USDA Pet Travel Certificate: APHIS Form 7001 Explained

A USDA pet travel certificate is the common name for APHIS Form 7001, the United States Interstate and International Certificate of Health Examination for Small Animals. A USDA-accredited veterinarian examines the pet and completes the form, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) endorses it when the destination requires federal review. It certifies the animal appeared healthy at the exam — it is not a guarantee of safe travel, and it is not the same document as an EU pet passport or a CDC dog-entry form.

What Is a USDA Pet Travel Certificate?

APHIS Form 7001 is the standard veterinary health certificate USDA APHIS recognizes for pets moving between U.S. states or leaving the country (USDA APHIS, Pet Travel Process Overview). Some countries accept Form 7001 outright; many others require a country-specific certificate with their own exact wording, tests, and treatments, which is why USDA APHIS publishes destination-by-destination checklists covering more than 130 countries (USDA APHIS, 2026).

The certificate itself does not diagnose disease or clear a pet for a specific flight. It documents that a licensed, USDA-accredited veterinarian examined the animal within a set window before departure and found no signs that would disqualify it from travel.

Who Signs and Endorses It

Only a USDA-accredited veterinarian can complete Form 7001. For destinations that require federal review, the vet submits the paperwork to a USDA APHIS Veterinary Services endorsement office, either on paper or through the USDA's Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS), which lets accredited vets create, submit, and track export certificates online (USDA APHIS, Take a Pet From the U.S. to Another Country). VEHCS speeds up routing, but some countries still insist on an original ink-signed certificate rather than a digital one, so travelers should confirm the destination's format rules with their vet before the trip.

How Much Does It Cost, and How Fast Does It Expire?

USDA APHIS endorsement fees for pet health certificates start at $38 per certificate, and cost more if the destination country requires federal review of test results such as a rabies titer (USDA APHIS, 2026). That federal fee is separate from the veterinarian's own examination charge, which varies by clinic.

Timing matters as much as cost. Most destination countries and nearly all airlines require the certificate to be issued, or in some cases endorsed, within 10 days of travel, and a few countries set an even shorter window (USDA APHIS, 2026). Any required rabies vaccination generally needs to be current well before that exam, since many countries also set a minimum waiting period after a rabies shot before travel is allowed.

Step-by-Step: Getting a USDA Pet Travel Certificate

1. Look up the exact entry requirements for the destination country or the receiving U.S. state on the USDA APHIS pet travel site, since requirements vary widely by destination.
2. Confirm vaccinations, tests (such as a rabies titer), or treatments early — some countries require these months in advance.
3. Book an exam with a USDA-accredited veterinarian close to the travel date, since most certificates must be dated within 10 days of departure.
4. Have the veterinarian complete Form 7001 or the destination's specific certificate and submit it for USDA APHIS endorsement if the destination requires it.
5. Carry the endorsed original (or the accepted digital version) along with vaccination records when traveling, and check the airline's own pet documentation rules, which can be stricter than the destination country's.

USDA Certificate vs. CDC Dog Import Form: Don't Confuse Outbound With Inbound

A USDA pet travel certificate and a CDC dog import requirement solve two different problems, and travelers frequently mix them up. USDA APHIS Form 7001 is about pets leaving the U.S. or crossing state lines. Getting a dog into the U.S. is governed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a separate federal agency, under rules that changed on August 1, 2024.

Since that date, every dog entering the United States must appear healthy, be at least six months old, carry an ISO-compatible microchip implanted before its rabies vaccination, and be accompanied by a submitted CDC Dog Import Form (CDC, 2024). The form is free, is filled out online by the owner rather than a veterinarian, and CDC recommends submitting it two to ten days before arrival, though it can be completed right before travel (GlobalVetLink, 2024, summarizing CDC's rule). Dogs coming only from countries CDC classifies as dog rabies-free or low-risk in the prior six months generally need just that form and can enter at any airport, seaport, or land border crossing. Dogs from countries CDC classifies as high-risk face extra steps, including a USDA-endorsed export certificate or proof of a U.S.-issued rabies vaccination, entry through a limited set of airports with CDC-registered animal care facilities, and possible quarantine.

