A pet health certificate for travel is a document signed by a vet after examining your pet, stating it is healthy enough to travel and meets the destination's rules. Domestic trips may need a certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI). International trips usually need a USDA-accredited vet and USDA endorsement. Many airlines want it issued within 10 days.
Key facts
- USDA APHIS doesn't regulate pet owners moving pets between US states. The destination state sets the rules.
- For international travel, a USDA-accredited vet issues the certificate and submits it to APHIS for endorsement. For many destinations, APHIS accepts electronic signatures and digital endorsement.
- Delta Cargo, American (checked pets) and Qatar Airways (hold) want a health certificate issued within 10 days of travel.
- Hawaii requires one issued within 14 days of arrival. Canada doesn't require one for pet dogs over 8 months or pet cats.
- CDC doesn't require a general health certificate for pets entering the US.
What is a health certificate for a dog?
It's an official form your vet fills in after a physical exam. It identifies your pet, records its vaccinations (rabies in particular), and confirms it showed no signs of infectious disease when examined. For international trips, it also certifies the specific tests or treatments the destination country asks for.
A health certificate isn't the same as a rabies certificate or a vaccine record. You may need all three, and some destinations ask only for the rabies certificate.
What is a CVI for travel?
CVI stands for certificate of veterinary inspection. It's the name most US states use for the health certificate that goes with an animal across state lines. APHIS says it doesn't regulate owners moving their own pets between states: each receiving state or territory sets its own rules, which may include a health certificate, up-to-date vaccines, tests or treatments.
- Use the destination drop-down on APHIS's state-to-state pet travel page, or contact that state's animal health official.
- Your regular vet can usually help. APHIS points pet owners to their local vet for interstate travel.
- Following the 2026 New World screwworm detections in the US, Hawaii now says any CVI must include a statement that the animals were inspected and found free of screwworm. Other states may add similar wording.
How do I get an international health certificate for my pet?
- Look up the destination. APHIS's Pet Travel site has a page for each country. Rules change, so check every time you travel.
- Find a USDA-accredited vet. Not every vet is accredited. APHIS has an online search for accredited vets. Contact one as soon as you decide to travel, because some countries need tests or vaccines weeks or months in advance.
- Book the exam inside the timing window. The destination and your airline set how recent the certificate must be.
- Get it endorsed. Your vet submits the certificate to APHIS for endorsement, usually electronically through the Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS). An electronically endorsed certificate can be printed and doesn't need to be mailed back. It must travel with your pet.
If your dog will visit a country on CDC's high-risk rabies list, your accredited vet must also submit a Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination for USDA endorsement before you leave. It can't be issued after your dog has left. See bringing a dog into the US for the return rules.
How long is a pet health certificate valid for travel?
There is no single national rule. The validity comes from your destination and your airline, and you have to meet whichever is shortest. Some published windows:
| Who | When the certificate must be issued |
|---|---|
| Delta Cargo (military and Foreign Service only) | Within 10 days of travel, by a USDA-accredited vet |
| American Airlines checked pets (military and Foreign Service only) | Within 10 days of travel; for the return, within 60 days on the same ticket or within 10 days on a separate ticket |
| Qatar Airways, pets in the hold | Within 10 days of travel |
| Hawaii (state rule) | Within 14 days of arrival; some airlines want 10 days |
| Canada, pet dogs under 8 months travelling without their owner | Within 72 hours of arrival in Canada |
| Mexico, dogs (per Delta, from August 3, 2026) | Screwworm inspection certificate issued no more than 5 days before arrival |
When in doubt, aim for an exam within 10 days of your flight. That meets most airline rules, but always check the destination too.
Do I need a health certificate for my dog to fly?
It depends on the route and the airline.
- Domestic cabin flights: usually not, for the airline. Frontier says it doesn't need one for domestic cabin pets but your destination state may. Allegiant doesn't require one.
- Pets in the hold or cargo: usually yes, typically issued within 10 days. Read flying pets in cargo for which airlines still take pets in the hold.
- International flights: almost always, based on the destination. Delta accepts pets outside the contiguous US only if you have all required documents. Alaska tells international travelers to research the health and vaccination documents their destination needs.
- Hawaii: yes, always. See bringing a dog to Hawaii.
Bring the original to the airport and keep copies. Airlines check documents at check-in, and Hawaii won't release a pet without the original certificate.
What should be on my dog's vaccine record?
For travel, the rabies certificate matters most. Hawaii, for example, wants each rabies certificate to show the vaccine name, lot or serial number, booster interval, vaccination date and expiration date, signed by a licensed vet. For Canada, APHIS says the certificate must show the vaccination date and the type of vaccine.
Ask your vet for signed originals before you travel, and check that your pet's microchip number matches across every document. Hawaii accepts only originals signed in ink, not photocopies.
How much does a pet health certificate cost?
Vets set their own exam and paperwork fees, so prices vary. APHIS also charges for endorsing international certificates: as of October 2026, $101 per certificate when no lab tests are needed, and $160 to $275 with lab tests, plus a small charge for each additional pet. ADA service dogs aren't charged. Destination fees, such as Hawaii's $185 to $244 quarantine program fee, are separate.
Questions people ask
What is a health certificate for dogs?
A form signed by a vet after an exam, confirming your dog's identity, vaccinations and fitness to travel. International versions are issued by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by USDA APHIS.
Is a CVI the same as a health certificate?
Yes, for travel within the US. CVI (certificate of veterinary inspection) is the term states use for the health certificate that goes with an animal across state lines.
Can any vet sign an international health certificate?
No. For most international trips it must be issued by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by APHIS. APHIS has an online search for accredited vets.
Can I get a pet health certificate online?
Your vet still has to examine your pet. The online part is endorsement: accredited vets can submit international certificates to APHIS electronically, and the endorsed certificate can be printed.
Does my cat need a health certificate to fly?
The same airline and destination rules apply to cats. Canada doesn't need one for pet cats, only a rabies certificate for cats 3 months and older.
Sources
- USDA APHIS: Pet travel
- USDA APHIS: Taking a pet from the U.S. to another country
- USDA APHIS: Pet travel within the U.S.
- USDA APHIS: Pet travel from the United States to Canada
- USDA APHIS: Find a USDA-accredited veterinarian
- USDA APHIS: Cost to endorse your pet's health certificate
- CDC: Bringing a cat into the United States
- Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity: Animal quarantine information page
- Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity: Checklist 1
- Delta Air Lines: Shipping your pet
- Delta Air Lines: Pet travel overview
- American Airlines: Traveling with pets
- Alaska Airlines: Pets traveling internationally
- Qatar Airways: Travelling with animals
- Frontier Airlines: Traveling with pets
- Allegiant Air: Traveling with pets
