International Health Certificates in Monroe Township, NJ

Dr. Fertitta is USDA accredited and able to provide international health certificates. Please review all of the following information very carefully as this can be a very time-consuming process depending on the country you intend to travel. In most cases, pets need to be examined at least 10-14 days prior to travel, and there are certain requirements that sometimes require more lead time than that. Some examples are included below, but please click the link for USDA pet travel and select the country you will be going to for the specific requirements needed. 

• Each country has its own rules as to how long prior to travel an exam needs to be performed, and for how long the certificate will be valid after an exam
• Some countries require treatment for exoparasites (i.e., fleas and ticks) and endoparasites (i.e., intestinal parasites like roundworms, hookworms, etc. and heartworm disease) within a certain timeframe prior to travel
• Some countries require treatment for tapeworm specifically within a certain timeframe prior to travel
• Some countries require rabies titer testing prior to travel, which can take 1-3 months to complete and receive results

Rabies Vaccines and Microchip:

Most, if not all, countries require a rabies vaccine, which in itself comes with its own rules:

• If the pet does not have a microchip, the microchip must be implanted and a rabies vaccine must be administered on or after the day of implantation REGARDLESS of previous rabies vaccine status
• Even if the country you are traveling to does not require a microchip, A MICROCHIP IS REQUIRED TO RE-ENTER THE UNITED STATES
• If a rabies vaccine needs to be boostered after a microchip is implanted, there is a 28-day waiting period after the vaccine before it is considered valid as this will now be considered the “primary” rabies good for one year and all previous vaccines are considered invalid
• As mentioned above, some countries will require titer testing called a FAVN, and this test can take several months to complete

High-Risk Rabies Countries (new requirements as of Summer 2025):

• High-risk rabies countries are defined by the CDC and the list can be found by clicking the link below
• The CDC requires an additional form called the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination be filled out and endorsed by the USDA in addition to the International Health Certificate itself 
• Travel to these countries incurs an additional fee as the USDA charges a separate and equal endorsement fee to the health certificate 

All owners are required to fill out the Dog Import Form from the CDC (link below) to re-enter the United States. This form is free, is filled out by the pet owner, and the receipt of this form is to be presented upon re-entry into the US. Ideally, this form should be filled out prior to travel, but can be filled out any time prior to returning to the US. We recommend doing it prior to leaving so there are no issues submitting it while traveling. 

International Health Certificate fees are as follows:

• Office Visit and Physical Exam: $78
• International Health Certificate Fee: $325 (includes USDA endorsement fee, time for researching specific requirements for country of travel, time reviewing medical and vaccine history to ensure all requirements are met, time filling out and submitting certificate itself, corrections to certificate if applicable, and returning certificate to owner if applicable)
• Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination (high risk rabies countries only): $200
• Microchip Implantation (if applicable): $57.48
• Rabies Titer (FAVN) Testing (if applicable): $509.76
• Shipping and Handling Fees – this applies if the country you are traveling to does not allow for digital endorsement of the certificate and an ink-signed copy of the endorsed certificate needs to be mailed to you: This cost varies based on shipping carrier, distance, and speed, but from our experience it usually runs $60-80 for overnight shipping (this will be calculated at the time of your visit as the label needs to be submitted to the USDA at the time the certificate is submitted)
• Any parasite treatment as previously mentioned and/or other vaccines needed will be additional and will be discussed on a case-by-case basis

If you have any other questions that were not covered here, please email us so we can look up the appropriate information or reach out to the USDA as needed. Again, please see the links below for specifics pertaining to your country of travel, as well as our form with all of the information that applies to filling out the certificate. Additionally, please include all vaccine history, including date of implantation of microchip. If your rabies certificates do not include the microchip number, please reach out to the veterinarian that administered the vaccine so they can add it to the certificate. A SIGNED certificate with the microchip number present, as well as the vaccine serial/lot number and expiration date, is usually a requirement and will streamline the process. 

We will do everything we can to make this as easy a process as we can, but please allot plenty of time prior to travel so we can ensure all requirements are met and have some leeway if we run into any waiting periods as outlined above. Once we submit the certificate to the USDA, we are not able to request any status updates that are not already provided by them. They will sometimes take up until the day before travel to return a certificate, so submitting them in a timely manner is of the utmost importance. Again, any additional questions please email us.

USDA Pet Travel (scroll down to list of destination countries)

Dog Import Form

High-Risk Rabies Countries