Pet Travel & Health Certificates

Our doctors are USDA-certified to produce documentation for international and domestic travel.
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​​​​​​​INTERNATIONAL and HAWAII
We strongly suggest that you initiate this process at least 8 weeks before you plan to travel. Sometimes a rabies titer is required, which can take over four weeks to be returned to us. Before an appointment can be made for international travel, excluding Canada, we must receive the EXACT destination address and the planned date of travel. Health certificates require research by our veterinarians, after which clients will be contacted to set up appointment dates and receive further instructions.

What to expect when you call us for an International Health Certificate:

• You will be asked to pre-pay a nonrefundable document preparation fee for the doctor to research your travel needs.

• You will be asked to email us the exact destination to which you are traveling, including street name and number, state or province, country and postal codes, and port of entry, if applicable. If you are not a current client, please include your name, address, phone number and email. Our email is supportstaff@centreanimalhospital.com.

• If you require a rabies titer, the doctor will contact you to set that up before scheduling your appointment.

• Many countries require a microchip before you can bring in a pet. The 15-digit ISO pet microchip is the world standard, and if you are traveling to an EU country and your pet has a 9- or 10-digit microchip, you must have a 15-digit pet microchip implanted or you will need to carry your own microchip scanner. We offer the 15-digit ISO microchip.

• The doctor will contact you to schedule a date for your appointment. Typically, these appointments require one hour.

Steps to Obtain an International Health Certificate

Use Fees – Charges for Health Certificate Endorsement

Our local office is:
USDA-APHIS-National Import Export Services
2300 Vartan Way, Suite 250
Harrisburg, PA 17110
717-540-2770

General email contact: CustomerServiceCallCenter@aphis.usda.gov

CANADA
Pets traveling to Canada need a signed rabies certificate that covers the entire duration of the travel. If you will be in Canada past the time your pet’s rabies certificate expires, you will need to see a Canadian veterinarian to get the vaccination before returning to the U.S.

DOMESTIC (Within the continental United States, Alaska, and Puerto Rico)
Pets traveling within the U.S. need a general health certificate which must be issued within 10 days of the date of travel. A veterinarian must see the pet within this time frame to certify it is disease-free. Pets must be up to date on vaccines (or be brought up to date). Please give us at least a week’s notice when you need a domestic health certificate so that we can fit you into our schedule.