Veterinary ServicePet Health Certificates

Pet Health Certificates

A pet health certificate is an official document that one of our veterinarians will fill out after examining your pet thoroughly. Our health certificate veterinarians are licensed and USDA-approved. The document will contain specific information about your pet, such as breed, age, microchip, etc. It also verifies that your pet is disease-free and identifies all of your pet’s immunizations. Many commercial airlines may require a pet health certificate (one for each pet flying). The time range in which a health certificate must be received varies by airline, so please verify with the airline you are using early to guarantee your journey will not be delayed. While you are arranging your trip, check with the airlines to see if any further paperwork is required; some will have their own documents in addition to a certificate of veterinary examination.

Health Certificates for Dogs and Cats

ABC Veterinary Hospital Pacific Beach veterinarians are USDA-accredited to issue health certificates for pets for both interstate and international travel. If you plan to travel with your pet outside of California or to another country, then you’ll need a USDA-certified certificate of veterinary inspection, also called a health certificate. This proves to border, customs, and airline officials that your pet meets all their travel requirements and is fit to travel without infecting other pets or people, and also certifies that your pet won’t introduce new diseases or parasites to another state or country.

Obtaining a health certificate can be a lengthy process, and we recommend contacting us as soon as you know your travel plans.

Check requirements from home
Pet owners are responsible for ensuring their pets meet all the requirements of the states and/or countries they plan to visit and the airlines they’ll be flying. Prior to your pet’s certification appointment, we recommend visiting your airline’s website to view a list of their unique requirements and also visiting the USDA animal certification website to view requirements for states and countries.