Pet travel route
Dog or cat from Kenya to Canada: official requirements
Possible. There is no official waiting period for a dog, but you still need: rabies vaccination certificate, health certificate from a vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board and international veterinary certificate (VS16) from the Directorate of Veterinary Services.
Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 5 official pages
In short
- Dogs and cats differ on this route: choose Dog or Cat to see just yours.
- Canada puts Kenya in the group “Country not on Canada’s rabies-free list”, which decides part of the rules.
- On this route: official stamp on the certificate.
- Coming back to Kenya? 2 steps have to happen before your pet leaves.
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
How early to start (dogs)
No official wait
whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated
No official wait still means appointments: rabies vaccination certificate, health certificate from a vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board and international veterinary certificate (VS16) from the Directorate of Veterinary Services. Book them early; lab and paperwork times are not counted.
On this route (dogs)
- Official stamp on the certificate
Part of this route is still under review, so we don’t say what it doesn’t need.
How early to start (cats)
No official wait
whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated
No official wait still means appointments: rabies vaccination certificate, health certificate from a vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board and international veterinary certificate (VS16) from the Directorate of Veterinary Services. Book them early; lab and paperwork times are not counted.
On this route (cats)
- Official stamp on the certificate
Part of this route is still under review, so we don’t say what it doesn’t need.
Which rules apply to you
Canada puts Kenya in the group “Country not on Canada’s rabies-free list”. See every group
Official name: Not on CFIA's rabies-free list
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Rule change for pets travelling from Kenya to Canada
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Kenya → Canada
What your pet needs
In the order you do them. Each step says whether Kenya (leaving) or Canada (entering) asks for it.
Dogs
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.
Get ready
VaccinationEntering Canada
Rabies vaccination certificate
Bring a valid rabies vaccination certificate (in English or French, signed by a licensed vet, showing the vaccine and how long it protects). CFIA doesn't list a waiting period after vaccination.
Details and the official words
If the certificate doesn't state the duration of immunity, Canada treats it as valid for 1 year from the vaccination date.
If this is missed: The owner must have the pet vaccinated against rabies within a set time, at their own expense, and show the record to a CFIA office.
“a valid rabies vaccination certificate”
“a valid rabies vaccination certificate or a valid Rabies Country-Freedom Certificate”
“specify the duration of immunity (otherwise, it will be considered valid for 1 year from the date of vaccination)”
“state that the animal has been in the exporting country since birth or for at least 6 months immediately preceding the date of export to Canada”
In the days before you travel
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.”
Official stampLeaving Kenya
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.
Details and the official words
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.
“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”
Travel day and arrival
On arrivalEntering Canada
Healthy and transported humanely
Your dog must appear healthy on arrival and travel in line with Canada's humane transportation requirements.
Details and the official words
“the dog appears healthy and meets humane transportation requirements”
Good to know
- 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.
Cats
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.
Get ready
VaccinationEntering Canada
Rabies vaccination certificate
Bring a valid rabies vaccination certificate (in English or French, signed by a licensed vet, showing the vaccine and how long it protects). CFIA doesn't list a waiting period after vaccination.
Details and the official words
If the certificate doesn't state the duration of immunity, Canada treats it as valid for 1 year from the vaccination date.
If this is missed: The owner must have the pet vaccinated against rabies within a set time, at their own expense, and show the record to a CFIA office.
“a valid rabies vaccination certificate”
“a valid rabies vaccination certificate or a valid Rabies Country-Freedom Certificate”
“specify the duration of immunity (otherwise, it will be considered valid for 1 year from the date of vaccination)”
“state that the animal has been in the exporting country since birth or for at least 6 months immediately preceding the date of export to Canada”
In the days before you travel
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.”
Official stampLeaving Kenya
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.
Details and the official words
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.
“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
- 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
CFIA inspection of an imported dog or catEntering Canada · 6.16 CAD for each extra pet36.95 CAD
Per shipment: CAD 36.95 for the first animal and CAD 6.16 for each extra one (rate from 31 March 2026). CFIA’s pet pages don’t say when the inspection is charged, so we don’t count it in a trip.
“(c) subject to paragraph (d), dogs, cats or ferrets - - - (i) imported from the United States for use in research and consigned to a facility approved by the Canadian Council on Animal Care or imported from the United States for transit to another country - $41.99 $43.12 (ii) imported for any other purpose - - - (A) for the first animal in the shipment - $35.98 $36.95 (B) for each additional animal - $6.00 $6.16”
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Fees Notice · as of 2026-09-03
CFIA inspection when the inspector orders a rabies vaccinationEntering Canada · 36.95 CAD for each extra pet67.75 CAD
Instead of the normal inspection fee, if your pet arrives without valid rabies proof: CAD 67.75 for the first animal and CAD 36.95 for each extra one. The vaccination itself is paid to a vet.
“(d) cats or dogs imported under paragraph 12(1)(b) of the Regulations, if an inspector has made a vaccination order under section 1 or 2, respectively, of Part III of the Import Reference Document (amended: Canada Gazette , Part I, May 22, 2010) - - - (i) for the first animal in the shipment - $65.97 $67.75 (ii) for each additional animal - $35.98 $36.95”
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Fees Notice · as of 2026-09-03
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.
Nearby routes
Other routes
Where this comes from
Official sources
- Bringing animals to Canada: Importing and travelling with pets
- Countries recognized as rabies free for domestic cats and dogs
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency Fees Notice
- International veterinary certificate for dogs & cats (VS16): export procedure (InfoTrade Kenya, KenTrade)
- International veterinary certificate for dogs & cats (VS16), step 1: apply, generate an e-slip and pay (InfoTrade Kenya, last modified 15/03/2022)
Last checked against the official pages: 2026-10-13.
Questions owners ask
Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Kenya to Canada?
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 Canada?
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 Canada?
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 Canada?
There is no official waiting period for a dog, but you still need: rabies vaccination certificate, health certificate from a vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board and international veterinary certificate (VS16) from the Directorate of Veterinary Services.
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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