Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Argentina → Peru
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.
We’re re-checking these rules. An official source they rely on has changed since we last verified them, so something here may be out of date. Before you book or travel, confirm the details with the official authority.
- Conoce los requisitos para la salida e ingreso de mascotas al país (SENASA, 12 January 2020) · page changed, noticed 12 Oct 2026
Limited official guidance. The authority for entering Peru publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. SENASA states these requirements in a press note (29 November 2024) and an older page (2020), not in a regulation we could read. They give no deadline for the certificate, no blood test, no quarantine rule and no list of accepted origin countries, and the fees quoted in them are old. Ask SENASA (viajacontumascota@senasa.gob.pe) what applies to your route. Customs (SUNAT) has its own rules for the pet's arrival.
How early to start
No fixed wait
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet (the least time the official waiting periods allow)
No fixed wait
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
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination (pets 3 months or older)
The rabies vaccine is compulsory for dogs and cats from 3 months of age, and the vaccination must be valid on the health certificate.
Details and the official words
“La vacuna de Rabia es obligatoria para ambas mascotas a partir de los 3 meses de edad”
Vaccination
Valid core vaccinations on the certificate
The export certificate must list current vaccines: for dogs canine parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis, leptospirosis and rabies; for cats feline panleukopenia and rabies.
Details and the official words
“(en perros: Parvovirus canino, Distemper canino, Hepatitis canina, Leptospirosis y Rabia; y en gatos: Panleucopenia felina y Rabia).”
Treatment
Internal and external parasite treatment before travel
Your pet is treated against internal and external parasites shortly before travel and the certificate says so. We plan for within 15 days (SENASA's 2024 note says 30 days, its 2020 page 15).
The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.
Details and the official words
SENASA's two pages give different windows (30 and 15 days): the stricter is shown. Ask SENASA.
“además de la desparasitación interna y externa realizada dentro de los 30 días previos al viaje.”
“Desparasitación (interna y externa) realizada dentro de los 15 días previos del viaje.”
Paperwork
Original export health certificate from the official authority of the country you come from
Bring the original export health certificate issued by the official authority of the country of origin. It must give the pet's current vaccines, the parasite treatment and its state of health. SENASA's notes give no deadline for how recent it must be: ask SENASA.
Details and the official words
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.
“Certificado sanitario de exportación original emitido por la Autoridad Oficial del país de procedencia que consigne la siguiente información”
“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
Present the documents to SENASA on arrival and pass the clinical inspection
The owner or an agent takes an application with their details and the pet's, and the certificate, to the SENASA office at Jorge Chávez airport (or another international airport or land border post). A SENASA vet then examines the pet for signs of infectious or parasitic disease and decides whether it can continue with the entry procedure.
Details and the official words
“El propietario o apoderado de la mascota debe presentar en la oficina de SENASA, ubicada en el aeropuerto Jorge Chávez y otros terminales aéreos internacionales del interior del país, así como en puestos de control fronterizos (vía terrestre), los siguientes documentos:”
“Posteriormente, se realiza la inspección clínica a la mascota para detectar la presencia de algún signo de enfermedad infectocontagiosa o parasitaria.”
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
- SENASA's 2024 note asks for the parasite treatment within 30 days before travel; its 2020 page says within 15 days. We plan for 15 days, which satisfies both: confirm with SENASA.
- 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 Peru?
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 Peru?
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 Peru?
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?
The official rules we have verified for this route don't list a microchip requirement.