Canada pet travel requirements

Make sure your dog counts as a personal pet

These are the rules for a personal pet: you own the dog, you're the importer, and it will live with you in Canada. A dog brought in to give away, sell, foster, adopt out, breed, show or use for research is a commercial import with other rules (under 8 months: a CFIA import permit and a microchip). Bring papers showing you owned the dog before it entered Canada; officers can ask for them.

Dogs · Except when all of these apply: (Origin group: High-risk country for dog rabies (CFIA))

If the dog travels alone, or with someone else on your behalf, CFIA counts it as unaccompanied: a dog under 8 months then also needs a vet health certificate from an exam within 72 hours before arrival. This plan assumes you travel with your dog.

CFIA sets no limit on how many personal pets you can bring. UK guidance says people bringing 3 or more dogs may be asked to certify that they are personal pets, not for resale.

UK export guidance says Ontario bans bringing in pit bulls. That's a provincial law we haven't checked; ask the province before you travel with one.

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) · Checked Oct 26, 2026

Source: UK Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) · Checked Oct 26, 2026

Make sure your dog counts as a personal pet

Only personal pets can come from this country: you own the dog, you're the importer, and it will live with you in Canada. Since 28 September 2022, Canada refuses commercial dogs of any age from CFIA's high-risk countries for dog rabies, and CFIA issues no permits for them. That covers dogs brought in to give away, sell, foster, adopt out, breed, show or use for research. Bring papers showing you owned the dog before it entered Canada; officers can ask for them.

Dogs · Origin group: High-risk country for dog rabies (CFIA)

If the dog travels alone, or with someone else on your behalf, CFIA counts it as unaccompanied: a dog under 8 months then also needs a vet health certificate from an exam within 72 hours before arrival. This plan assumes you travel with your dog.

CFIA sets no limit on how many personal pets you can bring, but several dogs at once may be questioned as a commercial import.

UK export guidance says Ontario bans bringing in pit bulls. That's a provincial law we haven't checked; ask the province before you travel with one.

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Oct 26, 2026

Source: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) · Checked Oct 26, 2026

Source: UK Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) · Checked Oct 26, 2026

Rabies vaccination certificate

Your dog or cat needs a rabies vaccination that is still valid when you arrive. The certificate must be signed by a licensed vet and show: the animal (age, breed, sex, colour, weight, and microchip or tattoo number if it has one), the owner (for dogs), the vaccination date, the vaccine's trade name and serial number, and how long it's valid. It must be in English or French, or come with an official translation. Dogs must be at least 3 months old when vaccinated. An EU pet passport is accepted if it shows all of this. Canada sets no waiting period after the shot.

Except when all of these apply: (Younger than 3 months on arrival) · Entry pathway: Rabies vaccination certificate

If the certificate gives a validity period (for example 3 years), enter its 'valid until' date. If it doesn't, CFIA counts it as valid for 1 year from the vaccination date.

Pets under 3 months old do not need a rabies vaccination certificate; carry proof of age. The plan omits this step when the known birth date puts the pet under 3 months at arrival.

If the vaccination isn't valid on arrival, the border officer can order you to have the pet vaccinated within a set time, at your cost, and show the record to a CFIA animal health office.

A pet that can't be vaccinated for a documented medical reason needs a CFIA import permit, a vet's letter, a titer of at least 0.5 IU/mL taken in the 6 months before entry, a microchip or tattoo, and a CFIA vet inspection at the first port, booked before you travel.

Certified assistance dogs travelling with their handler are exempt from the rabies vaccination.

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Official translation of the rabies certificate, if it isn't in English or French

A rabies certificate that isn't in English or French must come with an official translation. Use a certified translator, whose seal or stamp shows their membership number in a professional translation association (in Canada or abroad). Otherwise the translation needs an affidavit sworn before a commissioner, notary public or equivalent. Stamps and seals that aren't in English or French must be translated too. You and your family can't do the translation, even if qualified.

Dogs / Cats · Except when all of these apply: (Younger than 3 months on arrival) · Except when all of these apply: (Departure countries/regions: AU, CA, FR, GB, IE, NZ, US, US-HI) · Entry pathway: Rabies vaccination certificate

We show this step based on the country you leave from. Skip it if the certificate is already in English or French; you need it if your pet was vaccinated in a country where it is not.

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Rabies Country-Freedom Certificate from the government vet service

Instead of a rabies vaccination, a dog from a rabies-free country can bring a Rabies Country-Freedom Certificate. It's in English or French, on the official letterhead of the country's government veterinary authority, and signed by an official government vet (or by a vet the authority designates, endorsed by an official vet). It identifies the dog and states that the dog has been in the country since birth or for at least the 6 months before export, and that the country has had no rabies in those 6 months.

Dogs · Except when all of these apply: (Younger than 3 months on arrival) · Except when all of these apply: (Departure countries/regions: GB) · Entry pathway: From a rabies-free country, without vaccination

CFIA gives no validity period or issue window for this certificate; ask the veterinary authority how close to travel it should be issued.

