Wanderlust World Wanderlust World When one travels with pets, it's never an easy procedure, especially on airlines within the United States. It's even more complicated when you take them along on flights overseas. Should you decide to do this rather than keep them at home, you'll have to take time to get certification proving your pet is healthy enough to enter a foreign country. Possible quarantines and other health forms are also part of the realities of traveling overseas with your pet.
Contact the embassy in the foreign country you'll be visiting with your pet to find out whether you'll need to get a health certificate, proof of vaccinations or face quarantining your pet for a time (see Resource 1). In Europe, most pets can enter with the health certificate form confirming it is free of rabies or other diseases.
Talk to your local veterinarian here in the U.S. about obtaining a health certificate, otherwise known as the United States Interstate and International Certificate of Health Examination for Small Animals. It's also called APHIS Form 7001 for short.
Check to make sure your vet has an APHIS accreditation. If not, locate one in your area (see Resource 2). Only an accredited veterinarian can check out your pet and officially sign an APHIS form for you to take overseas. Accredited vets are generally located in one or two major cities within each U.S. state.
In many Asian countries and Australia, your pet is more apt to be quarantined, sometimes up to months. If you will be traveling to a country that requires quarantine, follow all of the guidelines as to actions required beforehand, such as the timing of vaccinations.