VIP Animal Hospital is federally accredited to administer and sign travel certificates, also known as health certificates, for your pets. Traveling is already stressful, so making sure your pet is healthy before you leave is one stressor we can take off your plate.
An up-to-date travel certificate confirms that your pet has met all the standards imposed by your travel destination, which can range from booster vaccinations to microchips.
You must get your travel certificate a minimum of 10 days before your date of travel. It’s also important to keep the number of necessary boosters and vaccinations in mind for your pet, as they often need to be administered at least 6 months before you travel.
Before Your Appointment
Make sure you check each of these items off your list when preparing for your pet’s travel certificate appointment:
- Review the requirements for your pet to travel to your chosen destination
- Contact your airlines to confirm all the rules, restrictions, and regulations regarding travel with your pet
- Contact the veterinary hospital to schedule the appointment with timings in mind. Certificates are valid for 10 days and can take between 1 and 3 business days to issue.
- Bring appropriate documentation to the appointment: contact details, previous records from all veterinary clinics, the date your pet will be traveling, the method of transportation, port of entry, name of your travel destination, microchip and rabies certificates
Travel certificates are necessary for pets so that they can come and go from the United States. It is important for owners to understand that if their animals do not have travel certificates, they could be denied entry into certain countries at airports or other ports of entry (POEs).
During Your Appointment
During the exam, your vet will check your pet’s health and review their medical history to make sure they meet all the necessary criteria. Depending on the country that you are traveling to, the USDA will either issue the certificate electronically and our veterinary clinic will print it out for you, or they will ship the certificate to us overnight.
Our VIP Animal Hospital team is here to facilitate the process and ensure that all required forms are completed. If you have an upcoming trip, reach out to us today to find out more about travel certificates and documentation.