APHIS Form 7001 is the USDA’s Interstate and International Certificate of Health Examination for Small Animals, and completing it is a two-step process: a USDA-accredited veterinarian examines your pet and fills out the certificate, then USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service endorses it with a federal seal before you travel. Most owners need it to fly a dog, cat, or ferret internationally. The whole sequence has to fit inside a short window before departure, so the earlier you start, the fewer things can go wrong.
Before You Book the Vet Appointment
Look up your destination country’s pet import rules first. APHIS publishes country-specific pages at aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel that spell out required vaccinations, tests, treatments, waiting periods, and which certificate format the country will accept.1Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Pet Travel: Domestic and International Travel With a Pet Some countries require a rabies titer blood test weeks or months in advance. Others require parasite treatments within days of travel. If the destination’s rules aren’t published, APHIS recommends traveling with a completed and endorsed Form 7001 as a safeguard.2Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Pet Travel: Unknown Requirements
Check the microchip too. Many countries only accept vaccinations recorded against an ISO-compliant chip meeting standards 11784 and 11785, which produces a 15-digit number readable by universal scanners.3Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Pet Travel From the United States to the United Kingdom/Great Britain If your pet has an older, non-ISO chip, you can either bring a compatible reader or have a vet implant a second ISO chip. The chip has to be in place before the rabies vaccination date recorded on the certificate, so sort this out early.
Find a USDA-Accredited Veterinarian
Only a USDA-accredited veterinarian can complete Form 7001. Your regular vet may or may not hold this credential. APHIS runs a search tool through its Veterinary Services Process Streamlining system at vsapps.aphis.usda.gov, where you can look up accredited vets by location.4Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. USDA-Accredited Veterinarians: Certifying Animals for International Travel Call ahead, tell them where and when you’re traveling, and ask them to map the timeline. An experienced accredited vet will know the destination’s requirements and can flag any tests that need to be started before the exam itself.
What Goes on the Form
The vet completes most of Form 7001, but come prepared with your pet’s records so nothing has to be guessed at.
Owner and Destination
The top of the form captures your full name, contact information, and the physical address where the pet will be staying at the destination. If you’re transiting through a third country, check whether that country treats a layover as entry and requires its own paperwork.
Box 7 — Animal Identification
Box 7 requires the pet’s name, breed or scientific name, age, sex, color or distinctive markings, and microchip or tattoo number. Bring existing records so the vet can verify the chip number against the chip they scan at the exam. Multiple animals can go on the same certificate using continuation sheets.5Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. APHIS Form 7001 – United States Interstate and International Certificate of Health Examination for Small Animals
Box 8 — Vaccinations, Treatments, Tests
Box 8 records the rabies vaccination date, product, and whether the vaccine provides one-, two-, or three-year coverage, along with any other vaccinations, treatments, or lab results the destination country requires.5Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. APHIS Form 7001 – United States Interstate and International Certificate of Health Examination for Small Animals Bring the original rabies certificate and any lab reports. Missing or inaccurate vaccine serial numbers are one of the most common reasons certificates get bounced at endorsement.
Veterinary Certification
The vet signs a statement certifying that the animal was examined on that date and is free of signs of infectious or contagious disease, adding their signature, accreditation number, date, and contact information.5Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. APHIS Form 7001 – United States Interstate and International Certificate of Health Examination for Small Animals The validity clock starts on the signature date.
Getting the Certificate Endorsed by USDA
A signed certificate is not valid for international travel until APHIS endorses it. A federal official reviews the paperwork, confirms it meets the destination’s requirements, and applies an official seal. There are two ways to submit.
