APHIS Pet Travel: How USDA Health Certificates Work for International Trips

APHIS pet travel is the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) program that guides owners exporting companion animals from the United States and returning with them. As of August 2026, APHIS does not issue a U.S. “pet passport”; instead, your destination country sets entry rules, and a USDA-accredited veterinarian issues a health certificate that APHIS may endorse before travel. Start planning as soon as you book your trip.

Last updated: August 18, 2026. By Animal Passport.

The APHIS pet travel website at aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel is the official U.S. starting point for international travel with dogs, cats, ferrets, and other qualifying companion species. Requirements change by destination and can update without notice, so verify rules every time you travel. This guide explains how APHIS fits into export paperwork, how CDC dog-import rules interact on return trips, and how official travel documents differ from private biometric livestock identification tools such as Animal Passport.

What Is APHIS Pet Travel?

APHIS pet travel refers to USDA APHIS Veterinary Services guidance and endorsement services for privately owned companion animals crossing international borders from the United States. The destination country—not the U.S. federal government—sets the health requirements your pet must meet, according to APHIS FAQ guidance last modified in January 2026. APHIS publishes country-specific instructions for more than 130 destinations and helps owners obtain USDA-endorsed export health certificates when a foreign government requires federal countersignature.

Because requirements vary by country, APHIS states that the United States does not issue pet passports for international travel. Instead, accredited veterinarians issue health certificates confirming that an individual animal meets the unique rules of the destination and any transit countries. That distinction matters when searching online: an EU pet passport, a USDA-endorsed export certificate, and a commercial biometric livestock record serve different legal purposes.

Which Animals Qualify as Pets Under APHIS?

APHIS defines a pet as a privately owned companion animal not intended for research or resale. As of June 2026, species that qualify for APHIS pet travel requirements include dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, rodents, hedgehogs/tenrecs, reptiles, amphibians, and certain pet birds. Animals regulated as poultry—including chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons, and related species—follow separate live-animal export rules. Livestock and poultry such as pigs also fall outside the pet category, according to APHIS cost-to-endorse guidance updated in June 2026.

If you travel with pet birds or exotic species, APHIS notes you may also need permits from agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Always check both the APHIS destination page and airline policies before booking.

APHIS Pet Travel Process: Step by Step

The APHIS pet travel process overview, last modified in June 2026, describes export travel in four broad phases. Treat this as a planning framework; your accredited veterinarian will translate destination rules into a dated schedule.

1. Contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian early. As soon as you decide to travel, connect with a veterinarian accredited through the National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NVAP). Accreditation is state-specific and voluntary, so not every clinic has an accredited vet. Your veterinarian needs your pet species, destination, transit countries, departure date, and whether the animal flies in cabin, as cargo, or unaccompanied.
2. Confirm destination requirements. Use the country menu on the APHIS export page. Requirements can include microchipping, rabies vaccination, blood tests, parasite treatments, and import permits. Country pages can change frequently; APHIS instructs travelers to verify requirements every trip.
3. Complete examinations, tests, and treatments on schedule. Your veterinarian cannot sign the health certificate until the pet meets all destination rules. APHIS provides a Pet Owner Worksheet (103.1 KB) to track deadlines.
4. Obtain USDA endorsement when required. If the destination requires APHIS endorsement, the accredited veterinarian submits the certificate through the Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS) or provides paper copies for mailing to a USDA Endorsement Office. Payment must be received before endorsement.
5. Travel with original documents. APHIS states that original signed or endorsed paperwork must accompany your pet. Electronic versions alone are not accepted by destination-country officials, according to the process overview updated in June 2026.

Health Certificates, VEHCS, and Endorsement Fees

Most countries require an international health certificate (also called a veterinary health certificate or export certificate) completed, signed, and dated by a veterinarian who examined the animal and verified required vaccinations, tests, or treatments, per APHIS FAQ guidance from January 2026. When federal endorsement is required, APHIS reviews and counter-signs the certificate after the accredited veterinarian issues it.

VEHCS is APHIS’s electronic system for submitting export health certificates. Accredited veterinarians typically submit through VEHCS on the owner’s behalf (Option 1) or provide documents for the owner to mail (Option 2); APHIS says not to use both methods for the same certificate. Submissions should include the health certificate plus supporting vaccination records, laboratory results, and import permits when required.

