Moving abroad with a dog or cat

What your pet needs to leave the US, Canada or the UK and to enter the EU, Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand, Japan, Australia, New Zealand or the UK. The paperwork, the waiting periods, and the cabin or cargo question.

You can move a dog or cat abroad without a pet relocation company. The core steps are the same almost everywhere: a microchip, a rabies vaccine, a waiting period, and a health certificate that your vet fills in and your government endorses. What changes is the timing. The EU and Mexico can take weeks. Japan, Australia and New Zealand take six months or more.

The country you are moving to sets the rules. The country you leave from signs off on them. This guide explains both halves for dogs and cats, so you know what to ask your vet and when to start.

Start here: the timeline

1. Check the destination’s rules first. USDA APHIS says the destination country sets the entry requirements for pets, and they can change at any time. Check again before you book.
2. Microchip before the rabies vaccine. The EU, Japan and Great Britain all require the microchip to go in before, or on the same day as, the rabies vaccine. A vaccine given before the chip may have to be repeated.
3. Vaccinate, then wait. The EU and Great Britain count at least 21 days from the first rabies vaccine. Japan, Australia and New Zealand add a blood test and a much longer wait.
4. Book the vet visit for the health certificate. Most certificates must be issued within a few days of travel. Ten days is common.
5. Get the government endorsement. In the US that is USDA APHIS, and in Canada the CFIA. In the UK, an official vet signs the certificate. This has to happen before your pet leaves.

Leaving the US

Contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as you decide to move. The vet confirms what your destination needs and submits the health certificate to USDA APHIS for endorsement. APHIS can endorse many certificates electronically, through its Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS). For many countries, a printed copy of the endorsed certificate must travel with your pet.

Tell the vet your departure date, your destination, any countries you connect through, and whether your pet travels with you in the cabin, as cargo, or alone. The paperwork can differ for each.

APHIS publishes a page for each destination. Use it with your vet. If your dog will spend time in a country the CDC treats as high-risk for dog rabies and later come back to the US, ask your vet about the CDC’s “Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination” form before you leave. APHIS says it cannot be issued after the dog has left the US.

Leaving Canada

Most pets leaving Canada need an export certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian and endorsed by a CFIA veterinarian. The endorsement must happen while the animal is still in Canada. You need an appointment with a CFIA veterinarian, and the CFIA asks for as much notice as possible.

The CFIA keeps certificates for many destinations, including the EU, Great Britain, Australia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and the United States. Where no agreed certificate exists, the Canadian International Health Certificate may be used. The CFIA says countries can change their rules without telling it, so confirm the requirements with the destination’s veterinary authority or embassy too.

Leaving the UK

• To the EU: your pet needs an animal health certificate (AHC) from your vet. You cannot use a pet passport issued to a resident of Great Britain to enter the EU, even one issued in the EU. Northern Ireland residents can use an EU pet passport. Your vet also gives you a declaration to sign that you will not sell or rehome the pet.
• To a non-EU country: your pet needs an export health certificate (EHC). If you leave from England, Scotland or Wales, you also need an export application form (EXA). You nominate an official vet, who receives the EHC and checks your pet’s health and identity before you travel.

Moving to the EU

The EU’s rules for pets arriving from outside the EU changed in 2026. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 now sets them, and new health certificates are in use. The CFIA says the EU accepts the previous certificates only if they were signed on or before 30 September 2026.

What your dog, cat or ferret needs:

• A microchip. Implanted before the rabies vaccine, or read on the same day.
• A rabies vaccine. Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated. The vaccine becomes valid at least 21 days after the primary vaccination is complete. Boosters given on time keep it valid with no new wait.
• No blood test from the US, Canada or the UK. The EU lists all three countries among those whose pets do not need a rabies antibody titration test. For the UK, the listing covers Great Britain, not Northern Ireland.
• Tapeworm treatment for dogs going to Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway. A vet gives it no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours before arrival.
• An EU animal health certificate. An official or authorised vet issues it, and the competent authority endorses it. For pets leaving the US or Canada, that means USDA APHIS or the CFIA. You also sign a declaration that the move is not commercial.

