Travel
Health Certificates and Travel
Domestic and international pet health certificates from a clinic where every veterinarian is USDA APHIS-certified to issue one.
Chapter 01
The ten-day window for a domestic health certificate
Flying with a pet inside the United States requires a Pet Health Certificate dated within ten days of departure. That short window exists so the certificate reflects your pet's condition close to travel day, not a snapshot from weeks earlier, and it means the appointment has to be booked with the trip in mind, not as an afterthought the week before.
Requirements can differ by where you're flying to, so we recommend verifying the destination's own rabies requirements before the appointment, alongside the airline's own paperwork rules.
A cat looking out of its carrier on the exam table at Rose-Rich Veterinary Clinic.
Six months of notice for international travel
International travel runs on a longer clock. We ask that an international health certificate be requested at least six months ahead of departure, because the certificate has to be endorsed by a USDA Veterinary Services office and, like the domestic certificate, dated within ten days of departure. Every veterinarian at Rose-Rich is USDA APHIS-certified to issue an international health certificate, so the paperwork is handled on Thompson Road from the exam through the endorsement.
Six months sounds like a long lead time for a single form, but between the exam, any required testing, and the USDA endorsement itself, it is the realistic runway for the certificate to be ready and dated correctly by the time you fly.
Microchipping and the safety-collar rule
We recommend microchipping before any trip, domestic or international, as a second form of identification that stays with your pet if a collar or tag comes off along the way. For the trip itself, use a plain safety collar only. No choke, pinch or training collar should go on a pet during travel.
Rose-Rich, All of our veterinarians are members of the AVMA. Call (281) 342-3727.
Certificate timelines
Domestic vs. international
Domestic air travel
Book within 10 days of departure
A Pet Health Certificate dated within ten days of departure. Verify your destination's own rabies requirements before you fly.
International travel
Request 6 months ahead
An international health certificate, endorsed by a USDA Veterinary Services office and dated within ten days of departure. Every Rose-Rich veterinarian is USDA APHIS-certified to issue one.
Travel tips
Before you go
- Microchip your pet. A microchip stays with your pet even if a collar or tag comes off during travel.
- Use a safety collar only. No choke, pinch or training collar for the trip.
Planning a trip with your pet?
Call the Thompson Road clinic to schedule a health certificate appointment, or send a message and we will get back to you.