Through VEHCS
The Veterinary Export Health Certification System is APHIS’s online portal, and it’s the faster route. Your vet uploads the signed certificate and supporting documents through VEHCS.6Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Pet Travel Process Overview APHIS accepts electronic signatures from accredited veterinarians for all live animal export health certificates, regardless of destination.7Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Using the Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS) That eliminates the shipping time and cost of moving paper.8Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS) A Step-by-Step Guide
The submission package includes the health certificate, vaccination certificates, lab results, an import permit if the destination requires one, and payment. The vet handles payment either by funding a VEHCS account or by giving a USDA APHIS User Fee Credit Account number.6Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Pet Travel Process Overview If the destination country won’t accept a digital endorsement, include a pre-paid express shipping label so USDA can return the physically stamped hard copy.
By Mail
If your vet doesn’t use VEHCS, the signed hard copy and supporting documents go to your regional APHIS endorsement office by mail or in person. Find the correct office through the directory at aphis.usda.gov/working-aphis-endorsement-office and select “Pets” from the commodity dropdown.9Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Working With an APHIS Endorsement Office Include a pre-paid express return label. APHIS does not publish a guaranteed turnaround time; processing depends on workload and whether the certificate has errors. Submit through VEHCS or by mail, not both.
Endorsement Fees
USDA charges per certificate based on the number of pets and the number of lab tests the destination country requires. Vaccines don’t count as tests. The 2026 fee schedule:10Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Cost To Endorse Your Pet’s Health Certificate
- No lab tests, any number of pets: $101 per certificate.
- One to two lab tests, one pet: $160; each additional pet on the same certificate adds $10.
- Three to six lab tests, one pet: $206; each additional pet adds $18.
- Seven or more lab tests, one pet: $275; each additional pet adds $21.
Service animals as defined by the ADA are exempt from endorsement fees. Emotional support animals and other non-ADA animals are not.10Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Cost To Endorse Your Pet’s Health Certificate These fees cover only the federal endorsement. Your vet bills separately for the exam and paperwork, typically $155 to $350 depending on the area.
Timing: Work Backward From Departure
Timing is where most owners get burned. Airlines typically require the exam to have occurred no more than 10 days before travel, even when the destination country allows longer.11United States Department of State. Pets and International Travel Some countries are stricter. The destination also sets its own deadline for how long after the vet signs the certificate you have to enter the country, which can run anywhere from a few days to about 30.6Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Pet Travel Process Overview The original endorsed hard copy has to travel with the pet.
Work backward from departure. If the airline requires a 10-day exam window and you need a few business days for USDA endorsement, the exam should happen roughly a week before you fly. Build in a small buffer. If the trip gets delayed past the certificate’s validity window, you start over with a fresh exam, a new certificate, and a new endorsement fee.
If Your Pet Flies Cargo in Cold Weather
If ground temperatures anywhere on the route fall below 45°F, most airlines want an acclimation certificate from a veterinarian stating the lowest temperature the animal can safely tolerate. American Airlines, for example, requires this when temperatures fall between 20°F and 44°F and asks the vet to specify the exact lowest safe temperature.12American Airlines Cargo. Documentation – Pets and Animals The vet can add the acclimation statement directly onto Form 7001 during the exam, which avoids a separate letter.
Form 7001 Doesn’t Cover Coming Home
Form 7001 documents your pet’s exit from the United States. Reentry runs on a separate track. Since August 1, 2024, CDC requires all dogs entering or returning to the U.S. to have a completed CDC Dog Import Form, with additional documentation for dogs that have been in countries classified as high-risk for dog rabies within the previous six months.13Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bringing a Dog into the U.S. Sort out the return-trip paperwork at the same time you handle the outbound Form 7001.
Penalties for False Statements
The form carries a printed warning: anyone who makes a false or fraudulent statement on APHIS Form 7001, or knowingly uses a falsified certificate, faces a federal fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment of up to five years, or both under 18 U.S.C. § 1001.5Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. APHIS Form 7001 – United States Interstate and International Certificate of Health Examination for Small Animals14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally The statute reaches both the veterinarian and the pet owner. Misrepresenting vaccination dates, fabricating test results, or reusing a certificate for a different animal all fall within it. A falsified certificate can also get your pet seized and quarantined at the destination, and international quarantine boarding costs mount quickly.