APHIS endorsement fees for pets were updated effective January 10, 2025, according to an agency announcement on that date. As of June 2026, APHIS lists these per-certificate fees on its cost-to-endorse page:

• $101 when zero laboratory tests are required on the certificate
• $160 for one pet when one to two tests are required; plus $10 for each additional pet on the same certificate
• $206 for one pet when three to six tests are required; plus $18 for each additional pet
• $275 for one pet when seven or more tests are required; plus $21 for each additional pet

Vaccines are not counted as laboratory tests for fee calculation, APHIS notes. These fees exclude veterinary clinic charges. APHIS waives endorsement fees for service dogs belonging to individuals with disabilities as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but fees apply to emotional support animals.

APHIS vs. EU Pet Passport vs. Animal Passport

Search results for “pet passport” often mix official government schemes with commercial products. The table below separates three different concepts travelers encounter.

The European Commission states that dogs, cats, and ferrets moving between EU countries on non-commercial trips must carry an EU pet passport issued by an authorized veterinarian documenting microchip identification and rabies vaccination under Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131. APHIS clarifies that an EU pet passport cannot be obtained in the United States and that U.S. veterinarians must not complete sections reserved for EU authorized veterinarians, which could invalidate the passport.

Returning to the United States: CDC and APHIS Rules for Dogs

If you travel with a dog and plan to return, APHIS and CDC requirements both apply. APHIS’s export page, updated in August 2026, states that CDC is the primary government authority for all dogs imported into the United States, including returning U.S.-origin dogs.

As of August 2026, CDC requires every dog entering or returning to the U.S. to have a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, according to CDC FAQ guidance dated April 28, 2026. Dogs that have been only in rabies-free or low-risk countries in the prior six months generally need no additional CDC documents beyond appearing healthy, having a microchip, and being at least six months old.

Dogs vaccinated in the U.S. that visit a CDC high-risk rabies country within six months before re-entry need two documents before return: the CDC Dog Import Form receipt and a Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination form completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and USDA-endorsed through VEHCS before the dog leaves the United States, CDC states. This form cannot be issued retroactively after departure.

CDC accepts a USDA-endorsed export health certificate issued on or before July 31, 2025, as an alternative to the rabies certification form for re-entry, but any export health certificate issued after that date does not satisfy CDC dog import rules, according to CDC FAQ guidance from April 2026. Plan return paperwork before outbound travel if your itinerary includes high-risk destinations such as India, the Philippines, or many countries listed on CDC’s high-risk country page.

APHIS may impose separate import requirements for dogs entering the United States beyond CDC rules. Check both agencies before departure and return.

Common APHIS Pet Travel Mistakes

APHIS FAQ pages highlight recurring errors that delay travel:

• Starting too late. Some destinations require rabies titers or waiting periods lasting weeks or months. APHIS notes the process can take from a few weeks to many months depending on the country.
• Assuming one certificate works everywhere. Each country sets its own requirements; there is no universal health certificate, APHIS states in January 2026 FAQ guidance.
• Ignoring transit countries. Pets may need documentation for countries where they clear customs en route, not just the final destination.
• Relying on digital copies alone. Carry original endorsed paperwork during travel.
• Confusing pet travel with livestock rules. Cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry follow different APHIS export pathways. For herd identification after disasters, farmers may use private biometric tools; Animal Passport, for example, was used during livestock flood rescue in Pakistan in August 2025 so owners could reclaim animals when paper ear tags washed away. That use case is separate from APHIS companion-animal export certification.

Where to Get Help

Your first contact should be your USDA-accredited veterinarian, who can email APHIS endorsement offices with case-specific questions. APHIS publishes export contacts at askvets@usda.gov for endorsement questions. For dog re-entry, consult CDC import guidance alongside APHIS import pages. For broader context on digital animal identification beyond government travel forms, see the Animal Passport blog.

APHIS pet travel is a compliance workflow, not a single form. Destination countries set the rules; accredited veterinarians implement them; APHIS endorses when required; CDC governs dog re-entry. Plan early, carry originals, and keep official travel documents separate from private biometric livestock records.