International Health Certificate for Dogs: 2026 US Owner's Guide

There is no single international health certificate for dogs that applies to every dog trip from the United States because the country sets its pet entry rules (APHIS). Those rules can change at any time, so USDA APHIS says to verify them each time you plan to travel with your pet (APHIS). Start with the country in the USDA APHIS pet-travel tool, then contact a USDA-accredited vet as soon as you decide to travel; APHIS says that vet will help determine the country's rules and assist with a USDA-endorsed health certificate and other needed paperwork (APHIS). Check the airline separately because IATA says airlines have their own procedures for accepting, handling, and delivering animals (IATA). The entry authority's current rules remain the entry reference because APHIS states that the country sets the pet entry rules (APHIS).

What should come first: the country or a certificate template?

USDA APHIS states that the country sets pet entry rules and instructs travelers to verify those country rules every time they plan to travel with a pet (APHIS). A generic template, PDF, or remembered form name therefore cannot establish which document that country requires (APHIS).

If you still need to identify whether your trip is domestic, leaving the United States, or entering it, start with our USDA pet travel page navigator. Then return here for the international certificate question.

Use this country-first workflow:

Select the country. Use the country selector on the APHIS export page because APHIS says the country sets the entry rules for pets (APHIS).
Contact a USDA-accredited vet. APHIS tells owners traveling from the United States to another country to contact one as soon as they decide to travel (APHIS).
Follow the document process shown for that country. APHIS says the accredited vet assists with obtaining a USDA-endorsed health certificate and any other needed paperwork (APHIS).
Check the airline's procedures separately. IATA says airlines have specific procedures for the acceptance, handling, and delivery of animals (IATA).
Verify the country rules for this trip. APHIS says those rules can change at any time and must be verified every time you plan to travel with a pet (APHIS).

Which dog travel document applies?

The table is a route selector, not a substitute for the entry authority's instructions.

Route or decision	Document or check named by the official source	What to do next
United States to another country	The country's pet entry rules determine the needed health certificate or other paperwork (APHIS).	Select the country on the APHIS export page and use the process shown there (APHIS).
Non-EU country to the EU for a private journey without a change of ownership or sale	The EU page says a valid EU animal health certificate applies when travelling from a non-EU country, and it says the certificate is issued by an official State vet in the country of departure no more than 10 days before arrival in the EU (EU).	Follow the EU page and the competent authority instructions for the EU entry country (EU).
EU country or Northern Ireland to another EU country or Northern Ireland	The EU page names a valid European pet passport for this route and says the passport is mandatory for travel between EU countries (EU).	Use the current EU rules and the country's instructions (EU).
Airline acceptance	IATA says airlines have specific procedures for accepting, handling, and delivering an animal (IATA).	Confirm the airline's procedures directly; IATA provides air-transport guidance, not a country government's import decision (IATA).

What information should you take to the vet?

APHIS lists information the accredited vet will need on its export page (APHIS). Prepare the route details before contacting the clinic:

The animal type and country. Both appear in APHIS's list of information the vet will need (APHIS).
Applicable stop countries. APHIS asks for countries where the pet will stop for customs clearance or when leaving the airport or seaport on the way to the country (APHIS).
The departure date from the United States. APHIS includes that date in the information the vet will need (APHIS).
How the dog will travel. APHIS asks whether the pet will travel alone, as cargo, or with a person in the aircraft cabin (APHIS).

EU animal health certificate or EU pet passport?

For a private journey from a non-EU country, the EU page names a valid EU animal health certificate and says it must be issued by an official State vet in the country of departure no more than 10 days before the pet arrives in the EU (EU). The same EU page says the rules discussed there concern private journeys without a change of ownership or sale (EU).

An EU pet passport is not a universal substitute for that certificate because the EU page assigns the passport and certificate to different routes (EU). The EU page says a European pet passport is mandatory for travel between EU countries, is issued only to pet owners resident in the EU, and can be obtained from an authorised vet permitted by the relevant authorities to issue pet passports (EU). Use the EU page's route wording and the country's current instructions instead of choosing between documents by name alone (EU).

For Spain-specific entry checks, see our moving to Spain with a dog guide.

Are airline checks separate from country entry rules?

IATA says airlines have specific procedures for the acceptance, handling, and delivery of animals, and its pet page tells travelers to contact the selected airline to confirm that it accepts the pet on the preferred day and flight (IATA). IATA also states that most airlines require a health certificate for an animal they transport (IATA). These are air-transport statements from IATA, while APHIS states that the country sets the pet entry rules (IATA; APHIS). For entry rules, return to the entry authority and the APHIS country page (APHIS); for the separate booking gate, follow the airline pet policies decision guide.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I get an EU health certificate for my dog?

For the private non-commercial route described on its page, the EU says an EU animal health certificate for travel from a non-EU country is issued by an official State vet in the country of departure (EU). For a dog leaving the United States, APHIS says to contact a USDA-accredited vet, who assists with the USDA-endorsed health certificate and other needed paperwork (APHIS). Is Portugal the destination? Continue with the Portugal corridor entry guide, then use the live APHIS Portugal page it links.

Does TSA check pet health certificates?

Do not use a universal TSA answer to decide whether the dog has the right paperwork. The allowed official sources for this guide assign country entry rules to the country and airline procedures to the airline (APHIS; IATA). Check the entry authority and the airline for the route.

Can I get an international health certificate for my dog online?

APHIS assigns the document process to the country's rules and the USDA-accredited vet, so this guide does not give a universal online-certificate answer (APHIS). APHIS says a USDA-accredited vet helps determine the country's entry rules and assists with obtaining a USDA-endorsed health certificate or other needed paperwork (APHIS). Follow the process on the APHIS page for the country rather than treating an online listing as the required certificate (APHIS).

How do I get an EU pet passport?

The EU says European pet passports are issued only to pet owners resident in the EU and can be obtained from an authorised vet permitted by the relevant authorities to issue them (EU). For travel from a non-EU country, the same page names a valid EU animal health certificate instead (EU).

How much does an international health certificate for a dog cost?

APHIS says the required process is set by the country, so this guide does not quote a universal total (APHIS). Identify the country's required process through APHIS first (APHIS).

How much is an EU animal health certificate?

The allowed EU source defines the document and its route-specific issue window but does not state a universal price (EU). This guide therefore gives no EU certificate price.

How long is an international health certificate valid?

APHIS says rules are set by the country, so this guide does not apply a universal duration (APHIS). One route-specific rule is that the EU animal health certificate described for a private journey from a non-EU country must be issued by an official State vet no more than 10 days before the pet arrives in the EU (EU). Do not apply that EU timing to another country; APHIS says to verify the country's rules for every trip (APHIS).

What should you decide first, the country or the airline?

Once you have identified the country's document process, keep its rules separate from the airline's procedures because APHIS assigns pet entry rules to the country while IATA describes airline procedures (APHIS; IATA). If Canada is the destination, use our moving to Canada with a dog entry guide for the CFIA arrival requirements and CBSA border fees. If you are also reviewing coverage for the trip or a move, use our pet insurance comparison and read the policy terms, exclusions, and limits before making a decision.

Written by the FG Team, the Furry Guardian editorial team, who keeps these border rules current.