Contact us immediately.

We will review the destination requirements and determine what may still be possible within your available timeline.

Some requirements can be completed quickly, while others involve mandatory waiting periods, vaccination timing, testing, permits, or government processing periods that cannot simply be waived because a departure date is approaching.

It depends on where your pet is traveling.

For most domestic travel within the United States, your regular veterinarian can typically perform the required examination and issue a health certificate or Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI), provided they meet any requirements established by the destination state or territory.

Some destinations have additional requirements. Hawaii, for example, has its own strict pet-entry program and requires specific documentation, rabies requirements, testing, timelines, and a health certificate issued by an accredited veterinarian.

For international travel, your regular veterinarian can issue the international health certificate only if they hold the USDA accreditation required for that certificate. When USDA APHIS endorsement is required by the destination country, the veterinarian issuing the certificate must be USDA-accredited.

If your regular veterinarian is not USDA-accredited, you will need to work with an accredited veterinarian for the international certificate.

Not sure whether your veterinarian qualifies? Pawsport can help verify that and coordinate the process with the appropriate veterinary team.

We take the complicated requirements surrounding pet travel and turn them into a clear step-by-step process.

Depending on the service you choose, we can help determine what your pet needs, review veterinary records, create a timeline, prepare documentation, coordinate with your veterinarian, assist with health certificate preparation, and manage applicable USDA endorsement steps.

You still get to work with your veterinarian—we simply help make sure everyone knows what needs to happen and when.

Whenever possible, yes.

This is especially important for international travel.

Some countries require vaccinations, testing, treatments, examinations, and certificate issuance to occur within very specific timeframes.

Contacting us first allows us to determine what needs to happen so your veterinary appointments can be scheduled appropriately.

We will typically need information such as:

• Your name and contact information

• Your pet's name

• Species

• Breed

• Sex

• Date of birth or age

• Microchip information

• Rabies vaccination records

• Other relevant vaccination records

• Laboratory or testing records

• Departure location

• Destination

• Intended travel date

• Airline or transportation method

• Connecting or transit countries

• Your veterinarian's information

Don't worry if you don't have everything yet. Part of our job is helping you determine what is missing.

Yes, in most cases.

Veterinary records allow us to verify important information such as microchip numbers, vaccination dates, vaccine manufacturers, rabies information, diagnostic testing, treatments, and other information that may be required for travel.

Clear, complete records can be extremely important when preparing travel documentation.

It depends on the trip.

Health certificate requirements can vary based on:

• Destination

• Domestic versus international travel

• Species

• Airline

• Mode of transportation

• State or country regulations

• Age

• Travel route

We review the requirements for your specific trip rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all checklist.

The veterinarian responsible for issuing the health certificate must complete the required veterinary examination and certification.

International travel commonly requires a USDA-accredited veterinarian.

Pawsport can prepare and coordinate the documentation, but we do not replace the veterinarian or sign certificates on the veterinarian's behalf.

For international pet travel, the health certificate must go through the required government endorsement process.

In the United States, this is handled through USDA APHIS Veterinary Services.

The method used for endorsement and the form in which the final certificate must travel can vary by destination.

Some destinations accept digitally endorsed documentation, while others require the original endorsed document to physically accompany the pet.

Pawsport determines the applicable process and helps coordinate the documentation accordingly.

VEHCS stands for Veterinary Export Health Certification System.

It is USDA APHIS's electronic system used to prepare, submit, review, and endorse eligible international health certificates.

Depending on the destination, the certificate may be handled electronically through VEHCS, while some destinations still require an original physical endorsed document.

Pawsport helps ensure the correct process is followed for your destination.

Yes.

One of the biggest benefits of working with Pawsport is that we can help bridge the gap between the pet owner and veterinary team.

When appropriate, we can provide your veterinarian with the requirements, documentation, timelines, and instructions they need to complete their portion of the process.

This helps reduce confusion for both you and the veterinary staff.

That's exactly where Pawsport can help.

Your veterinarian does not necessarily need to become an expert in every country's import regulations.

We can assist with requirement research, documentation preparation, timelines, certificate preparation, and the administrative process so your veterinarian can focus on the medical and certification portions that require their professional involvement.

No pet travel company or veterinarian can guarantee entry.

Final entry decisions are made by the appropriate government, customs, border, quarantine, or other authorities at the destination.

However, our role is to identify applicable requirements, carefully prepare the travel documentation, and reduce preventable errors that could interfere with travel.

Pet import requirements can change, sometimes with little notice.

For that reason, requirements may need to be reviewed more than once during the preparation process.

Pawsport verifies the requirements applicable to the trip and monitors the documentation process through the appropriate stages.

Absolutely.

Government entry requirements and airline requirements are not the same thing.

Your pet may meet every requirement for the destination country and still need to satisfy additional requirements imposed by the airline.

These may include:

• Carrier or crate requirements

• Breed restrictions

• Temperature restrictions

• Reservation requirements

• Check-in procedures

• Documentation requirements

• Pet-in-cabin or cargo policies

Always confirm your airline's current pet travel policies for your specific itinerary.

Our primary focus is pet travel readiness, veterinary documentation, and health certificate preparation.

We do not function as an airline and do not control flight reservations, airline acceptance, cargo availability, or transportation policies.

We can, however, help you identify documentation-related requirements that may affect your travel plans.