International Health Certificates

European Union travel requirements:

Non-commercial health certificate- Owner or designated person must be arriving within 5 days of pet and must travel with 5 or less pets.

• ISO-compliant microchip (15-digit microchip) implanted prior to "primary" rabies vaccine (may be implanted on same day as vaccine).

• Valid rabies certificate(s)* (must have microchip listed and blue-ink signature).

• Original endorsed EU health certificate(s) (if flying to multiple countries, expect to have separate health certificates for each country).

*Breed bans are in place for different countries (please do not attempt to import a banned breed into these areas)

*A rabies vaccine is considered a "primary" vaccine in EU if it was the first vaccine after a microchip was implanted, or if there was any expiration of the previous vaccines (even by 1 day).

• Your pet must wait at least 21 days to enter country after a "primary" rabies vaccine.

• A "primary" rabies vaccine is valid for only 12 months, but a booster vaccine given within that 12 month period can be considered valid for 3 years (if licensed as a 3-year product) **.

**If your pet is traveling to the EU on a booster rabies vaccine, all previous rabies certificates must also be available during travel (all the way back to the "primary" rabies certificate). There cannot be any lapse in rabies coverage between any of the certificates, and all of the certificates must have the microchip listed and a blue-ink signature.

If a 3-year rabies vaccine was given within 12 months of arrival to the EU, but the previous rabies certificates cannot be found or do not meet requirements, your pet can travel on that vaccine as a "primary" rabies vaccine as long as the microchip is listed and a blue-ink signature is present. However, that vaccine will only be considered valid for 12 months after administration, and you will need to wait at least 21 days after that vaccine to enter the EU.

Special notes on rabies vaccine requirements for the EU:

United Kingdom travel requirements:

Non-commercial health certificate- Owner or designated person must be arriving within 5 days of pet and must travel with 5 or less pets.

• ISO-compliant microchip (15-digit microchip) implanted prior to "primary" rabies vaccine (may be implanted on same day as vaccine).

• Valid rabies certificate(s)* (must have microchip listed and blue-ink signature).

• Original endorsed UK health certificate

• Dogs only: Broad-spectrum dewormer administered by USDA accredited veterinarian more than 24 hours, but within 120 hours of arrival to the UK. This can be done after endorsement by the USDA official veterinarian, if needed.

*Breed bans are in place (please do not attempt to import a banned breed into this area)

*A rabies vaccine is considered a "primary" vaccine in UK if it was the first vaccine after a microchip was implanted, or if there was any expiration of the previous vaccines (even by 1 day).

• Your pet must wait at least 21 days to enter country after a "primary" rabies vaccine.

• A "primary" rabies vaccine is valid for only 12 months, but a booster vaccine given within that 12 month period can be considered valid for 3 years (if licensed as a 3-year product) **.

**If your pet is traveling to the UK on a booster rabies vaccine, all previous rabies certificates must also be available during travel (all the way back to the "primary" rabies certificate). There cannot be any lapse in rabies coverage between any of the certificates, and all of the certificates must have the microchip listed and a blue-ink signature.

If a 3-year rabies vaccine was given within 12 months of arrival to the UK, but the previous rabies certificates cannot be found or do not meet requirements, your pet can travel on that vaccine as a "primary" rabies vaccine as long as the microchip is listed and a blue-ink signature is present. However, that vaccine will only be considered valid for 12 months after administration, and you will need to wait at least 21 days after that vaccine to enter the UK.

Special notes on rabies vaccine requirements for the UK:

South Korea travel requirements:

• ISO-compliant microchip* (15-digit microchip)

• Current rabies certificate (must have microchip listed and blue-ink signature), unless younger than 90 days old.

• FAVN* within 24 months (this is a blood test that is basically a rabies titer) with results > 0.5 IU/mL, unless younger than 90 days old.

• Original endorsed Korean health certificate

*Korea allows travel without a microchip and FAVN, however, your pet must then have those procedures done upon arrival and will remain in quarantine until FAVN results are received, so we highly recommend meeting all above requirements prior to travel with your pet.

Japan travel requirements:

Advance notification from owner is required for this country. See USDA Pet Travel website for more details.

• ISO-compliant microchip (15-digit microchip) implanted prior to initial rabies vaccine (may be implanted on same day as initial vaccine).

• At least 2 valid and original rabies certificates (must have microchip listed and blue-ink signature)

  • Vaccines must be given at least 30 days apart (count the first vaccine as day zero).

  • Puppies must be at least 13 weeks old for initial vaccine.

  • Vaccines must be given within duration of coverage (no expiration of vaccines)

  • Vaccines need to be done prior to FAVN blood draw (although FAVN may be done on the same day as last rabies vaccine).

• Original FAVN form dated within 24 months (this is a blood test that is basically a rabies titer) with results > 0.5 IU/mL.

• 180 day quarantine period after FAVN is received by lab (this means your pet will need to finish any remaining quarantine time in a quarantine facility in Japan if you are arriving before the quarantine period has finished).

• Printed copy of endorsed Japanese health certificate

Other countries:

Due to the significant amount of variation in travel requirements, we are unable to list details for every country. Please contact us directly by email or phone to discuss requirements and costs associated with health certificates to other countries. Remember to check the USDA Pet Travel website for specific information on the country your pet may be traveling to. Advance planning is always recommended.

*If your pet will be traveling to a country that is considered "high-risk" for rabies and will be returning back to the States before the current rabies vaccine expires, you may request a Certification of US-issued Rabies Vaccination Form to make your return trip a little less complicated. This is a form we can fill out which will need to be endorsed by the USDA official veterinarian prior to leaving the U.S. To qualify for this, your pet must have been microchipped prior to (or at the same time as) the rabies vaccination and must have been vaccinated at least 28 days prior to our visit. Please contact us if you are interested in this option.