International Health Certificates
Traveling internationally or to Hawaii with your pets can be stressful and requires a lot of preplanning. Dr. Marianne Bailey and Dr. Colleen McCafferty are the only doctors on our staff who are accredited with the USDA to complete international health certificates. The information on this site should help you prepare for your travels.
Where can I find out what is required prior to travel?
It is VERY important that you visit the USDA’s website at least 30 days prior to your trip. Certain countries and Hawaii require rabies vaccine titers to be performed. These tests have a minimum turnaround time of 4 weeks. To understand what is required prior to travel, visit USDA APHIS | APHIS Pet Travel.
Which veterinarians can complete a health certificate?
Any veterinarian from our practices can complete a health certificate for interstate travel or travel to Canada and the US Virgin Islands. For international travel or travel to Hawaii, a USDA accredited veterinarian must complete the paperwork. A USDA Accredited Veterinarian has completed formal training from the National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NVAP) in the state(s) they are licensed to practice medicine in. Accreditation is state-specific and is voluntary (not all veterinarians are accredited). Only Doctors Bailey and McCafferty are able to complete these certificates at our practices.
What is the cost for an international health certificate?
We require a visit with one of our USDA veterinarians at least 30 days prior to your departure date. There is a $150 consultation fee including an examination for this visit. 10 days prior to your departure date, our veterinarian can complete and submit the health certificate to the USDA for endorsement. There is a full exam charge for this visit as well as a fee for completing the health certificate. If the country you are traveling to requires an original signature, there is an additional charge for overnight shipping via FedEX. Below are estimated costs for your planning purposes. Our staff can give you a more accurate estimate prior to your visit to help you plan the cost for the health certificate process.
- International/ Hawaii Health Certificate Consultation with Exam: $150
- Domestic Health Certificates: $41 per pet
- International/ Hawaii Health Certificate: $280
- Shipping via FedEX: $60
- Rabies Titers (FAVN): $196
Whose responsibility is it to collect information before I travel?
Our staff will help gather records from other veterinary practices, provide estimates as well as a recommended timeline but it is the pet owner’s responsibility to make sure they have everything they need for their pet to travel.
If you know you are traveling with your pet, the sooner you contact us the better we will be able to help you. Please give our office a call or send us an email to set up the initial consultation prior to travel as soon as you know you are leaving the country. We look forward to working with you soon.
