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Exit guide

Taking a dog or cat out of Panama: official requirements

What Panama asks before a dog or cat leaves: the steps and their timing, every destination with how long it takes, and coming back.

Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 2 official pages

Exit rules: short summary, under reviewAuthority: Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario
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In short

Limited official guidance. Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. MIDA's pages describe only the basic steps for the export licence. They don't say how far ahead to apply, how long the licence is valid or whether any other office must sign. A 2026 Ministry of Health decree has a section on export certificates for dogs and cats, but the official gazette blocks automated readers and we couldn't check it there: ask MIDA (560-5890) and the Ministry of Health before you travel.

Under review. Part of this process is not yet confirmed. Ask the official authority how it works for your route.

Prefer a feed reader? Panama rule changes

Show only the rules for your pet

Choose your animal and where it is going, and this page hides the rules that can’t apply. Rules that depend on your pet’s age or your route stay, marked “Applies when”.

Going to

Leaving Panama

The steps

What the authorities in Panama ask before your pet leaves, mostly the health certificate and who has to sign or endorse it.

  1. Vet exam

    Certificate of good health from a qualified vet (no more than 72 hours old) and an up-to-date vaccination card

    A qualified vet (médico veterinario idóneo) examines your pet and issues a certificate of good health, no more than 72 hours old when you collect MIDA's licence. Bring the up-to-date vaccination card (combined vaccine and rabies) and the record of parasite treatments, originals and one set of copies.

    Details and the official words

    “Es indispensable portar la Cartilla de Vacunación actualizada (múltiple y rabia), y un Certificado de Buena Salud emitido por un médico veterinario idóneo con una vigencia no mayor a 72 horas.”

    “Cartillas actualizadas de vacunas (múltiple y rabia) y desparasitaciones.”

  2. Official stamp

    MIDA export licence: request it on SITERPA, collect it in person

    Request the export licence (Licencia Fitozoosanitaria de Exportación) online on MIDA's SITERPA portal with the red 'MASCOTAS' button, and note the request number. Then collect it in person at Plaza Edison (ground floor, single window) in Panama City or at MIDA's offices in Herrera or Chiriquí, with the vet's certificate and the vaccination card (originals and copies). One licence per species, 10 balboas each, paid by deposit at Banco Nacional (bring the slip).

    Details and the official words

    Executive Decree 8 of 26 February 2026 (Ministry of Health) has a section on export certificates for dogs, cats and ferrets. The official gazette blocks automated readers, so we couldn't check it there. A copy on the UN's legal database (not an official source) says the certificates must be presented to the ministry's National Directorate of Food Control and Veterinary Surveillance 5 working days before the trip for evaluation and signature. Ask MIDA and the Ministry of Health whether this applies before you book.

    “El Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario (MIDA) a través de la Dirección Ejecutiva de Cuarentena Agropecuaria (DECA) emite las Licencias Fitozoosanitarias de Exportación de mascotas (caninos y felinos).”

    “Para lo cual los usuarios deben Ingresar a SITERPA , dando click al botón ROJO llamado «MASCOTAS» para registrar los datos requeridos y enviar la solicitud del documento vía web.”

    “Para finalizar el proceso de exportación y retirar la Licencia (que tiene un costo de B/. 10.00), el solicitante debe presentarse personalmente en las oficinas designadas (Plaza Edison en Panamá o en las provincias de Herrera y Chiriquí) con la documentación original y copias.”

    “Se emite una Licencia por Especie y cada Licencia tiene un costo de 10.00 balboas (debe entregar el slip del depósito realizado al Banco Nacional”

Worked out from the rules

Where you can go from Panama, and how long it takes

How each destination we cover treats pets from Panama, as its authority names the group, and the least time its official waits allow. Tap a destination for the full route.

