Overview

If you are planning on traveling by plane, boat, or car with your pet to another state within the United States, your pet may require a domestic health certificate.

Why Does My Cat or Dog Need a Domestic Travel Certificate?

Health certificates are federal documents that indicate your pet is healthy to travel and won’t pose a health risk to other pets or people. Animal health requirements may differ state to state; even airlines may have their own pet travel requirements.

Please check with your airline and the states you’re traveling to see if they require a health certificate. We highly recommend checking:

USDA | APHIS United States Department of Agriculture

When Should I Start the Process?

Since animal health requirements may differ between states and airlines, we encourage you to contact our accredited veterinary practice to obtain a health certificate as soon as your travel dates are solidified.

It is important to note that a pet must be at least eight weeks old and fully weaned before traveling. Again, we highly recommend looking at the APHIS website for specific information. The process should be started early to allow time for meeting requirements.

How Can I Obtain a Domestic Health Certificate For My Pet?

First, check with your airline and destination states to see if a travel health certificate is required.

If a certificate is required, your pet must have a passing health exam and up-to-date rabies vaccinations to travel. If all of these requirements are met, we will issue a travel certificate for your pet.

We will work with you to determine your needs, based on your travel destination. Since requirements differ by each state and airline, we encourage you to gather information as early as possible.

Learn More