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Health Certificates

At Forest Hills Veterinary Clinic, we provide health certificates due to the requirement for interstate transfer of animals in the United States. Learn more below.

Veterinary Services

Health Certificates

If you’re taking your pet out of state or out of the country, they’ll need a pet health certificate to be accepted at their destination. Each destination may have slightly different cat and dog travel regulations, so do your homework to find out your destination’s specific requirements. The USDA’s APHIS website is a wonderful place to start your study. Our veterinarians are USDA qualified to issue your pet’s health certificate for domestic or foreign travel.

Veterinarians must complete additional training in animal transport in order to become USDA-accredited. They are then evaluated by the State Animal Health Official, who issues them an accreditation letter allowing them to do accreditation work in their state.

Steps to Acquire a Health Certificate

Traveling with a cat or dog adds a new level of planning to your trip. Obtaining the correct health certificate that corresponds to the animal import criteria of your destination is an important aspect of your travel preparation. We’re here to assist you at Forest Hills Veterinary Clinic. Here’s how to get a health certificate for traveling with your cat or dog:

1. Check the requirements for bringing animals to your destination. Each country and state has its own animal import regulations. While many states in the United States have identical criteria, Hawaii and Alaska are two exceptions with considerable disparities. Meanwhile, each country will be slightly different due to a variety of circumstances such as the frequency of diseases such as rabies, parasites, and so on. Do some research to figure out what your health certificate should contain.

2. Know when your destination’s health certificate is due. Many nations have strict deadlines for completing specific health certificate services (such as vaccines, bloodwork, and so on) before your departure date. In some countries, the certificate must be issued as soon as 10 days prior to your departure date. Please notify us well in advance of your health certificate deadlines so that we can provide the services you require.

3. If you’re traveling internationally, the USDA may require that the certificate be endorsed. If your destination requires a USDA endorsement, ship your health certificate to the USDA, APHIS, VS, Veterinary Export Trade Services in Austin, TX. Include your pet’s rabies vaccination certificate, import permission, test results (if your destination country requires them), cash for endorsement, and a return mailing label.

4. Check with your airline, train, or ship provider about pet travel rules. Certain requirements may apply that are not covered by the health certificate. Make sure your pet is properly secured in a carrier or harness while traveling by car!