Health Certificates

Moving across the state or country can be chaotic and incredibly stressful. If you're moving out of the country, that can cause near panic attack levels of anxiety. In all that chaos and stress, it's easy to forget or to not even realize how much preparation must go into moving your pet with you.

Traveling and moving with your pets will usually have the same requirements and are all dependant on your final destination and method of travel. If you are traveling by car throughout the continental US, you may not need a health certificate, but it would be a good idea to travel with your pet's records and Rabies certificate. If you are flying or traveling internationally, a health certificate will most likely be required, please call 1-3 months prior to traveling to get the requirements. Travel to rabies free destinations has even more extensive requirements and the process should begin well in advance of travel. We recommend starting the health certificate process 12-18 months prior to traveling.

For all health certificates, we will need your current address and phone number as well as the address and phone number of your destination. All international health certificates must be endorsed by the USDA within ten days of travel. You can either over-night your completed health certificate along with a pre-paid envelope to the USDA office in Lansing or you can schedule an appointment to drive your health certificate there to be endorsed. With all the details that go into traveling/moving it can be easy to miss something along the way. Let our experienced staff help you to make your pet's travels as quick, comfortable, and stress-free as possible.

For more information on travel requirements and endorsing your paperwork, please visit https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/importexport/animal-import-and-export