Relocating a pet from Canada to Israel requires careful sequencing, but the process is clear once you understand the steps. Plan for four to six months of preparation and a total cost that varies, depending on pet size, routing, and travel method. Israel requires a rabies titer test (a blood test confirming adequate antibody levels), restricts nine dog breeds, and uses its own health certificate form that is only available from your local CFIA office. One detail that surprises many Canadian pet owners: the ink on your health certificate must not be black. Blue ink is recommended. These specifics matter, and getting them right means your pet clears inspection at Ben Gurion Airport without delay. Here’s exactly how it works.
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
No two pet relocations follow the same path. Your departure city, your pet’s vaccination history, and the titer test timeline all shape the plan. We customize every detail to fit your situation.
Israel requires a country-specific health certificate that Canadian pet owners obtain from their local CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) office. This form is not published online, which makes it harder to find than most destination certificates. We confirm the current form version and CFIA process before anything else, so you are not scrambling to locate the right paperwork at the last minute.
There are no direct flights from Canada to Israel. Pets departing from Toronto (YYZ), Montreal (YUL), or Vancouver (YVR) connect through a European hub like Istanbul (IST), Frankfurt (FRA), or Zurich (ZRH) before reaching Ben Gurion Airport (TLV). We evaluate each connection for transfer duration, airline live-animal handling, and seasonal cargo policies to find the route that keeps your pet comfortable.
A single coordinator manages your relocation from the first call through arrival and registration in Israel. They track titer test results, CFIA appointment scheduling, pre-notification deadlines, and airline booking windows so nothing falls through the cracks.
Moving a pet from Canada to Israel follows Israel’s own import framework, which is separate from both the EU and US systems. There is no quarantine for pets that arrive with complete, valid documentation. The core requirements are an ISO microchip, a current rabies vaccination (inactivated or recombinant only), a passing rabies titer test from a WOAH-approved lab, an Israel-specific health certificate endorsed by the CFIA, and pre-notification to the airport veterinary service at Ben Gurion.
For a broader overview of international pet shipping, our general guide covers the process from start to finish. If you are bringing a pet into Canada from abroad, our Canada import guide covers those requirements.
We manage the entire relocation for you. That includes:
To keep everything clear, we break the process into steps:
We confirm what rules apply based on your pet and travel details.
We map out what happens when, so steps are completed in the right order.
We help keep appointments and timing aligned with what’s required.
We check the details that cause delays (microchip digits, dates, names, signatures).
We help align crate setup and routing with airline handling expectations.
We guide you on travel-day handoff and what to expect on arrival.
For the most current rules, refer to these official sources:
There are no direct flights from any Canadian city to Israel. Every pet shipment from Canada connects through a European or Middle Eastern hub, which means the connection city and transfer handling are critical parts of the routing decision.
Israel does not quarantine pets that arrive with complete, correct documentation. Animals that fail inspection may be returned to Canada, placed in quarantine at the owner’s expense, or in serious cases, euthanized. The stakes are real, and every detail matters.
A rabies titer test is mandatory for all dogs and cats. The test must be a FAVN (Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization) or RFFIT performed at a WOAH-approved laboratory. Blood must be drawn at least 30 days after rabies vaccination, and the result must reach 0.5 IU/ml or higher. There is no 90-day waiting period after the titer results (unlike the EU rule for unlisted countries). The titer stays valid for life as long as rabies vaccinations remain current with no lapse.
Nine dog breeds are restricted from entering Israel: Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Fila Brasileiro, and American Bully. Bengal cats are restricted, and Savannah cats must be F5 generation or later. Restricted breeds may still qualify for import with a special permit, but the owner must demonstrate 18 months of continuous ownership and meet additional conditions.
Pets must be at least four months old. The owner must have owned the pet for a minimum of 90 days, declared through Annex C. Up to two pets may enter without an import permit when accompanied by the owner and all health requirements are met. Three or more pets, unaccompanied cargo shipments, ownership under 90 days, or restricted breeds require a formal import permit from the Ministry of Agriculture (contact: vs-ie@moag.gov.il).
Before scheduling vet steps or flights, we confirm what rules apply to your pet and whether breed restrictions or the import permit requirement affects your plan. Request a quote to get a plan built around your travel date.
