IHCs

The process and pricing

The process for obtaining an international health certificate (“IHC”) can be cumbersome and often requires significant planning. The requirements for each country differ from country-to-country, and the requirements can change without notice, which means we must check in periodically to ensure we’re still on course for meeting all the requirements. Due to the nature of this service, it is charged out differently than other medical services we provide at Hunters Glen Veterinary Hospital (“HGVH”).
For international health certificates, there is an initial fee to get started. We will review the medical records for your pet and cross-reference them to the requirements provided to the USDA by your destination country. This initial fee for having HGVH research requirements and to collect all the necessary medical records is $58. Thereafter the health certificate process with be billable per quarter-hour increments and will be documented thoroughly in your pet’s medical records. Billable services include:

Any communications in reference to the IHC with you, the USDA, destination country, prior veterinarians, reference labs, or other third-party required to ensure an accurate health certificate.
Time spent filling out the health certificate(s), and any other necessary forms (such as air travel letters or annexes required by the receiving government).
Periodic check-ins to the USDA website to ensure the requirements haven’t changed and we’re still on the right course.

Billable services are charged in 15-minute increments at a rate of $122 per hour (or $30.50 per 15 minutes). Any amount of time more than 30 seconds will be rounded up to the 15-minute mark.

Step-by-step behind the scenes
When we receive a request for an international health certificate, we:

Research the destination country’s requirements for entry
- These requirements are provided to the USDA by the destination country. Requirements are not negotiable, and we cannot issue the certificate without following the destination-county instructions.
Collect all applicable medical records to evaluate what is needed to make your pet eligible to travel to the destination country
- Some examples of what we may look for (this list is not exhaustive, nor does it reflect the requirements for every country):
  - ISO compliant microchip placement
  - Rabies vaccinations and/or titer testing
  - Endo- and Ectoparasite prevention/treatment
Establish an appropriate timeline for all services due and issuance of health certificate
- Depending on the destination country’s requirements and when you’re leaving, we will need to provide specific services at specific times. (Certain countries require tests such as the FAVN test that can take up to a month to get the results.)
Repeat steps 1-3 as needed to ensure the health certificate will be endorsed.

A couple things to note:
We will do our best to accurately complete all health certificates and to provide all documentation that is necessary for travel with your pet based on the information provided to us by you and the USDA, but we cannot guarantee the success of your pet’s international transportation or acceptance into the destination country. We cannot accept responsibility for any expenses if you or your pet’s travel is delayed or denied.

What we will need from you today:

*PLEASE NOTE: It is vital that you ensure spelling and accuracy of the information you provide. It will be directly copied into the certificate, so any inaccuract information, typos, and/or misspellings may prevent or delay endorsement by the USDA. This may result in additional charges for correction.

Full name of the person traveling with the pet (as it appears on the passport)*

First NameLast Name

Address where the pet is staying now*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code

Phone number of the person traveling*

Please enter a valid phone number.

Email address of the person traveling*

example@example.com

Destination country*

Destination address (full address, please)*

Date of travel (if the ticket is not yet booked, please tell us the approximate date)*

Airline information (if ticket is booked; if not, leave this blank)

Number of pets you plan to travel with:*

Name of your pet(s):*

Prior veterinarian information (please list every hospital you have taken your pet to!)*

Is your pet microchipped?*

YESNOUNSURE

Is your pet current on Rabies*

YESNOUNSURE

Is your pet current on parasite prevention (for fleas, ticks, heartworms, and/or intestinal parasites)*

YESNOUNSURE

By submitting this form, I, First Name* Last Name*, acknowledge that I have read all the above information and agree to the terms within. I understand that the initial fee for this service is $58.00, and time spent on documentation and follow-up will be billed in 15-minute increments of $30.50 ($122/hour). FURTHERMORE, I understand HGVH will not begin research until the $58.00 is invoiced out.

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CERTIFICATES