How long the certificate lasts:

Who travels with the pet. Your pet must travel with you, or with a person you authorise in writing. That person must travel within five days before or after you. The CFIA notes that the old option for a pet to travel alone as a non-commercial move has ended. If these conditions are not met, your pet falls under the EU’s stricter commercial import rules.

Where you arrive. Pets from outside the EU must enter through a designated travellers’ point of entry, where officials check the documents and the microchip. You can bring up to five dogs, cats or ferrets as a non-commercial move. More than five is allowed only for competitions, shows or sporting events, with proof of registration.

Moving to Mexico

From the US, pet cats need no health certificate. Mexico’s animal health agency, SENASICA, inspects them on arrival.

Pet dogs from the US need a New World screwworm (NWS) inspection certificate, a requirement in force since 3 August 2026. A USDA-accredited vet signs it no more than 5 days before travel. It does not need APHIS endorsement.

On arrival, SENASICA checks that your pet shows no signs of contagious disease, has no external parasites, and has no fresh or healing wounds. If officials find parasites, you must have a vet treat your pet. If they find ticks, your pet is held until tests rule out exotic species. These rules come from the APHIS page for US pets. From Canada or the UK, use your own government’s Mexico guidance.

Moving to Costa Rica

From the US, a USDA-accredited vet issues an international health certificate for dogs and cats, and APHIS must endorse it. The printed, endorsed certificate travels with your pet. The certificate itself lists Costa Rica’s requirements. If your pet travels without you, Costa Rica requires an import permit, issued through its Ministry of Agriculture (MAG). Costa Rica’s animal health service is SENASA. Canadian and UK owners should check the certificate route with the CFIA or APHA.

Moving to Thailand

From the US, Thailand requires:

• an import permit
• a pet at least 4 months old, if it travels with a person
• a health certificate from an accredited vet, endorsed by USDA APHIS
• notice to Thailand’s quarantine station, if your pet travels alone

Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development (DLD) asks for a health certificate in English, endorsed by a government vet in the exporting country. It also asks for a rabies vaccine given at least 21 days before departure. Dogs need protection against leptospirosis, by vaccine or a negative test, plus distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus vaccines. Cats need a vaccine against feline panleukopenia. The DLD document we found is several years old, so confirm the current rules with the DLD or a Thai embassy.

Moving to Japan

Japan is one of the slowest moves. The wait after the blood test alone is 180 days, so start well over six months ahead.

Pets from the US mainland, Canada and the UK follow Japan’s rules for non-designated regions. Japan’s designated regions are Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii and Guam. Pets from those places follow a simpler process.

From a non-designated region, your dog or cat needs:

1. A microchip before the first rabies vaccine.
2. Two rabies vaccines. The first at 91 days old or more. The second at least 30 days after the first, while the first is still valid.
3. A rabies antibody test at a designated laboratory, after the second vaccine. The result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml. It stays valid for 2 years.
4. A 180-day wait from the date of the blood sample to arrival in Japan.
5. Advance notice to Japan’s Animal Quarantine Service at least 40 days before arrival.
6. A vet examination within 10 days before you fly, and official certificates from your government.

If your pet arrives before the 180 days are up, it is held in quarantine for the days remaining. Pets that do not meet the rules can be held for up to 180 days or sent back.

Moving to Australia

Australia sorts countries into groups by rabies status. Its Department of Agriculture lists the United States, excluding Guam and Hawaii, as a Group 3 country, which it does not recognise as rabies-free. Check your own country’s group with the department before you start.

From the US, the main steps are:

• An import permit from Australia. It states your pet’s waiting period.
• A rabies antibody test (RNATT). A USDA-accredited vet scans the microchip and draws the blood. Your pet can travel only 180 days or more after the sample reaches the laboratory.
• Extra tests for dogs: for Leishmania infantum, Leptospira Canicola (unless fully vaccinated) and Brucella canis (unless spayed or neutered).
• Post-entry quarantine. At least 10 days if your pet completed the optional identity check before the blood test. Otherwise 30 days.

The Australian department says cats and dogs do post-entry quarantine only at its facility in Mickleham, Melbourne, and must fly directly into Melbourne. It recommends starting at least 7 months before export from a Group 3 country.

Moving to New Zealand

From the US, your pet needs an import permit from New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). APHIS says to apply at least 20 business days before you need it. You also need a rabies antibody test and endorsed paperwork from APHIS. Rules for the test tighten for pets arriving on or after 1 April 2027, so check the version that applies to your date.

