(TRAVELING HEALTH CERTIFICATE FOR DOGS AND CATS)
What is a pet health certificate?
A pet health certificate (HC), or certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI), is an official document that your veterinarian fills out after performing a thorough exam on your pet. The document certifies that your pet is in good health and is free of contagious diseases and parasites and lists all the vaccines your pet is up to date on. It also includes detailed information about your pet such as age, breed, and microchip information. You can only obtain a pet health certificate from a licensed, USDA accredited veterinarian.
Take your pet from the United States to a foreign country (Export)
Certification Requirements
Pet owners should first visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) website to review country requirements for pet arrival. Pet certification requirements vary from country to country, most countries require that your pet be checked by a federally accredited veterinarian and that a United States Interstate and International Certificate for Health Examination for Small Animals (7001 USDA-APHIS Form) be issued by that veterinarian and endorsed by the USDA. Check the airline you will be using for your pet; they may have separate and additional requirements.
There is a USDA endorsement fee per certificate for cats and dogs, additionally to the Veterinarian fees.
Keep in mind that health certificates are usually valid for 10 days if flying.
Travel with your pet state to state (Interstate)
Legally, any travel between states whether by land or air requires a certificate issued by an accredited veterinarian. Yet, unless you’re traveling to Hawaii, you don’t need your certificate to be endorsed by the USDA. Travel to Hawaii has a lot of exceptions. They do require a USDA endorsement, a quarantine for pets, and have other very specific regulations, so do your homework! It's also important to contact the airline to find out their requirements, too.
In the U.S., all Health Certificates (HC) for animals are issued, completed, signed, and dated by a veterinarian who is also USDA accredited. Before issuance of an HC, the veterinarian must complete all required pre-travel physical examinations for the animals traveling, and ensure vaccines, treatments, and laboratory tests are complete. By signing and dating an HC, the issuing veterinarian takes responsibility for the completeness and accuracy of the information documented on it.
Health Certificate Preparation Form
You can fill out our convenient Health Certificate Preparation form online!