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Pet travel route

Dog or cat from Kenya to Brazil: official requirements

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

Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 4 official pages

Make my dated plan Reverse: Brazil → 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 (leave at least 21 days after a 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 · Brazil rule changes

Kenya → Brazil

What your pet needs

In the order you do them. Each step says whether Kenya (leaving) or Brazil (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 Brazil

      Rabies vaccination

      Dogs and cats aged 90 days or older must arrive vaccinated against rabies, with a vaccine authorised by the vet authority of the country where it was given and still in date. After a first (primary) vaccination your pet may only leave 21 days or more after the shot; a pet whose vaccine lapsed before a booster counts as a first-time vaccinate again.

      Details and the official words

      Our age cut-off is 3 calendar months at arrival (Brazil says 90 days). If your pet is close to 90 days old, ask VIGIAGRO.

      The 21-day wait only applies after a first (or lapsed) vaccination; the engine shows it for every vaccine date, so a pet with an in-date booster can ignore it.

      If this is missed: The animal can be refused, returned or held (Art. 18), at the owner's cost.

      “Todos os animais a partir de noventa (90) dias de idade devem ingressar vacinados contra a raiva, tendo sido utilizadas, no país de sua aplicação, vacinas autorizadas pela autoridade veterinária, que devem estar dentro do seu período de vigência.”

      “o embarque pelo país exportador deve ser autorizado uma vez transcorridos vinte e um (21) dias da aplicação da referida vacina.”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. Vet examEntering Brazil

      Clinical examination by a vet

      A registered vet in the exporting country examines your pet within the 10 days before the CVI is issued and certifies that it shows no signs of infectious or parasitic disease and is fit to travel.

      Details and the official words

      “no prazo de dez (10) dias anteriores à data de emissão do CVI, a um exame clínico realizado por um médico veterinário registrado no país exportador”

    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 Brazil

      Treatment against internal and external parasites

      A broad-spectrum treatment against internal and external parasites, with a product approved by the exporting country's authority and following the maker's instructions, within the 15 days before the CVI is issued. It is recorded on the CVI.

      Details and the official words

      “no prazo de quinze (15) dias antes da data de emissão do CVI, a um tratamento de amplo espectro contra parasitos internos e externos”

    4. PaperworkKenya and Brazil

      International Veterinary Certificate (CVI)

      The original CVI, issued by the exporting country's veterinary authority, using the model the Brazilian ministry requires (mandatory since 6 September 2025). It is valid for 60 days from issue, as long as the rabies vaccination is still valid on arrival. Keep the original: border staff must not keep it.

      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.

      If this is missed: The animal can be refused, returned or held (Art. 18), at the owner's cost.

      “Para o ingresso de cães e gatos é necessário apresentar Certificado Veterinário Internacional (CVI) ou Passaporte oficial emitido por Autoridade Veterinária do país de origem atendendo aos requisitos sanitários do Brasil.”

      “Os animais devem ingressar, retornar, transitar ou circular pelos Estados Partes amparados pelo Certificado Veterinário Internacional (CVI) original, emitido pela autoridade veterinária do país exportador”

      “O CVI é válido para o ingresso, retorno, trânsito ou circulação entre os Estados Partes por um período de sessenta (60) dias corridos, contados a partir da data de sua emissão, sempre que a certificação de vacinação contra a raiva se encontre vigente.”

      “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

  • Countries or zones officially free of rabies (per WOAH) can be exempt from the rabies vaccination, but only if Brazil has recognised that status beforehand and the CVI states it. We don't hold Brazil's list of recognised countries, so we ask for the vaccination from every pet aged 90 days or older. If you come from a rabies-free country, ask MAPA/VIGIAGRO whether the exemption applies.
  • Brazil may refuse entry to an animal that has previously been diagnosed with leishmaniasis.
  • The Portaria does not make a microchip compulsory in itself, but if your pet has an electronic chip it must follow ISO 11784 and/or ISO 11785, and the CVI must say where on the body it sits. Check with VIGIAGRO whether your port of entry expects one.
  • A pet that arrives without meeting the rules can be refused, sent back to where it came from, held, or otherwise dealt with by the Brazilian veterinary authority, and all costs fall on the owner.
  • Brazil may also accept an official pet passport in place of the CVI, if it carries all the data the CVI asks for and is valid in the country that issued it. The CVI is the safe choice.
  • 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 government fee is published on the official pages we use for this trip. That doesn’t always mean it’s free: ask the authority.

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 Brazil to Kenya

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

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

Entering BrazilLeaving KenyaReport a mistakeGet rule-change alerts

Questions owners ask

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

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 Brazil?

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 Brazil?

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 Brazil?

With nothing done yet, start at least 3 weeks ahead. The main steps: rabies vaccination, clinical examination by a 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

Read next

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