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Pima North Animal Hospital

International Health Certificates

Going out of the country? As a federally accredited veterinarian practice, we can issue travel and acclimation certificates for your healthy pet so they can travel internationally with you.

Overview

We understand that your pet is family, and that when you travel, you want them right by your side. As a federally accredited veterinarian practice, we can issue travel health certificates (Certificate of Veterinary Inspection) for your healthy cat, dog, or other animal so that they may travel internationally with you.

Why does my pet need a certificate to travel?

Only pets in good health are permitted to travel by plane or boat. The country you are traveling to may have specific health requirements that must be met before your pet can enter. Certain health requirements may include: up to date vaccinations, a passing health exam, etc. Health certificates ensure that your pet is healthy to travel and isn’t susceptible to transferring diseases to other pets or people.

When should I start the process?

Certificate timing varies greatly by country: For example, rabies-free territories such as Australia and New Zealand take six months. We strongly encourage checking the APHIS website as early as possible.

How can I obtain an international health certificate?

Before you start the process, you need to determine the destination country and dates of travel.

We will work with you to determine the health certificate requirements based on your travel destination. Since requirements are determined by each country and can change frequently, we suggest you check the current pet travel health requirements for your destination country on the USDA website: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/take-pet-to-foreign-country

We will perform a health exam to determine if your pet has any sign of disease or health risks that could pass along to others while traveling. We will also ensure that your pet has all required vaccinations to travel. Once all requirements are met, we will issue a certificate indicating that your pet has been cleared to travel.

We are happy to help with health certificates to travel with your pets.

State to State travel in the U.S. (Excluding Hawaii).

If you are traveling state to state, our doctors can take care of the wellness exam and the health certificate (normally) in the same visit! Please make sure to check with the USDA for requirements of each state on their interstate travel page. Please also note, if you are flying with your pet, each airline may have it's own requirements for in cabin or in cargo compartment travel. So be sure to check with them prior to scheduling your Health Certificate appointment.

Mexico and Canada.

If you are traveling to Mexico you will need to have a Wellness exam, health certificate, current rabies vaccination, as well as internal and external parasite control. Please see the requirements on their website. If you are traveling to Canada, the requirements change based on pets age and species, so please see those requirements on their Canada-specific travel page.

International Travel or Hawaii.

If you are traveling with your pet internationally, there are a lot of items that need to be completed prior to your trip. This can seem like a daunting task as specific vaccines, blood work, dates and time frames can easily get you off track and possibly derail your travel plans. In addition, there are certain countries that require vaccines or blood work, 6 months or more prior to travel date. We have a great fix for this problem and that is Petsfly.com! They are a company who specializes in pet travel. They make sure you have all the paperwork you need to guarantee your pet's trip is as worry free as possible. They will make sure you know the requirements your pet needs for entry into the country, when items need to be done and on top of that, they will meet you at necessary Vet appointments and make sure your paperwork is in order. If you are in need of international travel for your pet, it is recommended you contact Jeni, at 480-720-1190, or visit their website. Please note that we highly recommend using Petsfly or another pet travel agency for international travel. We will require an international health certificate agreement for you and your veterinarian to provide this service. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a Health Certificate appointment please feel free to contact us.