Health Certificates
Preparing for travel can be a hassle, but it’s important to have all of your bases covered before you leave—especially if you’re taking your pet with you!
A Health Certificate shows that your pet meets all of the health requirements of the place you will be visiting. You will need to have your pet vaccinated and begin researching the required tests for your travels as soon as possible. The USDA-APHIS office state veterinarian issued health certificate needs to be completed within exact time frame based on the state’s or country’s destination requirements. Please note that Hawaii’s health certificate requirements are similar to an international health certificate.
Please note that most health certificates are valid only for 10 days while some are valid for longer. Make sure to keep this in mind when choosing which date to book your appointment, and keep in mind that appointments frequently book out days or even weeks in advance.
Please follow the list below to prepare for your pet's health certificate appointment:
1. Review the requirements for pet travel to the place you will be travelling to. The requirements can be found through the USDA Pet Travel website (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel). Berkeley Dog & Cat Hospital’s role is to complete the certificate and provide the vaccines needed, however, it is your responsibility to understand the requirements and make sure they are met in the correct time-frame for travel.
2. Contact your airlines to inquire if they have any further travel requirements, including specific vaccines or forms that need to be completed.
3. Fill out this form online: https://form.jotform.com/dvmforms/BDCHtravel-certificate-appointment
4. Call the hospital to make an appointment. International health certificate appointments will take 1 hour per pet. National health certificate appointments will take 30 minutes (except for Hawaii, which is also 1 hour). Most health certificates are valid for 10 days and take 1-3 business days to be processed by USDA, so be sure to plan your health certificate appointment and travel date accordingly.
COST:
- Domestic health certificates: $180 + exam
- International and Hawaii Health Certificates: $395 + exam
costs do not include vaccines that may need to be provided.
3. Bring with you to the appointment:
- Your full name, current address, and phone number
- The name of your travel destination (person, hotel, etc.), address, and phone number
- The date your pet will be travelling, method of transportation, and port of entry
- All previous records from other veterinary clinics
- Many health certificates require an original signed rabies certificate and the exact date of microchip implantation. If these were not performed at Berkeley Dog and Cat Hospital and are required for your pet's travel you must bring these forms and dates with you to your pet's appointment.
At the appointment we will perform an exam to ensure your pet is healthy for travel, fill out the Health Certificate, and submit it to the USDA. The health certificate will then be processed through the USDA Sacramento office, which typically takes 1-3 business days.
When it is finalized you can either pick it up in person or it can be overnight mailed to your home address. If you would like to have the health certificate overnight mailed to you from Sacramento, you can either purchase a pre-paid self-addressed overnight shipping label from Fedex or we can provide one here.
We are here to help facilitate the pet travel process and to fill out the required forms, but it is your responsibility to make sure all requirements are met for travel so please come to your appointment prepared!