Import Health Requirements of Mexico for Dogs and Cats Exported from the United States United States Department of Agriculture
go to original April 15, 2017

Many of our readers have experienced delays and problems at the Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit International Airport (PVR) when bringing in dogs and cats from the United States. Following is the recently published Health Requirements for Animals as printed from the United States Department of Agriculture:

According to the Mexican regulations, only dogs and cats are classified as pets.

There are two options for obtaining a health certificate for pets. The animals shall be accompanied by either:

OPTION B::
A health certificate issued and signed by an accredited veterinarian on their letterhead certificate that includes the accreditation number of the signing veterinarian. The certificate must be issued
within 10 days of export. This certificate does not need to be endorsed by USDA. There is no charge from USDA for this option.

OPTION A:
An APHIS Form 7001 health certificate (HC) issued and signed by a USDA accredited veterinarian within 10 days prior to export. The certification statements (below) need to be included on or with the 7001. The two statements should be in English and Spanish. The 7001 must be signed and endorsed by a USDA Veterinary Services veterinarian. Mexico will reject VS Form 7001 health certificates if they are not signed by an accredited veterinarian and endorsed by a Veterinary Services veterinarian. USDA will charge a fee for this option. All health certificates must be type written or done in word processor or computer. The number of the health certificate must be also type written or in a word processor or computer. Hand written documents will be rejected.

Mexico, Pet Dogs and Cats Protocol

The Health Certificate must contain the following information:

The HC must contain the name and address of the importer and exporter. When the exporter and importer is the owner, the home address and the destination address of the owner of the pet must be given.

The following certification statements must be included on the HC:

1. Animal/s has been vaccinated against rabies. Indicate the vaccination and expiration dates of the rabies vaccine. Animals younger than three months are exempted from this requirement.

2. Animals were inspected and found clinically healthy prior to export.

3. The animals were treated against ectoparasite and endoparasite in a period not longer than 6 months.

Special requirements for dogs and cats residing in the border zone: States of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas

a) Pets traveling between the United States and Mexico will be allowed with a HC endorsed by Veterinary Services or a HC issued and signed by a licensed veterinarian residing at the border zone of the U.S. or Mexico. In this case the licensed veterinarian must use his letterhead and must write his license number in the certificate.

b) The health certificate will be valid for 6 months.

(Original and copy of all paperwork is normally required)

Other Requirements

Personnel from the Office of Animal Health, Aquaculture, and Fishery will inspect the animals and documents. Pets with external parasites will be treated by a private veterinarian chosen by the pet owner who will pay for the cost of the treatment. At inspection, animal cages must be clean. After inspection, the attending official will disinfect animal cages without cost.

To comply with dispositions established in Article 24, 32 and 89 of the Federal Law of Animal Health, the importer must present the health certificate at the port of entry. The health certificate must meet the requirements of this Zoosanitary Requirement Sheet (HRZ) and must contain the identification of the pets and destination of the shipment.

Compliance with the sanitary requirements indicated in this document does not exempt the importer of presenting documents required by other authorities.

Because representatives in the different airports of Mexico may quote other local requirements, it may be a good idea to print out the original USDA publication (it is in English and Spanish) and take it along with your paperwork. Read the original at USDA.

Read related: Doggy Due Diligence Into or Out of Vallarta-Nayarit