International Travel Certificates
Want to travel with your pet internationally? Shiloh Animal Hospital is here to help you and your pet get there!
To be able to take your pet on the plane or have it accepted as cargo, you will need an International Health Certificate. The health certificate needs to be filled out by an Accredited Veterinarian, a local veterinarian that APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) has approved to fill out international health certificates. To complete the health certificate, your pet must be microchipped (PRIOR to the Rabies vaccine) and up to date on the Rabies vaccine. The certificate must then be endorsed by a Veterinary Medical Officer at APHIS. Therefore, your health certificate is a 2 step process:
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Step 1
Exam by an accredited veterinarian at Shiloh Animal Hospital.
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Step 2
Submission of application for health certificate by our accredited veterinarian to APHIS online.
Please keep in mind that APHIS can require up to 3 business days to endorse your certificate.
Depending on your destination country, the certificate will either be returned to us as a digital endorsement, a PDF that we can mail to you to print out OR APHIS will mail a hard copy back to you via overnight courier.
To complete your international health certificate, we will need the following information PRIOR to your appointment, please use the web form below to submit the following information to us:
- Destination Country
- Street address of origin and destination
- Name of person traveling with pet (this can be you, someone else, or a shipping company)
- City of departure from the USA (where is your flight leaving from)
- Confirmation that pet will not have a layover requiring a boarding facility in another country
- Scanned copy of Rabies certificate for pet, with microchip info on the certificate. This is NOT a receipt, but the physical certificate provided upon vaccination. Most countries require the vaccine is updated a minimum of 21 days prior to departure.
- If the digital endorsement is not accepted by your destination country and a hard copy of your certificate must be mailed to you, you will need to purchase an overnight shipping label online and email us the PDF of the label. You will decide where the certificate is shipped (your home, boarding kennel, etc). The return address and destination address must be the SAME for your shipping label. Most clients use FedEx or USPS.
Some countries will require additional information, such as the date of the microchip implantation. They may also require that the accredited veterinarian administers an intestinal dewormer pill or flea/tick medication.
Lastly, once this information and documentation are reviewed by the accredited veterinarian, we can see your pet for the health certificate exam. Most countries allow this exam to occur up to 30 days prior to the date of departure. Owners should also check with their airline to confirm that the health certificate will be accepted by the AIRLINE (not USDA) if the exam is more than 10 days prior to departure. Regardless of when the certificate is submitted, APHIS will not endorse it any more than 10 days prior to departure. We strongly advise that you schedule your health certificate exam as early as possible and a minimum of 7 days prior to your flight. We cannot be responsible for any delays that may occur due to APHIS requiring modifications to the form, delays in endorsement, etc.