Your pet spends at least 10 days in quarantine on arrival. Contact MPI at least 72 hours before travel to arrange the inspection.

New Zealand bans some dog breeds outright: the Brazilian Fila, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Perro de Presa Canario and American Pit Bull Terrier. It also bans hybrid dogs and cats, except Bengal cats with documents showing five generations of domestic ancestry.

Moving to the UK

To enter Great Britain, your dog, cat or ferret needs:

• A microchip before its rabies vaccine.
• A rabies vaccine, then at least 21 full days before travel.
• A rabies blood test only if you travel from an unlisted non-EU country. The sample must be taken at least 30 days after the vaccine, then you wait 3 months. Check GB’s list for your country.
• Tapeworm treatment for dogs, no less than 24 hours and no more than 5 days before arrival.
• A pet travel document. For many owners that is a Great Britain pet health certificate. An official vet must sign, stamp and date it, and your pet must enter Great Britain within 10 days of issue.
• An approved route. You can only use certain routes and companies.

Pets fly as cargo into Great Britain. GOV.UK says pets must travel as cargo on a plane, unless you are on a chartered private plane or travelling with a guide or assistance dog. A pet that does not meet the rules can be put into quarantine for up to 4 months, or refused entry if it came by sea. Bringing more than five pets falls under separate rules.

Moving to the US or Canada

• Dogs going to the US from a country the CDC does not list as high-risk for dog rabies need a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, a microchip, and to be at least 6 months old and healthy on arrival. The form is free, and each dog needs its own. Dogs that have been in a high-risk country in the 6 months before arrival face stricter rules, so check the CDC’s list.
• Pets going to Canada: the CFIA’s import tool sets the requirements by species, age and country. It treats the UK as a rabies-free country.

In the cabin or in the hold

Your destination’s rules come first. Great Britain accepts pets by air only as cargo, with narrow exceptions. Australia takes them only into Melbourne. Within those rules, each airline decides whether it carries pets in the cabin, as checked baggage or as cargo, and on which routes.

Questions to ask the airline before you book:

• Do you carry pets in the cabin on this route, and how many per flight?
• What carrier size and pet weight do you allow in the cabin?
• If my pet goes in the hold or as cargo, what crate do you require?
• Do you restrict any breeds, such as short-nosed dogs or cats?
• Do you stop carrying pets in the hold during hot or cold months?
• Can my pet connect through another country, and does that country have its own rules?

Tell your vet the answer. The paperwork depends on whether your pet flies with you or alone. Under the EU rules, a pet must travel within five days of its owner or an authorised person to count as a non-commercial move.

Budgeting for the move

Costs vary widely. Vet fees for the same certificate differ between clinics, and long-wait countries add blood tests, more visits and quarantine fees. We do not publish typical prices because no official source sets them. Get quotes from your vet and, for Australia and New Zealand, from the quarantine authority.

Members can add these quotes to the pets line in their move budget, alongside flights, shipping and deposits. Your move keeps your shortlist and next step in one place.

What catches people out

• The chip went in after the vaccine. The vaccine may not count, and the waiting period starts again.
• The certificate expired before landing. A 10-day certificate counts down from the day the vet issues it, not from the endorsement.
• The endorsement came too late. The CFIA cannot endorse a certificate once your pet has left Canada. Book the appointment early.
• The pet flew alone into the EU. Without you, or a person you authorise travelling within five days, the EU’s commercial rules apply.
• A UK pet passport. It no longer works for entering the EU from Great Britain.
• The six-month countries. Japan, Australia and New Zealand count their waits from a blood sample. Miss the date and your pet waits in quarantine, at your cost.
• A connecting flight. A stopover country can have its own rules. Tell your vet about every country on the route.

Related guides

• Country guides: Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
• From the UK to the EU: Brexit and moving to the EU.
• Not sure where yet? The visa route finder shows the residence routes open to you.

This is general information, not legal, veterinary or immigration advice. Pet entry rules change often and without notice. Confirm the current requirements with your vet, your government’s pet export office (USDA APHIS, the CFIA or APHA), the destination’s animal health authority and your airline before you travel.