HEALTH CERTIFICATE
What is an APHIS 7001 Form?
The APHIS 7001 Form is an international pet shipping health certificate required by the airlines dated within 10 days of travel. The USDA will only endorse this form if the country that your pet is importing to does not have their own health certificate. Most countries have their own health certificate required to be endorsed by the USDA, so most often the APHIS 7001 Form serves as a US health certificate for export required only by the airlines.
How to Obtain and Complete the APHIS 7001
The APHIS 7001 Form is an international health certificate used for pet shipping, however it can also be used for domestic pet shipping. The airlines will always require a health certificate completed by your vet dated within 10 days of travel. The APHIS 7001 can be used for any and all pet shipping. If this is an international relocation, the APHIS 7001 will need to be completed by an accredited vet and a health certificate issued by the country of import will also be required
You can download the APHIS 7001 Form here:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/library/forms/pdf/APHIS7001.pdf
What are the first steps to relocating my pets internationally
- Find a USDA-Accredited Veterinarian in your area
A vet that is accredited with the USDA will have an accreditation number. If you need to verify the accreditation, this can be done with the USDA Veterinary Services
- Contact a Pet Relocation Company
If you are relocating your pet internationally, it is advised to contact a pet shipping company to assist. Many countries and airlines may actually require a Professional Pet Relocation Company to ship your pet. At Continental Pet Relocation, we are educated with all of the current country requirements and ensure that the airline requirements will also be met. We have agents to assist all over the world for a smooth door to door relocation process for your beloved pet. We work directly with you and your vet to provide the required export/import documents. We review everything to ensure all is in order before your pet departs. Most vet offices appreciate the help of a Professional Pet Relocation Company as they may not be up to speed with some of the country requirements.
- Schedule a Vet Appointment
The coordination of the vet appointment and endorsement of the APHIS 7001 form must be done at a maximum within 10 days of travel for the airlines. Depending on the country of import and the status of the shipment (commercial or non commercial), the required time allowance for the health certificate may be less than 10 days. Continental Pet Relocation can help you to determine the requirement of the health certificate. We recommend that all forms are signed in blue ink to show as an original document. All forms should be reviewed prior to sending to the USDA for endorsement. If forms are sent to the USDA incomplete or incorrect, the USDA will not endorse them and this can cause you pet’s departure to be delayed and a possible visit to the vet for another health exam if documents expire.
As part of our service, we review all documents before USDA endorsement and once again prior to the pet exporting. We also send a copy of all documents ahead for review to our agent in the country of import. This ensures that your pet will arrive and clear customs without any issues.
Most common mistakes that are made include incorrect dating format, incorrect microchip number, and incomplete vaccine history.
- Sending Documents to the USDA
Your location determines where your “home” USDA office is. Most offices are not local which will require overnight Fed Ex mailing of documents to and from the USDA. If you have a local office, you can schedule an appointment to have the documents endorsed in person. If you Fed Ex, you must include a pre-paid overnight self addressed return Fed Ex envelope. The USDA typically will endorse and mail on the same day they receive them but this is not a guarantee, so plan departure accordingly.Payment to the USDA depends on the number of tests required for the country of import and range from $38-$150+
If you have questions regarding Pet Shipping or Pet Relocation, contact us for more information
www.continentalpetrelocation.com
