MEXICO

Pets

Cats and dogs arriving in Mexico are required to be accompanied by:

* A health certificate on headed paper along with a copy of the veterinarian’s license, with date no older than five days, indicating the health status of the pet.

* A vaccination card, no older than a year, specifying the application of rabies vaccine.

What you should do when traveling to Mexico, or when returning abroad with your pet?

According with the zoosanitary legislation and standards, in Mexico only dogs and cats are classified as pets.

If the pet is under three months of age, it requires a Health Certificate *

If the pet is older than three months of age, it requires a Health Certificate* and Vaccination Card, specifying the application of rabies vaccine with a validity no longer than 1 year. These documents must be presented in original and copy.

It is very important to assure that the documents match with your pet data (age, breed, color, sex, etc.) and, in this way, avoid problems in the procedure of entering Mexico.

* The Health Certificate must be showed in headed paper with the printed Professional License or Photocopy of the Medical Veterinary License who issues the certificate, with date no older than five days, indicating the health status of the pet.

At your arrival in Mexico, you should go to the Office of Inspection of Agricultural and Livestock Production Health with your pet and its documents.

Your pet will be physically reviewed by Official Personnel from Agricultural and Livestock Production Health from Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock Production, Rural Development, Fishery, and Food (SAGARPA,) and if coming from a country with presence o foot and mouth disease or from zones in risk, a prophylactic treatment will be given to your pet, free of charge.

If your pet fulfills the above mentioned requirements, a Zoosanitary Certificate for Imports will be issued, this is the official sanitary document that allows the entering of the pet to the country.

The procedure for the import of one or two pets is free. At importing more than 2 pets, the cost of the Zoosanitary Certificate of Import must be covered. It is of $1,468.00. The payment may be done in the bank.

Fulfilling the regulations established by SAGARPA, does not means there is an exemption in the compliance of regulations of other authorities at the point of entrance.

General Information

Mexico, is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost 2 million square kilometers, Mexico is the fifth-largest country in the Americas by total area and the 14th largest independent nation in the world. With an estimated population of 109 million, it is the 11th most populous country. Mexico is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a Federal District, the capital city.