Louisburg Veterinarians for Pet Travel Health Certificates 

Traveling with your pet? Our USDA-accredited veterinarians, Dr. Hummel can help you get the health certificate your destination requires. The steps depend on where you’re going, so start by finding your trip below.

Start early. Requirements for some destinations take months (for example, rabies titer testing for Hawaii, Australia or New Zealand). Trips less than 2 weeks away may not be possible to complete.

Traveling within the continental U.S. (any U.S. state except Alaska and Hawaii)

1. Check your destination state’s rules on the USDA state-to-state page, and check your airline’s pet policy.
2. Fill out our Pet Health Certificate Questionnaire and send it to us at [email protected].
3. Call us to book a health certificate appointment within 10 days of your travel date. Please mention it’s for a health certificate for travel within the continental U.S. (not Alaska or Hawaii) so we schedule the right amount of time.
4. Bring your pet’s vaccine records. You’ll leave the appointment with your signed certificate.

Traveling internationally, to Hawaii, or to Alaska

These trips involve more steps, testing and USDA paperwork, so we partner with Pawsitive Pet Health Certificates (PPHC), a service that handles the research and paperwork for you. You work with PPHC on the paperwork and with us for your pet’s exam and any vaccines or testing.

1. Contact PPHC first. Go to the PPHC website, open the Contact tab and fill out their Client Travel Questionnaire. PPHC will send you a free quote, usually within 2 business days. (You don’t need to fill out our questionnaire.)
2. Get your timeline. Once you enroll, PPHC sends you a personalized list of the appointments, testing and deadlines your pet needs.
3. Book your appointments with us. Call us to schedule each appointment on PPHC’s list, and tell us it’s for a PPHC health certificate.
4. Tell PPHC your appointment dates. As soon as you book, email PPHC the dates so they can send our doctor the paperwork ahead of time.
5. Come to your exam. Our accredited veterinarian examines your pet, completes any required testing or vaccines, and signs the certificate. We send the completed paperwork back to PPHC.

What it costs

• PPHC’s fee covers the travel research and paperwork; you pay PPHC directly. Quotes are free; rush fees may apply for short-notice trips.
• Our health certificate fee is $150. Any vaccines, testing or preventives your pet needs are charged separately.
• USDA endorsement fees apply for many destinations. See the USDA pet export checklist.

Helpful links

• USDA pet travel: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel
• U.S. state-to-state requirements: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/state-to-state
• Country requirements: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/us-to-another-country-export (choose your destination country). This replaces the current Ivory Coast link.
• USDA pet export checklist and endorsement fees: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/sc1-pet-handout.pdf
• Pawsitive Pet Health Certificates: https://www.pawsitivepethealthcertificates.com/contact-us, [email protected], (339) 707-7727, Mon–Fri 9 AM–5 PM ET
• Our Pet Health Certificate Questionnaire, for continental U.S. travel (please return this form to [email protected])

Questions?

Health certificate appointments are available at Rolesville Veterinary Hospital, (919) 562-0100, and Louisburg Veterinary Clinic, (919) 496-2638. At Louisburg, health certificates are seen by Dr. Hummel on Tuesdays.

Preparing Your Pet for Domestic Travel

At Louisburg Veterinary Hospital, only USDA-accredited veterinarians issue international health certificates. Please complete the questionnaire below and schedule your appointment as early as possible to ensure a smooth travel experience for you and your pet.