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Pet travel route

Dog or cat from Kenya to Argentina: official requirements

Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 3 weeks ahead. The main steps: rabies vaccination, health certificate from an authorised vet and health certificate from a vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board and 2 more.

Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 3 official pages

Make my dated plan Reverse: Argentina → Kenya

In short

Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Kenya publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Kenya's Directorate of Veterinary Services doesn't publish its export procedure for pets on its own website. We use KenTrade's InfoTrade description of the international veterinary certificate for dogs and cats (VS16), last updated in 2022. It gives no processing time, doesn't say how long before departure to apply, and lists a copy of the destination's import permit for every export. Confirm with the Directorate (infodvs@kilimo.go.ke) before you travel.

At a glance

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

How early to start

3 weeks

if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet

Set by: Rabies vaccination (at least 21 days before entry (first vaccination))

No official wait

if it is already microchipped and vaccinated

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

On this route

  • Parasite treatment before travel

Part of this route is still under review, so we don’t say what it doesn’t need.

Prefer a feed reader? Kenya rule changes · Argentina rule changes

Kenya → Argentina

What your pet needs

In the order you do them. Each step says whether Kenya (leaving) or Argentina (entering) asks for it.

Taking a dog or cat out of Kenya (DVS international veterinary certificate): we summarised this from a short or older official page and it is still under review, so it may be incomplete.

  1. Get ready

    1. VaccinationEntering Argentina

      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.”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. Vet examEntering Argentina

      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”

    2. Vet examLeaving Kenya

      Health certificate from a vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board

      A vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board examines your pet and issues a veterinary health certificate. You upload a copy of it, with a copy of your pet's vaccination certificate, when you apply for the export certificate.

      Details and the official words

      “Issued by registered veterinarians with Kenya Veterinary Board.”

    3. TreatmentEntering Argentina

      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”

    4. PaperworkKenya and Argentina

      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

      International veterinary certificate (VS16) from the Directorate of Veterinary Services: Apply online on KenTrade's Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP) for the international veterinary certificate for dogs and cats (VS16), issued per consignment. You need a Unique Consignment Reference (UCR) number and copies of the vet's health certificate, the vaccination certificate and the import permit from the destination country; for the European Union, also a copy of the EU health certificate. Pay the processing fee (up to KES 500 per pet) by M-PESA or at the bank, then receive the certificate on the platform.

      Processing fee: KES 0 to 500 per pet (KenTrade's estimate). M-PESA paybill 522522, account 1106972791.

      InfoTrade lists a copy of the destination's import permit for every export. If your destination doesn't issue one (EU countries and the UK, for example), ask DVS what to upload instead.

      “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.”

      “The certificate is processed through the Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP), and is issued per consignment.”

      “Unique consignment reference (UCR) number”

      “From the country of destination.”

      “EU export health certificate (copy)”

      “For MPESA payments, the paybill number is 522522 and the account number is 1106972791.”

      “KES 0 - KES 500 per pet”

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.
  • The Directorate of Veterinary Services issues the certificate only once the destination's conditions are met and your pet is healthy and free of disease, so find out your destination's requirements first.

Money

What it costs

Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Kenya 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

  • SENASA check of an accompanied pet at the border (no charge)Entering ArgentinaFree
    “la verificación de mascotas que ingresan bajo la modalidad de equipaje acompañado no tiene costo alguno.”

    Ingresos con perros y/o gatos (SENASA) · as of 2026-10-09

What vets and labs charge Not official figures

We have no published vet or lab prices for Kenya yet.

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 Kenya

Do before your pet leaves Kenya

  • Rabies vaccination: first one at 3 months or older, at least 6 months before shipment
  • Rabies blood test, 3 to 24 months before shipment

Their timing rules put them before the outbound trip, for a three-month stay.

The trip back asks for 9 steps: import permit (VS01) from the Directorate of Veterinary Services, microchip (or other permanent identification), rabies vaccination: first one at 3 months or older, at least 6 months before shipment and rabies vaccination within the last year and more.

Every step from Argentina to Kenya

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

Last checked against the official pages: 2026-10-13.

Entering ArgentinaLeaving KenyaReport a mistakeGet rule-change alerts

Questions owners ask

Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Kenya to Argentina?

We couldn't find this in our summary of the rules, but that summary is short and still under review. Ask the official authority before you rely on it.

Do I need an import permit to bring my dog or cat into Argentina?

We couldn't find this in our summary of the rules, but that summary is short and still under review. Ask the official authority before you rely on it.

Will my dog or cat be quarantined in Argentina?

We couldn't find this in our summary of the rules, but that summary is short and still under review. Ask the official authority before you rely on it.

How early should I start preparing my pet for Kenya to Argentina?

With nothing done yet, start at least 3 weeks ahead. The main steps: rabies vaccination, health certificate from an authorised vet and health certificate from a vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board and 2 more.

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

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