CFIA recommends rabies vaccination for dogs 3 months or older coming to Canada, and some provinces and territories may require it by law.

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Obtain the regular veterinarian’s medical-exemption letter

Your regular licensed veterinarian must explain the specific medical reason the pet cannot be vaccinated; old age alone is not sufficient. Use signed, dated clinic letterhead in English or French identifying the animal, its microchip or tattoo, the owner and the veterinarian. CFIA decides whether to grant the exemption.

Dogs / Cats · Entry pathway: Medical rabies-vaccination exemption (CFIA approval required)

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Confirm the microchip or legible tattoo on every document

For the medical exemption the pet must have a microchip or a legible tattoo. Record the same identifier on the veterinary letter, laboratory report and every accompanying document.

Dogs / Cats · Entry pathway: Medical rabies-vaccination exemption (CFIA approval required)

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Provide the historical rabies vaccination record

The pet must have received at least one rabies vaccination in its life to qualify for the medical exemption. Give the vet the date of that previous vaccination; do not arrange another vaccination against medical advice. The FAVN sample must be at least 30 days after a previous vaccination.

Dogs / Cats · Entry pathway: Medical rabies-vaccination exemption (CFIA approval required)

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Obtain a passing FAVN test for the medical-exemption request

CFIA currently accepts only the Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization (FAVN) test for this exemption. The sample must be within the 6 months before entry and at least 30 days after a prior rabies vaccination, with a result of at least 0.5 IU/mL. The laboratory report must identify the pet and accompany it. A past vaccination does not guarantee a passing result.

Dogs / Cats · Entry pathway: Medical rabies-vaccination exemption (CFIA approval required)

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Request the medical exemption and import permit from CFIA

Send a written exemption request to CFIA’s National Centre for Permissions, with the completed import-permit application, veterinary letter, identification and satisfactory FAVN result. An exemption is discretionary and the permit is issued only if the results are satisfactory. Obtain permission before arranging entry.

Dogs / Cats · Entry pathway: Medical rabies-vaccination exemption (CFIA approval required)

CFIA/ACIA 5860: Application for permit to import live terrestrial animals, hatching eggs, animal semen, embryos and oocytes

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Oct 26, 2026

Book CFIA veterinary inspection at the first Canadian port

A pet granted the medical exemption must be inspected by a CFIA veterinarian at importation. Arrange the inspection at the first port before the pet travels. Confirm staffing, time and the permit conditions with the CFIA office; an ordinary passenger arrival is not an inspection appointment.

Dogs / Cats · Entry pathway: Medical rabies-vaccination exemption (CFIA approval required)

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Check any wild ancestry before importing a hybrid dog or cat

CFIA treats F5-and-later hybrids as domestic. F1–F4 hybrids need an import permit and case-by-case assessment, taking at least 3 months; CITES permits may also be needed. For the personal-pet exception you must have owned the animal for at least 6 months and personally accompany it. A hybrid purchased for import as a pet is not allowed. Contact CFIA before planning travel if this applies.

Dogs / Cats

This step is a check for hybrid ancestry, not a claim that every domestic cat or dog needs a permit. Generation, ownership period and CITES status are not automatic inputs in this plan.

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Declare your pets to the border officer (CBSA) on arrival

Declare every animal when you enter Canada, including family pets. The CBSA officer checks the papers (for dogs and cats, that the rabies certificate is valid and matches the animal) and looks for signs of illness or injury, and may refer the animal to CFIA for an inspection at extra cost. Animals that are undeclared, lack the required papers, seem sick, or are transported inhumanely can be refused entry, seized or held. Carry paper originals of every document. Dogs and cats are not quarantined, and personal pets travelling with their owner need no health certificate or microchip.

Except when all of these apply: (Departure countries/regions: US, US-HI)

Pets that fail the requirements are usually ordered out of Canada, and fines or prosecution are possible.

Source: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) · Checked Oct 26, 2026

Source: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) · Checked Oct 26, 2026

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Declare your pets to the border officer (CBSA) on arrival

Declare every animal when you enter Canada, including family pets. The CBSA officer checks the papers (for dogs and cats, that the rabies certificate is valid and matches the animal) and looks for signs of illness or injury, and may refer the animal to CFIA for an inspection at extra cost. Animals that are undeclared, lack the required papers, seem sick, or are transported inhumanely can be refused entry, seized or held. Carry paper originals of every document.

Departure countries/regions: US, US-HI

Pets that fail the requirements are usually ordered out of Canada, and fines or prosecution are possible.

Source: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) · Checked Oct 26, 2026

Source: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) · Checked Oct 26, 2026

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Present the medical-exemption documents for CFIA inspection

At the pre-arranged first port, present the pet, CFIA permission/import permit, veterinary letter and laboratory report to the CFIA veterinarian. Check before departure that your home or onward country will allow an unvaccinated pet back.

Dogs / Cats · Entry pathway: Medical rabies-vaccination exemption (CFIA approval required)

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026