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Dog or cat from Canada to the Dominican Republic: the rules

Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 4 weeks ahead. The main steps: rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure, rabies vaccination within the 12 months before departure and vet examination within 72 hours before departure and 3 more.

Rules checked up to 12 October 2026From 3 official pages

Make my dated plan Reverse: Dominican Republic → Canada

In short

Limited official guidance. The authority for entering the Dominican Republic publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. DIGEGA's page lists what the health certificate must state, but it doesn't say what happens when your pet arrives (inspection, fees), whether a pet travelling as cargo or without its owner needs anything more, or which vaccinations other than rabies are expected. Ask DIGEGA (809-535-9689) before you travel if any of these apply to you.

At a glance

The rules on this route are the same for dogs and cats.

How early to start

4 weeks

if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet

Set by: Rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure (at least 30 days before the departure date)

1 day

if it is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Book your CFIA endorsement appointment (book ahead; CFIA asks for as much notice as possible (no minimum is published))

The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.

On this route

  • No rabies blood test
  • No import permit
  • No quarantine
  • Parasite treatment before travel
  • Official stamp on the certificate

Prefer a feed reader? Canada rule changes · Dominican Republic rule changes

Canada → Dominican Republic

What your pet needs

In the order you do them. Each step says whether Canada (leaving) or the Dominican Republic (entering) asks for it.

  1. Get ready

    1. VaccinationEntering the Dominican Republic

      Rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure

      Your pet is vaccinated against rabies with an inactivated-virus vaccine, given at least 90 days after birth. After a first vaccination, wait 30 days before travelling: the vaccination must be at least 30 days before the departure date.

      Details and the official words

      “La vacuna debe ser de virus inactivado y administrada no más de 12 meses ni menos de 30 días antes de la fecha de salida.”

      “Los cachorros deben haber recibido la vacuna contra la rabia al menos 90 días después del nacimiento (3 meses o 12 semanas) y esperar 30 días después de la vacunación antes de viajar.”

    2. VaccinationEntering the Dominican Republic

      Rabies vaccination within the 12 months before departure

      The rabies vaccination on the certificate must be no more than 12 months before the departure date, even if your pet's vaccine is valid for longer. If your pet's last shot will be older, give a booster before you travel. An adult dog with a history of rabies vaccination and boosters doesn't need to wait 30 days after the booster; a cat does.

      Details and the official words

      Add the date of your pet's most recent rabies shot to check this.

      DIGEGA's exemption from the 30-day wait names adult dogs only, so we apply the 30 days to every cat's vaccination.

      “La vacuna debe ser de virus inactivado y administrada no más de 12 meses ni menos de 30 días antes de la fecha de salida.”

      “Los perros adultos con antecedentes de vacunación contra la rabia y dosis de refuerzo no necesitan esperar 30 días después de la vacunación.”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. Vet examEntering the Dominican Republic

      Vet examination within 72 hours before departure

      A vet examines your pet within the 72 hours before the departure date and finds it free of infectious or contagious diseases. By then it must already have been treated against internal and external parasites.

      Details and the official words

      “El animal fue examinado dentro de las 72 horas previas a la fecha de salida. Se determinó que no padecía enfermedades infecciosas o contagiosas y que había recibido tratamiento contra parásitos externos e internos.”

    2. TreatmentEntering the Dominican Republic

      Internal and external parasite treatment before the vet examination

      Your pet is treated against internal and external parasites before the vet examines it. The certificate names the dewormers with their manufacturer and active ingredients. DIGEGA gives no time window: ask your vet.

      Details and the official words

      “El animal fue examinado dentro de las 72 horas previas a la fecha de salida. Se determinó que no padecía enfermedades infecciosas o contagiosas y que había recibido tratamiento contra parásitos externos e internos.”

      “El certificado debe especificar: las vacunas administradas y el control de parásitos internos y externos (los desparasitantes deben especificar el fabricante y los principios activos).”

    3. PaperworkCanada and the Dominican Republic

      Vet's health certificate, endorsed by an official vet at the port of embarkation

      A vet issues and signs a health certificate after the examination, and an official vet at the port of embarkation endorses and stamps it. It gives the name and address in the Dominican Republic of the person accompanying the pet, the pet's full identification (name, breed, sex, colour, date of birth, microchip and/or tattoo), the vaccinations given and the parasite treatments. Attach the vaccination record with the vaccine labels (batch number, manufacture and expiry dates).

