How to Bring Your Pet with You to Canada
Many people ask how to bring your pet to Canada along with you. Because each country has its own laws and rules for importing animals.
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Rules about bringing your pets to Canada
- World Organization for Animal Health
- Kittens under three months are exempt from import regulations
- Dog- bringing Policy
- Canada Border Services Agency
- Importing birds
Introduction to How to Bring Your Pet with You to Canada
Rules about bringing your pets to Canada:
- There are some rules for importing
-personal pets
– commercial pets
-non-traditional pets (ducks and sheep)
-animal products
according to the National Animal Health Program by Canadian Border Services Agency and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. - Non- traditional pets have the same level of disease risks as farmed animals. So they are under the import requirements including testing and quarantine before entering Canada.
- A list of animals and their import requirements can be found on the Government of Canada website.
World Organization for Animal Health
Traveling to Canada in terms of transporting personal pets from a country that is officially listed in the OIE Terrestrial Animal health code will have different standards than coming from a non- listed country.
For cats and dogs entering Canada from a disease- free country, the quarantine period is no longer required as long as you have a veterinary certificate with the following information.
- Be written in English or French.
- Be issued and signed by a licensed veterinarian.
- Identify the animal (breed, sex color, weight).
- State that the animal has been in the exporting country since birth or for at least six months. (Immediately preceding shipment to Canada)
- Be accompanied by documentations from a competent government authority. It should be stating that rabies that not occurred in the country of origin. (at least six months immediately preceding the animal’s shipment to Canada)
Kittens under three months are exempt from import regulations
Having microchip and tattoo identification is not a requirement for personal owned cats and dogs unless you plan to bring a dog less than 8 months for the purpose of sale, breeding, displaying or scientific research, in addition to the dogs in” a special training condition” and dogs for adoption or an animal welfare organization in which they must be all identified by electronic chip
Dog- bringing Policy
- Can you take a dog into Canada?
- Can I bring my dog food to Canada?
- Can I travel with my dog to Canada without a health certificate?
So many questions asked and proposed by travelers coming to Canada about bringing animals to Canada especially dogs.
Imported dogs into Canada must have all necessary vaccinations according to the age. Dogs are less than 3 months at the time of import do not need to be vaccinated against rabies.
However, the proof of the dog’s age must be provided upon request. If you are traveling from a country that is not classified as disease- free in Canada, your animal may still be allowed to enter Canada as long as you have a recent rabies vaccination certificate. All the rabies vaccination certificates must contain all of the following information:
- Identify the animal (breed, sex, color, and weight).
- Indicate the date of vaccination.
- Specify the duration of immunity (otherwise, it will be considered valid for one year from the date of vaccination).
- Be issued and signed by a licensed veterinarian.
- Indicate the trade name and the serial number of the licensed vaccine.
- Be written in English or French.
Canada does not require a waiting period between the time that an animal is vaccinated against rabies and the time the animal is imported into Canada
Canada Border Services Agency
- Dogs and cats imported into Canada will undergo a documentation inspection by Canada Border Services Agency. That is to ensure that they are up to date with their vaccinations and match the animals’ description.
- During the visual examination, the CBSA ensures that there are no visible signs of illnesses.
- In some cases, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency demands a dogs and cats’ check which costs some fees.
Importing birds
- Canada allows importing pet birds accompanying their owners. That is allowed in condition of providing the requirements of importing from the country they travel from. Some restrictions of import are designed to protect Canada from risks associated with.
- Restrictions are enforced on import pet birds due to the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) by the CFIA.
- Some animals including livestock require inspection by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at borders. In most cases the examination must be completed by a Canadian Food Inspection Agency veterinarian upon the arrival in Canada.
- It is the responsibility of the importer to arrange an examination appointment. It should be at least 24 hours before the expected arrival of the animal at the port of entry. That ensures a veterinarian is available for examination and reduces delays.
- You should also know that pest and disease situations change regularly. So, the requirements and rules of importing animals can be modified at any time.
After knowing about how to bring your pets to Canada, have you ever brought your pets to Canada with you?
For more information, watch the following video,
