Moving a pet from Canada to the United States takes careful planning, and every step is shaped by where in Canada you start and what the United States requires on arrival. From the CFIA export paperwork to the right airline, crate, and travel window, the details have to line up, and that is the part we take off your hands.
At Pet Travel Advisors, one coordinator manages the whole journey from your Canadian home to the United States: the routing through a major Canadian gateway such as Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, or Montréal-Trudeau, the timing around Canadian winters and the United States’s rules, and the documents that have to be exact. Tell us your city and your timing, and we will build the plan around your pet.
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because the requirements depend on where your pet is travelling from, we build a plan that fits your pet and your route.
We use the CDC and USDA import rules as the baseline, then turn them into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Bringing a pet into the United States is mainly governed by the CDC for dogs and by the USDA for broader animal health, and the steps depend on whether your pet has been in a high-risk rabies country. Planning early keeps it simple. If you would like a simple overview of international moves first, start here.
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.
We keep your checklist aligned with the official rules. For dogs, we follow the CDC dog import requirements. For the broader animal-health side, we follow USDA APHIS guidance on bringing a pet into the United States.
Most pets arrive by air. Dogs that have been in a low-risk or rabies-free country can enter at any approved airport, while dogs coming from a high-risk rabies country must arrive at an airport with a CDC-registered animal care facility and have a reservation there. We confirm the right route and entry point for your pet’s situation before booking.
Whether your pet enters smoothly comes down to the country it is travelling from and the paperwork. Dogs from low-risk or rabies-free countries need a microchip, the CDC Dog Import Form, and proof they are at least six months old and healthy. Dogs from high-risk rabies countries need additional rabies documentation and a reservation at a CDC-registered facility. We check your pet’s exact path and prepare the right set of documents.
Before scheduling vet steps or flights, we confirm what rules apply to your pet and whether airline policies affect travel. Most moves are dogs and cats, though we handle other pets too, and the requirements can differ by species. Eligibility can come down to your pet’s type and health, airline rules for certain breeds or conditions, the documentation and timing, and which routes are available. Ready to start? Request a quote.
Every dog needs to be at least six months old, appear healthy, have an ISO microchip implanted before its rabies vaccination, and have a CDC Dog Import Form receipt completed before travel. Dogs from high-risk rabies countries also need a valid rabies vaccination certificate, and in some cases a rabies serology titre and a CDC-registered facility reservation. Cats do not have a federal rabies requirement, though airlines and some states ask for a health certificate. We line these steps up in the right order and check that microchip numbers, dates, names, and signatures all match across the paperwork.
Bringing a pet to the United States can move quickly for pets from low-risk countries and needs more lead time for high-risk ones. A typical timeline runs like this: a consultation and a check of your pet’s origin and route, the microchip and rabies vaccination if needed, the CDC Dog Import Form, any extra rabies documentation or facility reservation for high-risk countries, then booking the route, getting the crate ready, the health certificate, a document review, and travel.
Most pets heading to the United States depart from one of Canada’s major international gateways, Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR), or Montréal-Trudeau (YUL), with Calgary (YYC) and Halifax (YHZ) serving some routes. We choose the routing with the fewest connections from your city and the best conditions for your pet.
On the Canadian side, your pet needs an export health certificate endorsed by the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency), prepared by a licensed veterinarian and submitted on the United States’s timeline. We handle the CFIA steps alongside the United States’s own import requirements so the two line up.
The United States requires pets to be healthy and, for dogs, to meet the CDC’s current entry rules, including the CDC Dog Import Form, a microchip, and proof of rabies status depending on recent travel history. We prepare the CDC and CFIA paperwork for the move south.
Canadian winters are the main scheduling factor: airlines apply cold-weather limits, so we plan around the season and the forecast at both ends, choosing departure windows that keep your pet safe.
Every move is priced individually, because the route from Canada, airline fees, your pet’s size and crate, the season, and the United States’s requirements all change the total. Tell us your city and timing and we’ll put together an estimate: request a quote.
One coordinator manages the whole move from your Canadian home: routing, airline booking, the crate, the CFIA export paperwork, the United States’s import requirements, and arrival. You get a single plan and a single point of contact from start to finish.
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