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NVAP Reference Guide: International

Animal Movement

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International animal movement from the United States to a foreign country involves

a clinical veterinarian and USDA APHIS Veterinarian Services partnership.

International Health Certificates (IHCs) for the export of animals from the United

States are issued (completed, signed, and dated) by USDA-accredited and/or statelicensed veterinarians, depending on the species of animal being exported and the

requirements of the importing (destination) country. Before issuance of an IHC, the

veterinarian must verify that all required pre-travel physical examinations,

herd/animal health verifications, vaccines, treatments, and laboratory tests are

complete. Most importing countries require IHCs to export animals from the United

States to be endorsed (reviewed, counter-signed, and stamped/embossed) by APHIS

–VS. In most cases, when APHIS endorsement of an IHC is required, the issuing

veterinarian must be USDA-accredited. One of the many VS endorsement offices

typically endorse IHCs. A series of commodity-specific overviews of general export

requirements for livestock, horses, poultry, and pets follows.

Livestock

The United States has specific minimal requirements for exporting livestock to other

countries. The Code of Federal Regulations, 9 CFR part 91, and the current Program

Handbook (632.74 KB) contain approved ports of embarkation and shipping
requirements. The APHIS –VS endorsement office can also provide the current

regulations, tests, and inspections required to export livestock. Most importing

countries will have additional specific health requirements for the entry of animals.

The importing country establishes these requirements, not the United States. These

requirements may be specified on an import permit or a country-specific health

certificate. An import permit is a document permitting the import of a specific animal

or group of animals and, when required, must be requested from and issued by the

importing country. A country-specific health certificate is a health certificate

provided by the importing country, which will often specify import requirements in

the form of certification statements. In the absence of a country-specific health

certificate, a protocol may be posted on the APHIS website. If a protocol is posted

without a country-specific health certificate, VS Form 17-140, US Origin Health

Certificate can be used. Because requirements change frequently, obtain the current

export requirements before each export by visiting the APHIS-VS International

Regulations for Live Animal Export website (see link at the end of this section).

International health certificates are official documents that should be typewritten,

accurate, and complete. If you have additional questions not answered by the

regulations website, contact your APHIS –VS endorsement office for assistance. See

that link at the end of this section. 

Horses

Certain minimum export requirements are listed in 9 CFR Part 91 and the Program

Handbook, linked below, which also apply to horses being exported from the United

States.

International health certificates for export of horses from the United States will use

either a country-specific health certificate or a VS Form 17-140. Current

requirements and forms can be obtained at the APHIS International Regulations

website, linked below. In either case, the horses must be properly identified (all

markings, tattoos, brands, and electronic IDs listed) to avoid being held by the

receiving country’s officials upon arrival.

Canada is a common country receiving horses from the United States. Several

options exist for the health certification of horses to Canada. If a paper form is

desired, it can be obtained from the APHIS International Regulations website linked

below. VS Form 17-145, US Origin Health Certificate for the Export of Horses from
the United States to Canada, is also acceptable. The Veterinary Export Health

Certificate System (VEHCS) can be used if electronic submission is desired.

Information on VEHCS is available at the link to the International Regulations site

below and from your APHIS-VS endorsement office.

International health certificates for horses going to Canada should be typed or

printed. These certificates are valid for 30 days from the date of issue by the

accredited veterinarian. The date of issue refers to the date the horse was inspected

and determined to be healthy to move and is not necessarily the date the certificate

was signed. The horse’s description on the export certificate must match the

description on VS Form 10–11, Equine Infectious Anemia Laboratory Test, or the

official state EIA laboratory test form. See Appendix D for examples of VS Forms

17–140, 17-145, and 10–11 and instructions on completing them. For additional

information on horse identification, see the section entitled “Current Animal

Identification.”

Poultry

Obtain current requirements for international poultry travel at the International

Regulations link below. Some countries will require a country-specific certificate,

found at the International Regulations link. If a country-specific form does not exist,

VS Form 17–6, Certificate for Poultry or Hatching Eggs for Export, is commonly used

for the international movement of poultry or hatching eggs (see Appendix D for an

example of this form). You can obtain VS Form 17–6 from the Forms link at the end

of this section. 

The NPIP Approval Number and NPIP Classification (blocks 9 and 10 on VS Form

17–6) can be obtained by contacting your APHIS –VS endorsement office. This

information is also published annually in two books: the NPIP Directory of

Participants Handling Egg-Type and Meat-Type Chickens and Turkeys and the NPIP

Directory of Participants Handling Waterfowl, Exhibitory Poultry, Game Birds, and

Ratites. These directories may be found online at:

http://www.poultryimprovement.org/

Dogs and Cats
The USDA does not have requirements for exporting privately owned dogs and cats.

However, most international pet animal health certificates now require USDA-APHIS

endorsement. The importing country puts these requirements in place, which vary

greatly depending on the pet's destination. Please visit the APHIS  Pet Travel website

for the most up-to-date information on exporting dogs, cats, and other pet animals.

If requirements are not listed for a particular country, it is best to contact

government animal health officials in the importing country for more information. If

this is not possible, contact your APHIS-VS endorsement office for more guidance.

Occasionally, APHIS Form 7001, Interstate and International Certificate of Health

Examination for Small Animals, can be used when a specific form does not exist for a

particular country. Please be aware that airlines may require the APHIS Form 7001

for pets traveling to any country, in addition to the pet’s country-specific health

certificate. APHIS typically cannot endorse Form 7001 if a country-specific

international health certificate exists.