A Smoother Journey
International travel with pets can be a complex and time-consuming process. The team at Caring Hands Animal Hospital has created this guide to help you prepare.
Keep in mind, traveling with your pet internationally often requires months of preparation, especially for Rabies-free countries and states like Hawaii, Australia, and the UK. Some of these destinations may require planning up to 180 days in advance.
Starting Your Pet's International Travel Plans
Before traveling internationally with your pet, we recommend visiting the USDA-APHIS website for pet travel guidelines. Additionally, check with your airline for their specific requirements, as most airlines need a health certificate completed within 10 days of your flight.
It’s also a good idea to reach out to the U.S. Embassy in your destination country to confirm their pet travel rules. Once you’ve gathered the necessary information, give us a call to schedule an appointment with one of our USDA-accredited veterinarians.
Essential Documents to Bring
Please bring the following items to your appointment with us and have them readily available:
- A copy of all vaccination records (if administered elsewhere).
- The original rabies certificate (if administered elsewhere).
- Your pet’s flea/tick and heartworm medications, along with the dates of the last doses.
- Your pet’s microchip number and implantation date. If your pet is not microchipped, we can implant an ISO-compliant microchip at Caring Hands Animal Hospital. Please note that some countries require the rabies vaccine to be given after the microchip implantation.
- The address of your destination. If you're unsure, you can use the U.S. Embassy’s address.
- Your departure date from the U.S. and your arrival date at your final destination.
- A list of the airlines you’ll be traveling with and any countries where you may have layovers.
Certification and Endorsement
For most countries, after your International Health Certificate is completed by a USDA accredited veterinarian, it must be endorsed by the USDA State Veterinarian. Be sure to account for federal holidays when mailing, as they may impact the endorsement timeline.
The endorsement can be done in one of two ways:
- By appointment only, in Richmond, VA (no walk-ins accepted)
or
- Sent via overnight mail to the USDA office in Albany, NY (preferred method)
Best of luck with your upcoming travel! We can't wait to see you soon!