Israel requires its own country-specific health certificate. In Canada, this form is obtained from your local CFIA office. It is not published on the CFIA website and is not available for download, so you or your coordinator must request it directly. This is one of the steps that catches Canadian pet owners off guard because most destination certificates are readily available online.
A critical detail for Canadian certificates: the ink must not be black. Blue ink is the recommended color. Certificates signed or completed in black ink have been rejected at the Israeli border. Your veterinarian should sign and stamp in blue, and any handwritten portions must also use blue ink.
The rabies vaccination must be inactivated or recombinant only (modified live vaccines are not accepted). Israel considers all rabies vaccines to be one-year vaccines regardless of the manufacturer’s labeled duration, so the vaccination must fall within one year of the arrival date. The ISO microchip must be implanted before or on the same day as the rabies vaccination.
Before departure, you must submit a pre-notification to the Israeli airport veterinary authority. This includes Annex B (arrival notification) and Annex C (ownership declaration for the 90-day rule), sent by email to vs-airport@moag.gov.il. The notification must arrive at least two Israeli business days before the pet’s flight. Israeli business days are Sunday through Thursday, so plan the submission accordingly. If your pet arrives on a Sunday, the notification must be received by the previous Wednesday.
Begin four to six months before your move date. The titer test controls the schedule: your pet needs a current rabies vaccination, then a 30-day wait before the blood draw, then three to six weeks of lab processing. After the titer clears, the final steps (obtaining the CFIA certificate form, vet examination, CFIA endorsement, pre-notification filing) fit into the last 10 days. If you need an import permit, apply through the Ministry of Agriculture well ahead of this window because processing times are unpredictable. Also factor in CFIA appointment availability, which varies by region and season.
The cost of a move depends on several things: your pet’s size and weight, which set the crate and cargo price, the airline and departure city, veterinary fees for the health certificate and any required tests, government endorsement and permit fees, and how much of the process you would like us to coordinate. Because those pieces change from one pet and route to the next, we quote the full journey up front, including government fees, so there are no surprises later. Tell us your pet and your destination and we will send a clear plan and a price.
The CFIA process for Israel differs from most destinations because the health certificate form is not available online. You request the Israel-specific form from your local CFIA office, then have your licensed veterinarian complete the health examination and fill out the certificate. Once completed, you bring the certificate to a CFIA office for endorsement. The CFIA inspector verifies that the paperwork meets Israel’s import requirements. An important detail: the certificate must be completed in blue ink (not black). You will also need your pet’s rabies vaccination certificate, titer test lab report, and proof of microchip implantation.
Yes. Israel’s breed restrictions apply regardless of the country of origin. Nine dog breeds are restricted: Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Fila Brasileiro, and American Bully. Bengal cats are also restricted, and Savannah cats must be generation F5 or later. Owners of restricted breeds can apply for a special import permit, but they must show 18 months of continuous ownership and meet additional conditions set by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Israel’s veterinary authority has historically rejected health certificates completed in black ink. The blue-ink requirement applies specifically to Canadian-origin certificates and is intended to distinguish original documents from photocopies. Your veterinarian should sign and stamp the certificate in blue ink, and any handwritten entries should also be in blue. This applies to the Israel-specific form obtained from the CFIA. It is one of the details that can cause a pet to be delayed at Ben Gurion Airport if overlooked.
Before your pet’s departure, you must email two documents to Israel’s airport veterinary authority at vs-airport@moag.gov.il. Annex B is the arrival notification form, which includes your flight details and pet information. Annex C is the ownership declaration, confirming you have owned the pet for at least 90 days. Both must be received at least two Israeli business days before arrival. Israeli business days run Sunday through Thursday. For example, if your pet arrives on a Monday, the notification must be received by the previous Thursday at the latest. We handle this filing as part of the relocation plan so the timing is correct.
We manage every step from initial planning through arrival at Ben Gurion Airport. That includes obtaining the Israel-specific certificate form from the CFIA, scheduling the titer test at the right point in your pet’s vaccination timeline, coordinating your vet visit with the blue-ink and form requirements, booking the CFIA endorsement appointment, selecting the best connecting route through a European hub, filing the pre-notification on the correct timeline, and preparing you for the arrival inspection. One coordinator handles your file from start to finish. Request a quote to start planning your move.
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