Glossary

Pet travel glossary

The jargon on official pet travel pages, in plain English: titer, endorsement, CVI, EHC, primary vaccination, third country and more.

Animal health certificate (AHC): A document, in the format the destination requires, signed by a vet to confirm that your pet meets that country’s rules. Many countries need it to be signed or endorsed by an official (government) vet within a short window before travel.; Health certificates explained →
Booster vaccination: A repeat rabies vaccination given before the previous one runs out. When it is given in time, the series is usually treated as unbroken, so no new waiting period starts. If the cover lapses, the pet is generally treated as a first-time vaccination again.; Rabies vaccination →
Commercial movement: Moving animals for sale, adoption, rehoming, shows or other business purposes. Authorities define it differently, and it usually carries stricter rules than a family pet travelling with its owner. We cover family pets travelling with their owners; commercial movements are marked “not covered yet”.
Competent authority: The government body responsible for animal health and border veterinary control in a country: for example a ministry of agriculture or a veterinary service. It publishes the import rules and issues or approves the certificates.
Endorsement: A government vet’s signature and stamp on a certificate that a private vet has already completed. It is a separate step with its own appointment, fee and deadline.; Government endorsement →
Export health certificate (EHC): The certificate used when taking a pet out of the UK to a non-EU country. An official vet completes and signs it after checking your pet before travel.; Leaving the United Kingdom →
IATA crate: A travel container that meets the International Air Transport Association’s standards for live animals. Australia asks for an IATA-standard crate for exports, and Singapore requires a rigid IATA crate even for pets that fly in the cabin, for the transfer to its quarantine station.
International Veterinary Certificate (CVI): The name some countries (for example Brazil) give to the health certificate that must accompany a pet. It is issued by the veterinary authority of the exporting country and is valid for a limited number of days from issue.; Entering Brazil →
ISO microchip: A small chip under the skin with a unique number, readable by a standard scanner. Most authorities ask for a chip that follows the ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 standards, and for its number to match the number on every certificate and vaccination record.; Microchip rules →
Layover (transit): A stop in another country on the way. Some systems only count a layover as a stay if your pet goes through customs there, and some destinations ask about every place your pet has been in the last months. Always tell us about layovers in the planner.
Notice of Intention (NOI): The form Australia asks exporters to send to its agriculture department before a pet leaves, so that a pre-export appointment can be booked. It must reach the department a set number of working days ahead.; Leaving Australia →
Official veterinarian: A vet who works for, or is authorised by, the government to sign certificates that border authorities accept. Many destinations require the certificate to be signed or endorsed by one, not just by your own vet.
Primary vaccination: A pet’s first rabies vaccination (or a repeat after a lapse). Many countries only treat it as valid after a waiting period, and some set a minimum age for it, commonly 12 weeks.; Rabies vaccination →
Quarantine: Keeping a pet at an approved facility, or sometimes at home, for a period after arrival, so that the authority can be sure it carries no disease. Whether it applies often depends on where the pet comes from and which preparations were completed.; Quarantine rules →
Rabies titer test: A blood test that measures the antibodies a vaccinated pet has against rabies. Several authorities (the EU, the UK for unlisted countries, Singapore, South Korea, the UAE) ask for a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml from an approved laboratory, and many set how long you must wait after the sample before travelling.; Rabies blood test explained →
Rabies-free country or zone: A country or region the destination recognises as free of rabies, usually from a list it publishes and keeps up to date. Pets from these places often face lighter requirements, for example no blood test. The lists change when a country reports a case or is newly recognised.; See how each destination groups countries →
Tapeworm treatment: A treatment against the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, required by a few destinations for dogs, within a set window before arrival, recorded in the certificate by a vet.; Tapeworm treatment rules →
Third country: In EU terms, a country outside the EU. Some are on a list of countries with simpler requirements (“listed”); the rest are “unlisted” and face the full rules, including a rabies blood test and a waiting period.; Entering the European Union →
Waiting period: A fixed number of days (or months) that must pass between two steps, for example between a first rabies vaccination and travel, or between a blood sample and entry. It is the main reason pet travel needs to be planned weeks or months ahead.; How early to start →
WOAH: The international body that sets animal health standards and publishes countries’ disease status. Many authorities base their rabies-free lists on WOAH notifications.