The rule has drawn pushback from stakeholders. The American Kennel Club says the 2024 CDC rule “is overly broad and fails to recognize the range of factors that contribute to or mitigate actual risk,” and reports CDC was expected to open new rulemaking in 2025 to revisit it (American Kennel Club, 2025). Because the rule remains under discussion, travelers should check CDC's own dog importation pages close to their travel date rather than relying on older summaries.

USDA Certificate vs. EU Pet Passport: Different Documents, Different Rules

A USDA pet travel certificate is also not interchangeable with an EU pet passport, even though both get called a “pet passport” informally. The EU pet passport is an EU-standard document that an authorized veterinarian issues to EU residents for moving a dog, cat, or ferret between EU member states; it records the microchip or tattoo code, rabies vaccination history, and owner/vet contact details, and stays valid for the pet's life as long as the records are kept current (European Commission, Your Europe). A pet entering the EU from outside the bloc instead needs an EU animal health certificate issued by an official state veterinarian in the country of departure no more than 10 days before EU arrival, valid for six months or until the rabies vaccination expires, whichever comes first (European Commission, Your Europe).

The table below lines up the four documents travelers most often confuse.

Where a Digital Livestock ID Fits — and Where It Doesn't

None of the documents above are what Animal Passport issues, and it's worth being explicit about that so the two aren't confused. Animal Passport is a phone-based digital identity record for livestock, built around muzzle biometrics — a nose print that is as unique to an animal as a fingerprint is to a person. A farmer photographs the animal's muzzle along with a dental photo and a side-profile shot, and the app links that biometric record to the owner, breed, an estimated age with a confidence score, a 1–5 body condition score, and vaccination history.

That kind of record has proven useful in a very different scenario than international pet travel: during livestock flood rescue efforts in Pakistan in August 2025, farmers used it to reclaim animals after paper ear tags had washed away. It is a livestock identification and recovery tool, not a government-issued travel document, and it does not replace a USDA pet travel certificate, a CDC Dog Import Form, or an EU pet passport for anyone moving a dog, cat, or other pet across a border. Readers moving livestock rather than companion pets, or looking for ways to keep animal records intact through a disaster, can find more on the Animal Passport blog.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a USDA pet travel certificate?

It is the common name for APHIS Form 7001, a veterinary health certificate a USDA-accredited veterinarian completes and USDA APHIS may endorse before a pet travels between U.S. states or to another country.

How much does a USDA pet travel certificate cost?

USDA APHIS endorsement fees start at $38 per certificate and increase if the destination requires federal review of test results, plus the veterinarian's separate exam fee (USDA APHIS, 2026).

How soon before travel do I need the certificate?

Most destination countries and airlines require the certificate to be issued or endorsed within 10 days of travel, though some countries set a shorter window (USDA APHIS, 2026).

Is a USDA pet travel certificate the same as an EU pet passport?

No. The USDA certificate is a U.S. federal health document for pets leaving the U.S. or crossing state lines, while the EU pet passport is issued by an EU vet to EU residents for travel within the EU (European Commission).

Do I need anything besides a USDA certificate to bring my dog into the United States?

Yes. Since August 1, 2024, CDC requires every dog entering the U.S. to be accompanied by a submitted CDC Dog Import Form, regardless of any USDA paperwork the trip also requires (CDC, 2024).

Who can sign a USDA pet travel certificate?

Only a USDA-accredited veterinarian can complete Form 7001, and some destination countries additionally require USDA APHIS to endorse it before the pet travels.

What is VEHCS?

VEHCS is USDA's Veterinary Export Health Certification System, an online tool accredited veterinarians use to create, submit, and track export health certificates; some countries still require an original ink-signed paper certificate instead.