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Pet travel route

Dog or cat from Kenya to the Philippines: the rules

Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 4 weeks ahead. The main steps: microchip (the number is part of the SPSIC application), rabies vaccination by a licensed vet, at 12 weeks or older and SPS Import Clearance (SPSIC) from BAI, applied for online and 3 more.

Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 4 official pages

Make my dated plan Reverse: Philippines → 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.

Limited official guidance. The authority for entering the Philippines publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. This follows the Bureau of Animal Industry's pet page as rewritten in October 2026 (13 questions and answers) and its Citizen's Charter. The page no longer says which veterinary certificate must travel with your pet, what you show and pay on arrival, or what the antibody titer test required from 1 January 2027 involves, and the circular behind the rules (BAI Memorandum Circular 43 of 2020) is on a site that returns an error. Ask BAI (nvqsd@bai.gov.ph) before you travel.

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: SPS Import Clearance (SPSIC) from BAI, applied for online (BAI processes the SPSIC in 11 working days: 15 calendar days is our conversion, not an official figure. BAI's Citizen's Charter gives 13 days for the whole online process, so apply earlier if you can.)

2 weeks

if it is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: SPS Import Clearance (SPSIC) from BAI, applied for online (BAI processes the SPSIC in 11 working days: 15 calendar days is our conversion, not an official figure. BAI's Citizen's Charter gives 13 days for the whole online process, so apply earlier if you can.)

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

On this route

  • Import permit needed
  • Parasite treatment before travel
  • Official stamp on the certificate

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 · Philippines rule changes

Kenya → Philippines

What your pet needs

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

Bringing a dog or cat into the Philippines: we summarised this from a short or older official page and it is still under review, so it may be incomplete.

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 the Philippines

      Microchip (the number is part of the SPSIC application)

      Your pet's microchip number is part of the import clearance (SPSIC) application.

      Details and the official words

      “Information of the dog/cat such as vaccination and antiparasitic records, microchip number, actual photo of the dog/cat, and pet passport if applicable.”

      “Proof of Microchip Numbers”

    2. VaccinationEntering the Philippines

      Rabies vaccination by a licensed vet, at 12 weeks or older

      A licensed vet in your pet's country vaccinates it against rabies when it is at least 12 weeks old (a pet vaccinated younger needs a booster before you apply for the SPSIC). Rabies is the only vaccination the Philippines requires. After a first vaccination you wait 14 days before applying for the SPSIC; BAI accepts a vaccine with 3-year validity.

      Details and the official words

      “The rabies vaccination should be administered by a licensed veterinarian of the source country.”

      “The dog or cat should be at least 12 weeks of age at the time of rabies vaccination; or the dog or cat vaccinated against rabies earlier than 12 weeks of age shall be given a booster shot with owner’s consent before applying for SPSIC.”

      “No, the Philippines only requires the dog or cat to be vaccinated against Rabies.”

    3. PermitEntering the Philippines

      SPS Import Clearance (SPSIC) from BAI, applied for online

      Every dog and cat needs an approved SPSIC from BAI before it enters the Philippines. Apply online through the DA Trade System (intercommerce.com.ph) once your pet is at least 4 months old, and at least 14 days after a first rabies vaccination. You give the vaccination and parasite-treatment records, the microchip number, a photo of the pet and the pet passport if it has one; the Citizen's Charter also lists a BIR-issued ID with a tax number and a notarized affidavit of undertaking (Annex A for Filipinos, Annex C for foreigners). BAI processes it in 11 working days.

      Details and the official words

      BAI's page doesn't say how long an approved SPSIC stays valid: check the dates on yours.

      “Yes, all dogs and cats need an approved and valid SPSIC issued by BAI before entering the Philippines.”

      “The SPSIC can be secured online through DA Trade System”

      “The application takes 11 working days to be processed from the date of submission, evaluation, endorsement, and approval.”

      “The dog or cat should be at least 4 months of age at the time of the SPSIC application.”

      “If the dog or cat will receive its first or initial Rabies vaccination, the importer should wait 14 days after the date of initial vaccination before they can apply for SPS Import clearance to ensure that the dog or cat did not have any adverse reaction from the vaccine.”

      “Acquiring SPS Import Permit is a requirement before any dog or cat can enter into the Philippines.”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. 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.”

    2. TreatmentEntering the Philippines

      Internal and external parasite treatment still valid on arrival

      Your pet's internal and external parasite treatment must still be valid when it arrives in the Philippines. BAI says no 'updated' treatment is needed and there's no wait before applying for the SPSIC; how long a treatment stays valid depends on the product, so ask your vet.

      The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.

      Details and the official words

      BAI's answer starts 'No, your dog/cat does not need an updated parasite treatment' and then says the treatment 'should be valid until the arrival'. We show the treatment so that it is valid on arrival; ask BAI if you're unsure what that means for your pet.

      “No, your dog/cat does not need an updated parasite treatment and you do not need to wait to apply for SPSIC.”

      “However, the internal and external parasite treatment should be valid until the arrival in the Philippines.”

    3. 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

  • An importer may bring at most 3 animals a year, or the same 3 animals (identified by their microchip numbers) more than once a year.
  • From 1 January 2027 every SPSIC application must meet antibody titer (rabies blood test) requirements. BAI hasn't published what they are (laboratory, minimum result, waiting time). If you will apply on or after 1 January 2027, ask BAI now: blood tests can take weeks or months to plan.
  • BAI's rewritten pet page no longer says which veterinary certificate must travel with your pet, or what you show and pay on arrival. Until 12 October 2026 it asked for the original export permit / international veterinary health certificate (EP/IVHC) from the exporting country's veterinary authority, shown with printed copies of the approved SPSIC to the BAI quarantine officer at the airport, and listed the fees. Ask BAI (nvqsd@bai.gov.ph) and your own country's export authority what is needed now.
  • A dog or cat that is pregnant when you apply for the SPSIC is not allowed, and one that has given birth must have done so at least 12 weeks before travel.
  • After an annual booster BAI applies no waiting period if the booster was given 'within 7 days of the validity of the vaccine'; otherwise the 14-day wait applies. The wording is unclear (before or after the old vaccination expired?), so if your pet's booster wasn't on time, ask BAI.
  • BAI may waive the rabies vaccination for pets from countries with an official self-declaration of freedom from rabies, or where rabies has never been reported, in their official report to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). We don't hold that list, so the plan always shows the vaccination: ask BAI if this applies to your pet's country.
  • BAI accepts a rabies vaccine with 3-year validity from the pet's home country. Once the pet has spent a total of 1 year in the Philippines it needs a booster from a licensed vet there, then the local annual (12-month) vaccination for as long as it stays.
  • 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

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 the Philippines to Kenya

Where this comes from

Official sources

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

Entering the PhilippinesLeaving KenyaReport a mistakeGet rule-change alerts

Questions owners ask

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

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 the Philippines?

Yes: Every dog and cat needs an approved SPSIC from BAI before it enters the Philippines.

Will my dog or cat be quarantined in the Philippines?

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 the Philippines?

With nothing done yet, start at least 4 weeks ahead. The main steps: microchip (the number is part of the SPSIC application), rabies vaccination by a licensed vet, at 12 weeks or older and SPS Import Clearance (SPSIC) from BAI, applied for online 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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Where from, where to, when. You get every step with its deadline and the official page it comes from.

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