47 destinations

Destination (dogs)Your pet’s group there · entry feesAlready vaccinatedNothing done yet
No official wait · 10Bahrain, Canada, China, Costa Rica…BahrainEntry fees: 5 BHDAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitCanadaCountry not on Canada’s rabies-free listAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitChinaunder reviewNon-designated country or regionAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitCosta RicaAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitIndonesiaunder reviewEntry fees: 25,000 IDRAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitMexicoAny other countryAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitPeruEntry fees: 98.60 PENAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitSouth KoreaCountry not on South Korea’s rabies-free listAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitUnited StatesDog rabies-free or low-risk countryAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitVietnamAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official wait
Up to a month · 16Ecuador, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Argentina…EcuadorAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 2 weeksMalaysiaNon-scheduled countryEntry fees: 40 MYRAlready vaccinated: 2 weeksNothing done yet: 2 weeksSaudi ArabiaAlready vaccinated: 2 weeksNothing done yet: 2 weeksArgentinaAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 3 weeksBrazilAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 3 weeksColombiaEntry fees: 78,200 COPAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 3 weeksUruguayAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 3 weeksUnited Arab EmiratesCountry not on the UAE’s low-risk listEntry fees: 700 AEDAlready vaccinated: 1 dayNothing done yet: 3 weeksChileAlready vaccinated: 5 daysNothing done yet: 3 weeksThailandunder reviewAlready vaccinated: 3 weeksNothing done yet: 3 weeksPhilippinesunder reviewAlready vaccinated: 2 weeksNothing done yet: 4 weeksDominican RepublicAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 4 weeksMoroccounder reviewAny other countryAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 4 weeksSouth Africaunder reviewCountry whose dogs are quarantinedEntry fees: 230 ZARAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 4 weeksQatarAlready vaccinated: 3 daysNothing done yet: 4 weeksIndiaEntry fees: 1,000 INRAlready vaccinated: 9 daysNothing done yet: 4 weeks
1 to 3 months · 4Israel, Hawaii (US), Hong Kong SAR China, TaiwanIsraelunder reviewAlready vaccinated: 4 daysNothing done yet: 5 weeksHawaii (US)Already vaccinated: 4 weeksNothing done yet: 9 weeksHong Kong SAR ChinaGroup IIIB placeEntry fees: 432 HKDAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 3 monthsTaiwanunder reviewCountry not on Taiwan’s rabies-free listAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 3 months
3 to 6 months · 10Singapore, European Union, Iceland, Northern Ireland (UK)…SingaporeSchedule III countryEntry fees: 50 SGDAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsEuropean UnionUnlisted countryAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsIcelandCountry Iceland has not approvedEntry fees: 39,633 ISKAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsNorthern Ireland (UK)Unlisted countryAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsNorwayUnlisted third countryAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsSerbiaUnlisted countryAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsSwitzerlandGroup 3 (rabies risk) countryEntry fees: 60 CHFAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsTürkiyeAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsUnited KingdomUnlisted countryAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsOmanEntry fees: 20 OMRAlready vaccinated: about 4 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 months
More than 6 months · 2Kenya, JapanKenyaunder reviewAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 6 monthsJapanNon-designated regionAlready vaccinated: about 6 monthsNothing done yet: about 7 months
Not possible, or not covered yet · 5Australia, Bali (Indonesia), Egypt, Kuwait…AustraliaCountry Australia has not approvedAlready vaccinated: —Nothing done yet: Not possibleBali (Indonesia)Already vaccinated: —Nothing done yet: Not possibleEgyptunder reviewAlready vaccinated: —Nothing done yet: Not covered yetKuwaitunder reviewAlready vaccinated: —Nothing done yet: Not covered yetNew ZealandCountry New Zealand has not approvedAlready vaccinated: —Nothing done yet: Not possible

For a dog; choose Cat above for cats. Grouped by the time for a pet with nothing done yet. “Already vaccinated”: microchipped, with a rabies vaccination still valid. Only the official waiting periods are counted: “No official wait” still means vet visits and paperwork, and appointment times come on top. Hover over a time to see the rule that sets it.

Money

What it costs to leave Panama

Panama’s government fees for a pet leaving, exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Panama publish. The destination’s own fees come on top: they are in the table above and on each route.

Government fees when leaving Panama

What vets and labs charge Not official figures

We have no published vet or lab prices for Panama yet.

Prices that businesses publish on their own pages, quoted as we read them; yours can differ. Ranges are the lowest to highest of these examples, never our estimate. How we collect prices

Airline fees aren’t included: check your airline’s pet page.

Notes

Good to know

  • These are only the basic steps for leaving Panama. You are responsible for checking and meeting every requirement of the destination, which may include extra paperwork for your pet.
  • Dogs onlyIf your dog will come back to Panama, tell MIDA when you apply: it gives more information for that case.

Where this comes from

Official sources

Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario, Dirección Ejecutiva de Cuarentena Agropecuaria (Panama)

Last checked 2026-10-13. Next re-check due by 2026-11-12.

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Questions owners ask

What do I need to take my dog or cat out of Panama?

On the Panama side: certificate of good health from a qualified vet (no more than 72 hours old) and an up-to-date vaccination card and MIDA export licence: request it on SITERPA, collect it in person. The destination’s own requirements come on top; the route pages combine both.

Who signs the export paperwork in Panama?

Request the export licence (Licencia Fitozoosanitaria de Exportación) online on MIDA's SITERPA portal with the red 'MASCOTAS' button, and note the…

How early should I start when leaving Panama?

It depends on where you go. For a dog with nothing done yet, the official waiting periods allow Bahrain, Canada and Costa Rica in no official wait, and Japan in about 7 months. Vet and appointment times come on top.

How this page is made

The explanations are ours, in plain English. Every rule, number and quote about a country comes from a rule file we have checked word for word against the government’s own page, and it changes when that page changes. Rules are summarised, not legal advice: confirm with the authority and your vet before you travel. How we verify · Report a mistake

Read next

Turn this into dates for your pet

Where from, where to, when. You get every step with its deadline and the official page it comes from.

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