Traveling with Pets

TRAVELING WITH PETS AND PLANTS


If you wish to travel to Brazil with your pet (dogs and/or cats), Brazilian law requires compliance with the following procedures prior to boarding:

STEP 1:

You must obtain the following from a licensed veterinarian that resides in the jurisdiction of  the Consulate General of Brazil in Washington: (a) original of International Zoosanitary Certificate – IZC, stating that the animal is in good health; (b) that the animal was examined within 10 days from the date of departure and no contagious disease was verified in the area of origin, and (c) that the USA is free of rabies.

 If the veterinarian does not certificate that the USA is free of rabies, a rabies vaccination certificate must also be issued. First time rabies vaccination must be done at least 30 days prior to the intended date of arrival of the animal in Brazil. Both certificates may be issued by the veterinarian in one single document, and it must be properly stamped and signed, and bear the veterinarian’s name and his/her license number;

Considering the requirement of the Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento – MAPA (Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil), in the sense that the International Zoosanitary Certificate - ICZ and the certificate of rabies vaccination to contain the Portuguese version, it is available at the link above a model of a bilingual ICZ which may be used by importers of dogs and cats to Brazil. As for the certificate of rabies vaccination, if issued, it is recommended to be accompanied by a translation into Portuguese.

STEP 2:

Both certificates (IZC and the rabies vaccination certificate) must be endorsed by the U.S.Department of Agriculture – USDA, within 10 days from date of departure (inclusive);

Click the link below to find the USDA office responsible for your state:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/area_offices/

It is no longer necessary to have the health and the rabies vaccine certificates legalized by the Brazilian Consulate, according to the Decree number 69.46, dated August 21, 2009, issued by the Brazilian government.


OTHER ANIMALS
The admittance of other kinds of animals is subject to a prior license from the MAPA (Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil). For further information please write to ctqa@agricultura.gov.br
Once you have the proper authorization from MAPA to take your pet into Brazil, all documents (including the IZC and the rabies vaccination certificate, both documents endorsed by the USDA) must be sent or brought to the Consulate General of Brazil for legalization. There's a fee of US$ 20.00 per document, payable by USPS money order only. No other method of payment will be accepted. Documents should be sent to the following address:

Consulate General of Brazil
1030 15th St NW
Washington, DC 20005
Att: Legalization Department


BIRDS
Please note that the admittance of birds is temporarily suspended. Nevertheless, there are several restrictions for admitance of birds in Brazil, and proper authorizations must be obtained from IBAMA, the Brazilian authority for the protection of wild animals, and from the MAPA (Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil). For further information please write to ctqa@agricultura.gov.br.

PLANTS
For the admittance of plants a phytosanitary certificate must be obtained from the U.S.Department of Agriculture – USDA, within 10 days from date of departure (inclusive). The certificate must also declare that no contagious disease was verified in the area of origin for the past 10 days.
The phytosanitary certificate must be sent or brought to the Consulate General of Brazil for legalization. There's a fee of US$ 20.00 per document, payable by USPS money order only. No other method of payment will be accepted. Documents should be sent to the following address:

Consulate General of Brazil
1030 15th St NW
Washington, DC 20005
Att: Legalization Department


Please note:

Consular legalization will be normally issued:

    For the same day, if presented at the counter of the Consulate, or;
    Within three (3) working days if submitted by mail, after the document is received at the Consulate and assuming that submission is properly documented.

For documents submitted by mail, you must include a USPS self-addressed and stamped envelope for the return of the papers. The Consulate will not send back documents by FEDEX, UPS, DHL or by any other similar services. We suggest the use of USPS Express Mail Flat Rate. The Consulate will not be held responsible for loss of documents sent by mail.