Pet Travel.

Learn about the requirements to travel with your pet.

Understanding Pet Travel Regulations

The requirements for pets traveling to another country vary significantly and are very specific. As a pet owner, it’s crucial to plan ahead to meet testing, vaccination, or treatment requirements and secure the necessary certifications.

Essential Steps for International Pet Travel

Check Destination Requirements: Before you schedule your travel, verify the entry requirements for the destination country. This includes timing for vaccinations and any other health requirements.
Vaccination Schedule: Determine which vaccinations are required for export. It is your responsibility to ensure that vaccinations like rabies are administered according to the specific timeline required by the destination country.
Additional Treatments: Identify any additional treatments your pet may need, such as internal (worming) and external (flea and tick) parasite control. Make sure these are done by the dates required by the country of export.
Microchipping: Many countries require pets to be microchipped before receiving a rabies vaccination.

Documentation and Verification

Export and Import Permits: Some countries require both an import permit and an export certificate. It’s important that all documents are filled out accurately and completely.
Official Veterinarian Endorsements: Most pet export documents must be endorsed by an Official Veterinarian (OV). OVs are government veterinarians who officiate documents for pet export. You will need to schedule an appointment with an OV to have your documents verified and endorsed. Check the timing for these appointments early in your planning process.

Additional Resources

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA): For detailed guidelines and the most current information on pet exports, visit the CFIA’s website.CFIA – Pet Exports
Professional Pet Travel Services: For assistance with the export process, consider consulting a professional pet travel service. Note: Gibsons Veterinary Hospital does not endorse specific export companies. For example, you might consider Worldwide Animal Travel

Preparing Your Documentation

Please bring all documents that require our endorsement. To expedite the process and minimize costs, ensure you complete all relevant fields in the document beforehand. Most countries require documents to be filled in BLOCK CAPITALS using blue or red ink. If documents are not printed on the correct size paper (e.g., requiring LEGAL instead of A4), this could impact processing. We reserve the right to charge additional fees if we must complete fields that are typically the owner’s responsibility to fill.