Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Belgium → 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.
Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Belgium publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. AFSCA's page gives no deadline, fee or booking route for the certificate. Ask your local control unit (ULC) early.
How early to start
3 weeks
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
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
Health certificate checked and certified by AFSCA (local control unit): In most cases the destination requires a health certificate for your pet. AFSCA's website lists the procedure and the types of certificate. Your local control unit (ULC) has to be able to check that the certification is possible.
AFSCA's page gives no deadline for how recent the certificate must be: the destination's rules decide.
“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.”
“Dans la majorité des cas, un certificat sanitaire est exigé par le pays de destination pour que votre animal puisse vous accompagner dans ce pays.”
“L’Unité locale de Contrôle (ULC) doit pouvoir contrôler que la certification sera possible.”
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”
Paperwork
Bring proof of the destination's conditions to your local control unit
If the destination has its own conditions, or conditions AFSCA hasn't published, bring official proof that the destination's authority asked for them (with a sworn translation if needed) to your local AFSCA control unit (ULC) beforehand, not on the day of certification, so it can check that certification will be possible. Start preparing early.
Details and the official words
“vous devez présenter une preuve officielle attestant que ces conditions ont bien été exigées par l’autorité du pays de destination”
“Les conditions imposées par le pays de destination doivent être présentées au préalable”
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.
- To travel outside the EU, the destination country's conditions apply. For some countries AFSCA publishes them; for others you must ask the embassy or the regional export-promotion organisations. It is your responsibility that the destination accepts your pet.
- AFSCA recommends a European passport, a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination. For a limited number of countries the rabies vaccination is not required, but AFSCA still advises it because it is needed to come back to the EU. Many non-EU countries count a vaccine as valid for one year, so check its date before you leave.
- Even after a short stay in a non-EU country, your pet has to meet the rules for entering Belgium from outside the EU when it comes back. Where a blood test is needed, the conditions are relaxed if you do it before you leave.
- Planning to bring your pet back to the EU? After a short stay in a non-EU country you can skip the 3-month wait after the rabies blood test, but only if, before you leave the EU, your pet was vaccinated against rabies, passed a successful titer test, and your vet recorded both in its EU pet passport. So do the blood test before you go.
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 Belgium 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.