Whether you’re planning on traveling domestically or internationally, you will usually require a health certificate for your pet. At Bixby Animal Clinic, we can help with the necessary paperwork to allow your pet to join you on your travel both within the United States and Internationally.
Domestic Health Certificates
Health certificates are usually required for interstate travel, depending on your situation and each state’s requirements. We recommend you go to USDA APHIS Pet Travel to see your destination of travel requirements. Once you're on the USDA APHIS Pet Travel page, click on the link for Interstate travel, which will take you to another webpage with a drop-down menu. Select your state of destination, and then it will take you to that state’s page for pet travel and the requirements. Most US states require a CVI (Certificate of Veterinary Inspection) to be completed electronically by a USDA accredited veterinarian. Most states do not require a USDA official endorsement, but this may vary on a case-by-case basis.
To complete a CVI, we require certain information, such as:
● Vaccine Records,
● Microchip Information
● Address and Phone Number of Origin (here in California)
● Address and Phone Number of Destination.
Please prepare this information before you arrive for your health certificate appointment.
International Health Certificate
For international Health Certificates, go to the USDA APHIS Pet Travel website, click on the link for 'Export from the United States,' and select the country you are traveling to. This page will then show you what requirements are needed for the country you are traveling to.
For the most part, international travel requires a Health Certificate exam and a Health Certificate within ten days of travel. Some situations also require a USDA official endorsement which may require an appointment at the USDA office in advance. If this is necessary, please get in touch with your local USDA Endorsement Office for more information (also found on the USDA APHIS Pet Travel website). Some countries may require you to prepare your pet several months before travel, so we ask that you please look into the country's requirements to see if the country you are traveling to is affected before booking a health certificate appointment. Please note, if certain criterias are NOT met as required by the destination country, your animal/pet may be denied entry into the country or possibly quarantined for several weeks until the pet is released to you. To avoid this, we ask that you please come prepared for your health certificate appointment so things can go smoothly.
Airline Travel
If you are traveling with your pet via Airline, please contact your airline to see what their policy is for traveling with pets. Each airline may have different policies in place and may require additional forms filled out prior to flying.
If you have any additional questions about the requirements needed to travel to a specific state or country, you can check out the USDA APHIS Pet Travel website. If you would like to book an appointment for a Health Certificate or learn more about our process, you can call us at (562) 426-4066.
