The hardest part about traveling as a cat isn't being put into a bag and carried around like luggage. It's the paperwork. At least that's what the hooman told me. I wouldn't know, I don't have to sign any of the paperwork.
Requirements for domestic animals coming from the United States are less strict than other types of animals. Most countries consider the following to be domestic pets: Cats, dogs, ferrets, rabbits, some reptiles. Even if you are taking a pet for leisure and not commercial reasons, it is still possible that the country you are trying to go to will not accept any animal of any kind.
For our trip we specifically looked at requirements for the Schengen States. Our first trip abroad was to Austria and then the Netherlands. The Schengen States are 27 countries which have little control between their borders. They all keep the same entry requirements for many countries and so the assumption is that if you and your cat are in a Schengen State it was their responsibility to check that your paperwork is in order.
In other words once we landed in Austria from the U.S. they checked all of our paperwork. However, when we landed in the Netherlands from Austria they didn't check anything because Austria had already done that.
So what is all this paperwork I keep referencing?
Requirements for domestic animals coming from the United States are less strict than other types of animals. Most countries consider the following to be domestic pets: Cats, dogs, ferrets, rabbits, some reptiles. Even if you are taking a pet for leisure and not commercial reasons, it is still possible that the country you are trying to go to will not accept any animal of any kind.
For our trip we specifically looked at requirements for the Schengen States. Our first trip abroad was to Austria and then the Netherlands. The Schengen States are 27 countries which have little control between their borders. They all keep the same entry requirements for many countries and so the assumption is that if you and your cat are in a Schengen State it was their responsibility to check that your paperwork is in order.
In other words once we landed in Austria from the U.S. they checked all of our paperwork. However, when we landed in the Netherlands from Austria they didn't check anything because Austria had already done that.
So what is all this paperwork I keep referencing?
Before you can go to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services you need to make sure that you have checked the entry requirements of the country for your animal. Almost every country that will accept your animal will want a rabies certificate, which means your animal will have to get a rabies shot. If the rabies shot requires a booster then you will have to wait one month after the booster before you can travel.
A lot of people get tripped up on this step. If your pet receives the rabies shot on May 1st and the rabies booster on May 15th then your pet can not travel for 30 days following the booster shot and not 30 days following the initial rabies shot. So your pet would not be able to travel until June 16th and not June 1st.
Even after you have the rabies shot and the certificate saying when the shot was administered you should pay attention to the expiration rules. Some countries will not allow your pet into the country if the rabies shot expires within two months of leaving. So even if the rabies shot is still valid until June 1st there are some nations that will not accept a rabies shot that expires June 1st any later than April 1st.
A lot of people get tripped up on this step. If your pet receives the rabies shot on May 1st and the rabies booster on May 15th then your pet can not travel for 30 days following the booster shot and not 30 days following the initial rabies shot. So your pet would not be able to travel until June 16th and not June 1st.
Even after you have the rabies shot and the certificate saying when the shot was administered you should pay attention to the expiration rules. Some countries will not allow your pet into the country if the rabies shot expires within two months of leaving. So even if the rabies shot is still valid until June 1st there are some nations that will not accept a rabies shot that expires June 1st any later than April 1st.
We were lucky the second time we went to the Schengen States. My rabies vaccination expired ten days after we returned to the United States. However, there are other countries outside of the Schengen region that would not have allowed me entry with the expiration date being so soon after our trip.
So now that you have your rabies certificate, what else do you need? You need a microchip! If the microchip is implanted in your animal after the rabies shot, then you need to wait a month after the implementation before you leave the country.
Any additional shots that your vet recommends should also be administered. You should have a booklet known as a pet passport where all records of vaccinations are kept. This booklet is informal in the United States and is not equal to an actual pet passport like they have in the European Union, but it does keep a record of all vaccines and microchip information. This booklet is important, but you should also keep copies of all the documentation for the vaccines in the book.
So if the book lists the rabies vaccine, also make sure you have the paperwork for the vaccine, not just the information for it. The same should be done for other vaccines like feline herpes, etc. (or whatever your animal needs!).
So now that you have your rabies certificate, what else do you need? You need a microchip! If the microchip is implanted in your animal after the rabies shot, then you need to wait a month after the implementation before you leave the country.
Any additional shots that your vet recommends should also be administered. You should have a booklet known as a pet passport where all records of vaccinations are kept. This booklet is informal in the United States and is not equal to an actual pet passport like they have in the European Union, but it does keep a record of all vaccines and microchip information. This booklet is important, but you should also keep copies of all the documentation for the vaccines in the book.
So if the book lists the rabies vaccine, also make sure you have the paperwork for the vaccine, not just the information for it. The same should be done for other vaccines like feline herpes, etc. (or whatever your animal needs!).
Now that you have all of these documents there is a special form that will need to be filled out by a special veterinarian. A regular veterinarian might also be certified to fill out the paperwork for international travel, but when you make your appointment with your vet be sure to let them know that you will need the specialist who can fill out this form.
Once you have the forms filled out by the appropriate veterinarian for your microchipped and vaccinated animal, then you can go to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services to get a stamp for your veterinarian-issued travel document. This travel document can not be stamped sooner than 10 days before your trip. They want to make sure your animal was seen and in good condition recently.
Once you have the forms filled out by the appropriate veterinarian for your microchipped and vaccinated animal, then you can go to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services to get a stamp for your veterinarian-issued travel document. This travel document can not be stamped sooner than 10 days before your trip. They want to make sure your animal was seen and in good condition recently.
There are different offices for different parts of the country, but to get our stamp the options were to mail it to New York or physically go to Richmond and get it stamped. The hooman and I decided Richmond for a few reasons.
If we mail it to New York, we have to pay for express shipping both ways. And if they take more than 8 days to stamp the document then the date for our trip has already passed. Besides, the hooman would have a fit if the paperwork got lost in the mail after everything we had to do to get it.
The second reason is just because the hooman likes to travel. So why not take a trip to Richmond? It's fortunate that the city is so pretty. Definitely not the worst place to end up having to go to for paperwork.
Stay Stylish,
Gato
If we mail it to New York, we have to pay for express shipping both ways. And if they take more than 8 days to stamp the document then the date for our trip has already passed. Besides, the hooman would have a fit if the paperwork got lost in the mail after everything we had to do to get it.
The second reason is just because the hooman likes to travel. So why not take a trip to Richmond? It's fortunate that the city is so pretty. Definitely not the worst place to end up having to go to for paperwork.
Stay Stylish,
Gato