Traveling with pets? Here's a guide to requirements for a hassle-free trip

MANILA — Planning to bring your furry friend along on your next trip? 

Whether you’re heading to another province or flying overseas, traveling with pets involves more than packing food, water, and other essentials. 

It’s important to secure the proper documents to ensure a smooth journey and avoid complications at checkpoints, ports, or airports.

For domestic travel, one should prepare local shipping permit requirements.

1. Get a Veterinary Health Certificate

This certificate must be issued by a licensed veterinarian and is only valid for three days from the date it is issued. It certifies that your pet is in good health and free from communicable diseases.

2. Ensure your pet is vaccinated against rabies

The rabies vaccination must be administered at least 14 days prior to travel. Keep an updated pet vaccination card that lists the pet’s name, species, breed, sex, birthdate, weight at the time of vaccination, the vaccine used (especially rabies), manufacturer details, and the lot/serial number.

It must be signed by the veterinarian and include their license details, Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and Professional Tax Receipt (PTR) number. 

3. Apply online as a one-time shipper

Pet owners must submit their application through the BAI’s online registration portal.

Once these requirements are met, documents can be submitted to Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) - Veterinary Quarantine Services (VQS) main office at Visayas Avenue, Quezon City, or to the nearest regional Veterinary Quarantine Stations (VQS).

Same-day processing is possible for complete and accurate submissions. 

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL WITH PETS

Traveling abroad with pets entails additional procedures.

The first step is to check the pet importation requirements of your destination country, as these vary significantly.

According to the Bureau of Animal Industry, it is the owner or exporter’s responsibility to verify and comply with these destination-specific regulations.

Once you know what’s required by the destination country, proceed with the second step: applying for an export permit at the BAI or your nearest VQS. The general requirements are:

- Locally issued Veterinary Health Certificate

- Vaccination Certificate

- Pet vaccination card

- Other documents required by the importing country.

The export permit is an additional document required for international pet travel, separate from the import permit that must be issued by the receiving country.

In most cases, pets must be:

- Vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days before departure

- At least 4 months old at the time of vaccination

- Dogs must be immunized against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, and adenovirus type 2

- Cats must be immunized against herpes, calicivirus, panleukopenia and feline leukemia

These vaccinations should be given not less that 14 days and not more than one year before the travel date. Some rabies-free countries may also require a rabies antibody titer test conducted at least 30 days after the rabies shot to prove adequate immunization levels. 

MICROCHIP AND PETS' PASSPORTS

For local travel, microchipping and pet passports are not mandatory. However, for international journeys, many countries require microchipping with an ISO-compliant RFID as a means of identity verification and rabies vaccine tracking. 

A pet passport consolidated booklet of health, vaccination, and ownership records, is helpful for frequent travelers but not compulsory under Philippine law.

Pet owners may submit the required documents at National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division in Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City or visit the nearest Veterinary Quarantine Station (VQS) for regional processing. 

It’s best to coordinate in advance, as some regional offices may have specific processes or schedules.