      Details and the official words

      DIGEGA's page places the official endorsement at the port of embarkation. In many countries the official vet endorses certificates before you go to the airport (in the US, USDA APHIS): ask your country's official veterinary service how it endorses a certificate for the Dominican Republic.

      CFIA endorsement of the export certificate: Your licensed veterinarian completes the export certificate, then an official CFIA veterinarian endorses it. This must happen before your pet leaves Canada: CFIA cannot endorse a certificate once the animal has gone.

      “Los animales deben ir acompañados de un certificado sanitario expedido y firmado por un veterinario. Este certificado debe ser refrendado y sellado por un veterinario oficial en el puerto de embarque.”

      “El certificado debe contener el nombre y la dirección de la persona que acompaña al animal en la República Dominicana y la identificación completa del animal (nombre, raza, sexo, color, fecha de nacimiento, microchip y/o tatuaje).”

      “Debe ir acompañado de un registro de vacunación con las etiquetas de las vacunas, incluyendo el número de lote, la fecha de fabricación y la fecha de caducidad.”

      “Most pets travelling from Canada to another country will need an export certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian and endorsed by an official Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) veterinarian.”

      “the CFIA cannot endorse or issue a certificate if the animal(s) is/are no longer in Canada”

    4. Official stampLeaving Canada

      Book your CFIA endorsement appointment

      An appointment with an official CFIA veterinarian is required to get your pet's export certificate endorsed. Book as early as you can: the endorsement has to happen before your pet leaves Canada.

      Details and the official words

      “An appointment is required to get your pet export certificate endorsed by an official CFIA veterinarian.”

      “Provide as much advance notice as possible when booking an appointment.”

Good to know

  • CFIA warns that countries can change their import requirements without telling it. Get the current requirements from the destination country's veterinary authority or embassy and compare them with the export certificate before you start.
  • If the destination has no export certificate of its own and its import requirements can be met, the Canadian International Health Certificate can be used. Otherwise CFIA has to negotiate a certificate, which can take several months — contact your CFIA animal health office before you start.

Money

What it costs

Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Canada publish for the steps above. The two are never added together.

Government fees on this route

No fee applies to every trip; these may, depending on your case

  • CFIA endorsement of an export certificateLeaving Canada24.64 CAD

    Per certificate. Our reading of the CFIA fees notice: dogs and cats fall under its line for animals not listed elsewhere. CFIA works out the fee when you book.

    “(2) For the certification, for export, of animals not mentioned elsewhere in items 21 to 33, and of any animal product, animal by-product or manure, excluding veterinary biologics, for each certificate - $23.99 $24.64”

    Canadian Food Inspection Agency Fees Notice · as of 2026-09-03

What vets and labs charge Not official figures

Prices that businesses publish on their own pages, quoted as we read them; yours can differ. Ranges are the lowest to highest of these examples, never our estimate. How we collect prices

Airline fees aren’t included: check your airline’s pet page.

Round trip

Coming back to Canada

Nothing for the trip back has to happen before your pet leaves Canada (dogs).

The trip back asks for 4 steps: rabies vaccination certificate, healthy and transported humanely, health certificate from a vet, with an up-to-date vaccination record and DIGEGA validates the documents; official inspection at the port of exit.

Nothing for the trip back has to happen before your pet leaves Canada (cats).

The trip back asks for 3 steps: rabies vaccination certificate, health certificate from a vet, with an up-to-date vaccination record and DIGEGA validates the documents; official inspection at the port of exit.

Every step from the Dominican Republic to Canada

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

Last checked against the official pages: 2026-10-12.

Entering the Dominican RepublicLeaving CanadaReport a mistakeGet rule-change alerts

Questions owners ask

Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Canada to the Dominican Republic?

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 the Dominican Republic?

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 the Dominican Republic?

Not on the routes we have verified: the official rules list no quarantine for a pet that meets the requirements.

How early should I start preparing my pet for Canada to the Dominican Republic?

With nothing done yet, start at least 4 weeks ahead. The main steps: rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure, rabies vaccination within the 12 months before departure and vet examination within 72 hours before departure and 3 more.

Every rule here is quoted from the official page and checked word for word; not legal advice. How we verify · Report a mistake

Read next

Turn this into dates for your pet

Where from, where to, when. You get every step with its deadline and the official page it comes from.

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