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Pet travel route

Dog or cat from Kenya to Chile: official requirements

Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 3 weeks ahead. The main steps: permanent individual identification (microchip or tattoo), rabies vaccination and clinical examination by a vet and 3 more.

Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 3 official pages

Make my dated plan Reverse: Chile → 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-time vaccination))

5 days

if it is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: International Veterinary Certificate (CVI)

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 · Chile rule changes

Kenya → Chile

What your pet needs

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

      Permanent individual identification (microchip or tattoo)

      Your pet must be identified individually and permanently by a microchip or a tattoo, following ISO 11784/11785. The number on the CVI must match the animal's.

      Details and the official words

      We can only mark a microchip as done from your pet's records; a tattoo that meets the standard is also accepted.

      “Deben estar identificados de forma individual y permanente, mediante tatuaje o microchip (conforme a las normas ISO 11784/11785).”

    2. VaccinationEntering Chile

      Rabies vaccination

      A pet that is vaccinated for the first time (or whose last dose was given after the previous vaccine expired), at any age, must be immunised at least 21 days before entering Chile. For a pet that is not a first-time vaccinate, the last two doses must be certified, otherwise it counts as a first-time vaccinate.

      Details and the official words

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

      “deben ser inmunizados al menos 21 días previos al ingreso a Chile”

      “En animales no primo-vacunados, se debe certificar la información de las 2 últimas dosis aplicadas, de lo contrario se considerarán como primo-vacunados.”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. Vet examEntering Chile

      Clinical examination by a vet

      A vet examines your pet within the 10 days before the CVI is issued and finds no clinical signs of infectious or parasitic disease.

      Details and the official words

      “dentro de los 10 días previos a la fecha de emisión del CVI”

    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 Chile

      Internal and external parasite treatment

      A broad-spectrum treatment against internal and external parasites, with a product approved by your country's health authority, given between 5 and 30 days before the CVI is issued.

      Details and the official words

      “Los animales deben ser tratados entre 5 y 30 días previos a la emisión del CVI con un antiparasitario de uso interno y externo”

    4. PaperworkKenya and Chile

      International Veterinary Certificate (CVI)

      A CVI issued by the health authority of the country your pet is coming from, meeting all of Chile's requirements. It is valid for 10 days, extendable by up to 5 more depending on the travel conditions. Your pet's identification number on it must match the animal.

      Details and the official words

      SAG allows an extension of up to 5 days 'according to the conditions of the trip'; the page doesn't say who decides. We plan for 10 days.

      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 venir amparados por un Certificado Veterinario Internacional (CVI)”

      “El CVI tiene una vigencia de 10 días, con un máximo prorrogable de 5 días de acuerdo a las condiciones del viaje.”

      “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”

  3. Travel day and arrival

    1. On arrivalEntering Chile

      SAG check on arrival

      On arrival SAG checks that your health certificate (or EU passport) meets the requirements.

      Details and the official words

      “Al llegar a Chile, el SAG verificará que la certificación sanitaria”

Good to know

  • Dogs and cats coming from European Union member states may use their EU pet passport instead of a CVI.
  • On arrival SAG may apply other laws and regulations on preventing and controlling animal disease, so the paperwork below is the minimum.
  • These rules come from SAG Resolution 3.343 of 2026 (modified by Resolution 5.444/2026). Older SAG material and third-party guides may still show the earlier requirements, so rely on the page linked here.
  • 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 10 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 Chile to Kenya

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

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

Entering ChileLeaving KenyaReport a mistakeGet rule-change alerts

Questions owners ask

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

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 Chile?

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 Chile?

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 Chile?

With nothing done yet, start at least 3 weeks ahead. The main steps: permanent individual identification (microchip or tattoo), rabies vaccination and clinical examination by a vet 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

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