Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Argentina → Chile
What the official rules ask for on this route, for a family pet travelling with its owner. Enter your travel date and your pet’s details to turn it into a dated checklist.
How early to start
3 weeks
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet (the least time the official waiting periods allow)
5 days
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
Counted only from the officially fixed waiting periods. Vet, lab and paperwork appointment times are on top, so start earlier.
What your dog or cat needs
Vet exam
Clinical examination by a vet
A vet examines your pet within the 10 days before the CVI is issued and finds no clinical signs of infectious or parasitic disease.
Details and the official words
“dentro de los 10 días previos a la fecha de emisión del CVI”
Identification
Permanent individual identification (microchip or tattoo)
Your pet must be identified individually and permanently by a microchip or a tattoo, following ISO 11784/11785. The number on the CVI must match the animal's.
Details and the official words
We can only mark a microchip as done from your pet's records; a tattoo that meets the standard is also accepted.
“Deben estar identificados de forma individual y permanente, mediante tatuaje o microchip (conforme a las normas ISO 11784/11785).”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
A pet that is vaccinated for the first time (or whose last dose was given after the previous vaccine expired), at any age, must be immunised at least 21 days before entering Chile. For a pet that is not a first-time vaccinate, the last two doses must be certified, otherwise it counts as a first-time vaccinate.
Details and the official words
The 21-day wait only applies to a first or lapsed vaccination; the plan shows it for every vaccine date, so a pet with an in-date booster can ignore it.
“deben ser inmunizados al menos 21 días previos al ingreso a Chile”
“En animales no primo-vacunados, se debe certificar la información de las 2 últimas dosis aplicadas, de lo contrario se considerarán como primo-vacunados.”
Treatment
Internal and external parasite treatment
A broad-spectrum treatment against internal and external parasites, with a product approved by your country's health authority, given between 5 and 30 days before the CVI is issued.
Details and the official words
“Los animales deben ser tratados entre 5 y 30 días previos a la emisión del CVI con un antiparasitario de uso interno y externo”
Paperwork
International Veterinary Certificate (CVI)
A CVI issued by the health authority of the country your pet is coming from, meeting all of Chile's requirements. It is valid for 10 days, extendable by up to 5 more depending on the travel conditions. Your pet's identification number on it must match the animal.
Details and the official words
SAG allows an extension of up to 5 days 'according to the conditions of the trip'; the page doesn't say who decides. We plan for 10 days.
SENASA International Veterinary Certificate (CVI): SENASA issues the CVI based on the destination's requirements. Every certifying office works by appointment (self-service booking is possible up to a month before the trip in offices that offer it, from a computer, not a phone). Go on the day with the vet's original documents and the copies required. The CVI is issued in the name of the person travelling with the pet.
A digital CVI exists only for travel by land to Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay and Chile.
“deben venir amparados por un Certificado Veterinario Internacional (CVI)”
“El CVI tiene una vigencia de 10 días, con un máximo prorrogable de 5 días de acuerdo a las condiciones del viaje.”
“deberán tramitar un Certificado Veterinario Internacional (CVI) emitido por Senasa en base a las exigencias sanitarias del país de destino”
“Todas las oficinas certificadoras atienden con TURNO PREVIO”
“El CVI se emite a nombre de la persona que se traslada con el perro o gato.”
On arrival
SAG check on arrival
On arrival SAG checks that your health certificate (or EU passport) meets the requirements.
Details and the official words
“Al llegar a Chile, el SAG verificará que la certificación sanitaria”
Vet exam
Registered vet certifies the destination's requirements
A registered vet certifies that the destination's health requirements are met: vaccines, treatments, certificates and so on, using products approved by SENASA in Argentina.
Details and the official words
“El veterinario matriculado debe certificar el cumplimiento de las exigencias sanitarias que solicita el país de destino”
Good to know
- Dogs and cats coming from European Union member states may use their EU pet passport instead of a CVI.
- On arrival SAG may apply other laws and regulations on preventing and controlling animal disease, so the paperwork below is the minimum.
- These rules come from SAG Resolution 3.343 of 2026 (modified by Resolution 5.444/2026). Older SAG material and third-party guides may still show the earlier requirements, so rely on the page linked here.
- The destination country sets both the health requirements and how many calendar days the certificate stays valid, so check its deadlines before you plan the appointment.
- Treatments given abroad are not valid for the SENASA certification. Vaccination certificates from a foreign vet can be accepted if they are in force and meet the destination's requirements.
- On the day of travel bring the CVI and the original rabies vaccination certificate, which always stays with the owner.
Common questions
Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Argentina to Chile?
No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for a rabies blood test.
Do I need an import permit to bring my dog or cat into Chile?
No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for an import permit.
Will my dog or cat be quarantined in Chile?
Not on the routes we have verified: the official rules list no quarantine for a pet that meets the requirements.
Does my dog or cat need a microchip?
Yes: Your pet must be identified individually and permanently by a microchip or a tattoo, following ISO 11784/11785.