering the United States from 

other countries may need to meet specific APHIS requirements. You 

can find information about these requirements on the new site. And 

for pet bird owners, the site provides a list of APHIS-approved ports of 

entry and contact information for our animal import centers.

Other Federal agencies also have rules for bringing pets into the United 

States. Our new Web site includes links to those agencies’ sites to 

help you meet all of your clients’ needs. 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Veterinary Services

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Program Aid No. 2199 • Issued July 2016

When working with veterinary clients who travel 

internationally with their pets, visit our new Web site at 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pettravel 

for up-to-date information on what’s required.