Bringing a dog or cat to Canada

1. Start with the right facts

Before booking, write down each pet’s species, date of birth, country of origin and recent travel, departure city, Canadian destination and intended arrival date. For a dog, record who owns them, whether ownership will change and whether that owner will travel with them.

Use the CFIA pet-import selector for the relevant pathway. For detailed conditions, consult CFIA’s Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) using the animal, origin, destination and intended use. Keep the selected result with your planning file and recheck it near departure.

2. Personal pet or commercial dog import?

CFIA’s personal-dog pathway includes dogs accompanied or unaccompanied by their owner. Paying for transport, or traveling on a different flight, does not by itself settle the import category.

The intended use and ownership arrangements matter. For a personal import, the owner must also be the importer and have proof of ownership. A personal pet is intended to live with its owner; a planned transfer to someone else or an intended use such as breeding, resale or research changes the assessment. Sale, adoption, fostering and exhibition can fall within commercial rules, even without a profit. Ask CFIA to resolve an uncertain case before booking.

Commercial dogs of any age from CFIA-listed high-risk countries are prohibited from entry. Check Canada’s current high-risk list; do not substitute another country’s list.

Sources: CFIA import pathways, CFIA personal-pet definition and CBSA ownership requirements.

3. Dogs: age and owner accompaniment

Under the personal-pet rules, dogs younger than three months do not need rabies vaccination for Canadian entry. That exemption does not remove other applicable requirements. Have reliable proof of age available.

For personal dogs under eight months traveling without their owner, CFIA requires additional veterinary certification covering health, specified vaccinations and fitness for transport. The examination must be no more than 72 hours before import. The dog must be at least eight weeks old at that examination. Confirm the full certificate wording and schedule with your veterinarian.

From three months of age, current rabies certification is a standard pathway; check any alternative evidence against the origin-specific rules. Veterinary certificates must clearly identify the animal and meet the applicable English or French documentation requirements. Source: CFIA Import Reference Document, domestic dogs.

4. Domestic cats have a separate pathway

Kittens under three months are exempt from CFIA’s rabies vaccination requirement. For domestic cats three months or older, CFIA accepts veterinary certification of current rabies vaccination and lists alternative evidence pathways. The rabies-free-origin option has residence conditions, so a brief stop in a listed country is not enough.

Check the cat’s actual origin in the CFIA selector and the domestic-cat requirements. A wild-cat hybrid or non-domestic cat needs a separate assessment.

5. Arriving from the United States or elsewhere

For ordinary personal-pet departures from the United States, USDA APHIS’s Canada page says pet dogs older than eight months and pet cats do not need a general health certificate for Canadian entry. Applicable rabies documentation is still required. For one or two unaccompanied personal dogs under eight months, APHIS provides a veterinary certificate and says APHIS endorsement is unnecessary.

These are U.S.-departure instructions. For another origin, check CFIA and the exporting country’s authority. Canada maintains its own rabies-free country list. An airline may request a health certificate even when the Canadian entry pathway does not.

6. Check identification and document details

Record any microchip number accurately and check the requirements for the actual category and route. For example, CFIA lists an ISO microchip requirement for commercial dogs under eight months imported for breeding or resale/adoption. Do not apply that commercial checklist to every personal pet. Source: CFIA commercial-dog requirements.

Ask your veterinarian to check names, animal descriptions, dates, vaccine details and signatures against the selected requirements. Keep readable copies and agree who carries the required originals if your pet travels separately.

7. Confirm the journey and border handover

Check airline acceptance separately: the operating carrier, pet and container size, travel format, connections and any date-specific restrictions. Cabin travel needs confirmation for the proposed itinerary. Check each transit country’s rules and the departure country’s export process as well.

Declare your pet when entering Canada. CBSA explains that animals can be refused, detained or confiscated when undeclared, missing required documents, suspected of disease or transported inhumanely. Leave room in the arrival plan for inspection and document checks.

If someone else receives your pet, agree their contact details, the arrival location and the onward handover before departure.

Before you book

• Confirm the personal or commercial pathway and exact age on arrival.
• Review the official requirements for the origin and destination.
• Check veterinary appointments against the arrival timetable.
• Confirm airline acceptance and any transit requirements.
• Assign responsibility for documents, declaration and collection.

Our Canada pet transport service brings the route, flights, document coordination and agreed handovers into one proposal. Send your departure and destination cities, preferred dates, pet details and whether you will travel together.

Request a Canada route and quote

Prepare your journey details, then review and send your message in WhatsApp or your email app.

Official sources and scope

Sources checked 11 October 2026. This is a planning guide for dogs and domestic cats entering Canada. Requirements can change, and the authorities assess the actual animal and documents. Commercial eligibility, exceptional cases and any conflicting instructions should be confirmed with CFIA before travel.