Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Australia → Argentina
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)
2 weeks
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
Paperwork
International Veterinary Certificate (CVI) or legalised passport
Your pet needs a CVI issued, signed and stamped by the veterinary authority of the country it comes from (one of its languages must be Spanish), or a valid official passport carrying the same health information, endorsed by the veterinary authority before boarding (English is accepted as the only alternative language besides Spanish). It is valid for 60 calendar days from issue, as long as the rabies vaccination is still valid on the day your pet enters.
Details and the official words
DAFF pre-export appointment: export permit and health certificate: At your pre-export appointment with DAFF's certifying veterinary officer (a pet transport company can go for you; some countries need DAFF to see your pet, in which case you bring it), DAFF checks all your documents and issues the export permit and health certificate. You pay at or before the appointment. Your pet must then leave Australia within 72 hours of the permit being issued.
“deben contar con el Certificado Veterinario Internacional (CVI) o con Pasaporte oficial legalizado”
“Uno de los idiomas del CVI debe ser el español.”
“El CVI o el Pasaporte oficial legalizado son válidos por 60 (sesenta) días corridos desde su emisión o legalización para ingresar a la Argentina con su perro o gato, siempre que la vacuna antirrábica se encuentre vigente el día del ingreso.”
“This appointment must be before your appointment with our certifying veterinary officer.”
“Your animal must be exported from Australia within 72 hours after the permit is issued. This is a condition of the export permit.”
“Your export permit and health certificate will be issued when we are satisfied the:”
Vet exam
Health certificate from an authorised vet
A vet authorised in the country of origin certifies that your pet is clinically healthy, shows no signs of parasites and is fit to travel. It is issued within the 10 days before the date the CVI is issued.
Details and the official words
“Emitido dentro de los 10 (diez) días previos a la fecha de emisión del CVI por un veterinario autorizado en el país de origen”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
Dogs and cats must be vaccinated against rabies with a vaccine authorised by the authority of the country of origin and with immunity still valid according to the vaccine maker's validity period. If it is the first vaccination, it must have been given at least 21 days before entering Argentina.
Details and the official words
The 21-day wait only applies to a first vaccination; the plan shows it for every vaccine date, so a pet with an in-date booster can ignore it.
The original vaccination record must not be kept by the authorities: it stays with the owner.
“Cuando se trate de animales vacunados por primera vez, la vacuna debe haber sido aplicada al menos 21 (veintiún) días previos al ingreso a la República Argentina.”
Treatment
Internal and external parasite treatment
A treatment against internal and external parasites, with a product approved by the authority of the country of origin, within the 15 days before the CVI is issued (or before the passport is endorsed).
Details and the official words
“Tratamiento contra parásitos internos y externos dentro de los 15 (quince) días previos a la fecha de emisión del CVI o a la intervención del pasaporte”
Notice
Submit a Notice of Intention (NOI) to Export
Complete the NOI to Export Live Animals (other than Livestock) form with your supporting documents and email it to DAFF's regional office in your state or territory, at least 10 working days before departure (or before any pre-export isolation starts). Use the same form to book your pre-export appointment, and book the final vet exam at the same time. If the destination needs an import permit, send it with the NOI.
Details and the official words
If your destination requires pre-export isolation, the 10 working days run to the start of isolation, not to departure. Check the importing country's requirements for the isolation dates.
NOI approval doesn't guarantee DAFF will issue the export permit and health certificate.
“Email the NOI and documents to the regional office in the state or territory of departure. Do this at least 10 working days before the departure date or start of isolation.”
Vet exam
Final health and welfare exam with your registered vet
Your registered vet examines your pet and you both sign the pre-export veterinary health and welfare declaration. It must be within 72 hours of departure (or the period the importing country sets), and before your DAFF appointment.
Details and the official words
If the importing country sets a shorter or longer period, that period applies instead; check its requirements.
“This must be within 72 hours of departure, or a period set by the importing country.”
Good to know
- SENASA's page cites MERCOSUR Resolution GMC 17/15 for the health requirements. Brazil has since adopted a newer MERCOSUR text (GMC 20/24), so Argentina's page may be updated: check it before you travel.
- A pet from a country or zone declared rabies-free by WOAH may enter if the issuing vet authority states this on the CVI or passport. We ask for the vaccination from every pet aged 3 months or older, the safe side.
- To take your pet back to the country it came from you need a new CVI from SENASA, unless the CVI it entered with expressly says it is valid for the return, gives a maximum period and is still valid.
- A pet that arrives without meeting the requirements can be subjected to the health measures SENASA considers appropriate, which can include delays or re-export, and the owner pays the costs.
- For a pet travelling with its owner as accompanied baggage, no prior import application to SENASA, no notice to the border post and no SENASA entry permit are needed. SENASA staff check the documents, the animal and its identity on arrival, at no charge.
- DAFF says each country has its own health requirements, which can be complex and can change without notice. Get the importing country's requirements in writing (and an import permit if it needs one) and give them to your registered vet.
- Planning to bring your pet back to Australia? Contact DAFF's imports team before you export. Within 6 months of export, extra pre-export requirements may apply, and some animals can't be imported or returned under any circumstances.
- Your pet's crate must meet IATA standards, and your registered vet must inspect it before it is used. Some countries (including Fiji and Singapore) require the crate to be sealed; DAFF provides the seal.
- DAFF charges a fee to assess the Notice of Intention, a time-based fee to prepare the health certificate and a fee for the export permit. We don't show these amounts yet; see DAFF's charging guidelines.
Government fees we know of
- SENASA check of an accompanied pet at the border (no charge)0 ARS
Vet, lab and courier costs are not included. The final amount can depend on how many tests or pets are on the certificate.
Common questions
Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Australia to Argentina?
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 Argentina?
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 Argentina?
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.