If you are planning an extended trip and/or moving out of the country with your pet, there are many factors to consider! First, you will need an International Health certificate from a USDA certified veterinarian. Luckily, at PVS we have a few USDA certified veterinarians. 

The next thing to consider is how long the process will take. Most will take over 2 months to complete. All owners need to visit the APHIS website (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/us-to-another-country-export) to find out the requirements for the country you are traveling to. If you have any stops/layovers in other countries before you reach your final destination, you must find out the requirements for this country as well. 

We will need additional information prior to scheduling an appointment for you and your pet:

  • All medical records for the pet(s) traveling with you. 
  • What country are you traveling to? 
  • Will there be any other places you will be stopping at or visiting before the final destination?
  • Are you moving or just visiting?
  • When are you planning on going? We need the flight date before we can schedule.  
  • Will your pet be traveling with you on the aircraft or will they be in cargo?
  • Your current address in the US and the address in the country you are going to.

Once we have this information we can start the process based on the USDA website requirements. 

Key things to know prior to moving forward:

  • Most International Health Certificate Exams need to be performed 10-30 days before travel.  
  • We must have the flight date before scheduling the final exam, depending on how soon you plan on traveling, we may or may not have availability at that time. It is important to schedule your appointment with us months ahead of time to ensure we are available to examine your pet. We can help provide a timeline once we have all the above information.
  • A USDA endorsed certificate is usually only good for 10 days (meaning your pet must arrive in the designated country within 10 days of the endorsement date)
  • Most certificates can be entered to USDA online.  There is a fee for endorsement based on requirements and number of pets (found on the above website).
  • USDA endorsed certificates are then either sent back via email or UPS (most often) which also requires PVS to upload a pre-purchased label that differs from $50-$100 depending on where it is sent from and time of day/year/return time. 
  • The full cost can be $500 or more depending on requirements. 
  • You will NOT be allowed to travel with your pet(s) until you have the USDA endorsed certificate in hand. 
  • Your flight/airline requirements may differ from your destination requirements and these must be followed as well. You will need to find this information from your airline directly. 
  • Some places require a titer for your pet, if this is the case, you are responsible for obtaining the titer kit for your pet.