Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from the United States → the Philippines
What the official rules ask for on this route, for a family pet travelling with its owner. Enter your travel date and your pet’s details to turn it into a dated checklist.
Limited official guidance. The authority for entering the Philippines publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. This is a short summary of what the Bureau of Animal Industry publishes on its pet page and in its Citizen's Charter. The circular that sets the rules themselves (BAI Memorandum Circular 43 of 2020: the pet's minimum age, which vaccinations, parasite treatment timing, and how recent the veterinary certificate must be) is on a site that returns an error, so none of those deadlines are shown. Ask BAI (nvqsd@bai.gov.ph) before you travel.
How early to start
No fixed wait
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet (the least time the official waiting periods allow)
No fixed wait
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
Counted only from the officially fixed waiting periods. Vet, lab and paperwork appointment times are on top, so start earlier.
Headlines for the Philippines
- Import permit needed
What your dog needs
Dogs
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.
Permit
SPS Import Clearance (SPSIC) from BAI
A dog or cat cannot enter the Philippines without an SPS import permit (SPSIC) from BAI's National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division. You apply with a letter of intent and your documents: proof of the microchip numbers, vaccination and deworming records, a photograph of the pet, the pet passport if any, a BIR-issued ID with a tax number, and a notarized affidavit of undertaking (Annex A for Filipinos, Annex C for foreigners).
Details and the official words
BAI's pages we could read give no processing time or deadline for applying.
“Acquiring SPS Import Permit is a requirement before any dog or cat can enter into the Philippines.”
“Proof of Microchip Numbers”
“Vaccination and Deworming Records”
“Photograph of the Dog and/or Cat”
Identification
Microchip (the number goes on every document)
Your pet's microchip number is part of the SPSIC application.
Details and the official words
“Proof of Microchip Numbers”
Paperwork
Export permit / international veterinary health certificate (EP/IVHC) from the exporting country
The veterinary authority of the exporting country issues the export permit / international veterinary health certificate (EP/IVHC). You present the original to the BAI quarantine officer when the pet arrives.
Details and the official words
The BAI page used to list what the certificate must state (breed, species, age, microchip number, vaccinations and parasite treatment, in English or with a translation). It no longer shows that list (checked 2026-10-12), so ask BAI what the certificate must contain.
How recent the certificate must be is not given on the pages we could read.
USDA APHIS endorsement: Your accredited vet submits the certificate to USDA APHIS (usually electronically through VEHCS) for endorsement; the endorsement date counts as the issue date for the destination.
“Original copy of the EP/IVHC issued by the veterinary authority of the exporting country”
“assist you through the process of obtaining a USDA-endorsed pet health certificate”
On arrival
Present the SPSIC and the original EP/IVHC to the BAI quarantine officer on arrival
At the international port of entry you present printed copies of the approved SPSIC and the original EP/IVHC to the BAI Veterinary Quarantine Officer (for a pet released from the cargo terminal, also the airway bill stamped by the airline). You pay the fees at the airport's veterinary quarantine office; with complete documents the pet can be released the same day.
Details and the official words
“Upon arrival of the dog/cat at any international port of entry, the consignor/consignee shall present to the BAI Veterinary Quarantine Officer (VQO) at the airport/port of entry the following documents:”
“Printed copies of the approved SPSIC;”
“Provided you have all the required documents, the animal/s can be released the same day.”
Vet exam
Use a USDA-accredited veterinarian
Only a USDA-accredited veterinarian can issue your pet's international health certificate. Tell them the destination, any transit countries, your departure date and whether the pet travels in the cabin or as cargo.
Details and the official words
“contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as you decide to travel”
Good to know
- A pet owner counts as a 'one-time importer' with a maximum of 3 animals once a year (or more than once a year only for the same animals, identified by microchip number).
- Fees (paid at the airport's veterinary quarantine office on arrival): SPS import clearance Php 100, lodgement Php 55, inspection Php 250 per head for the first 2 pets and Php 300 for each further pet.
- USDA: destination requirements can change at any time — check them every time you travel.
- Coming back to the U.S. with your dog? Your destination is high-risk for dog rabies, so get the 'Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination' from a USDA-accredited vet BEFORE you leave — it can't be issued afterwards.
What your cat needs
Cats
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.
Permit
SPS Import Clearance (SPSIC) from BAI
A dog or cat cannot enter the Philippines without an SPS import permit (SPSIC) from BAI's National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division. You apply with a letter of intent and your documents: proof of the microchip numbers, vaccination and deworming records, a photograph of the pet, the pet passport if any, a BIR-issued ID with a tax number, and a notarized affidavit of undertaking (Annex A for Filipinos, Annex C for foreigners).
Details and the official words
BAI's pages we could read give no processing time or deadline for applying.
“Acquiring SPS Import Permit is a requirement before any dog or cat can enter into the Philippines.”
“Proof of Microchip Numbers”
“Vaccination and Deworming Records”
“Photograph of the Dog and/or Cat”
Identification
Microchip (the number goes on every document)
Your pet's microchip number is part of the SPSIC application.
Details and the official words
“Proof of Microchip Numbers”
Paperwork
Export permit / international veterinary health certificate (EP/IVHC) from the exporting country
The veterinary authority of the exporting country issues the export permit / international veterinary health certificate (EP/IVHC). You present the original to the BAI quarantine officer when the pet arrives.
Details and the official words
The BAI page used to list what the certificate must state (breed, species, age, microchip number, vaccinations and parasite treatment, in English or with a translation). It no longer shows that list (checked 2026-10-12), so ask BAI what the certificate must contain.
How recent the certificate must be is not given on the pages we could read.
USDA APHIS endorsement: Your accredited vet submits the certificate to USDA APHIS (usually electronically through VEHCS) for endorsement; the endorsement date counts as the issue date for the destination.
“Original copy of the EP/IVHC issued by the veterinary authority of the exporting country”
“assist you through the process of obtaining a USDA-endorsed pet health certificate”
On arrival
Present the SPSIC and the original EP/IVHC to the BAI quarantine officer on arrival
At the international port of entry you present printed copies of the approved SPSIC and the original EP/IVHC to the BAI Veterinary Quarantine Officer (for a pet released from the cargo terminal, also the airway bill stamped by the airline). You pay the fees at the airport's veterinary quarantine office; with complete documents the pet can be released the same day.
Details and the official words
“Upon arrival of the dog/cat at any international port of entry, the consignor/consignee shall present to the BAI Veterinary Quarantine Officer (VQO) at the airport/port of entry the following documents:”
“Printed copies of the approved SPSIC;”
“Provided you have all the required documents, the animal/s can be released the same day.”
Vet exam
Use a USDA-accredited veterinarian
Only a USDA-accredited veterinarian can issue your pet's international health certificate. Tell them the destination, any transit countries, your departure date and whether the pet travels in the cabin or as cargo.
Details and the official words
“contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as you decide to travel”
Good to know
- A pet owner counts as a 'one-time importer' with a maximum of 3 animals once a year (or more than once a year only for the same animals, identified by microchip number).
- Fees (paid at the airport's veterinary quarantine office on arrival): SPS import clearance Php 100, lodgement Php 55, inspection Php 250 per head for the first 2 pets and Php 300 for each further pet.
- USDA: destination requirements can change at any time — check them every time you travel.
Government fees we know of
- USDA APHIS health certificate endorsement101 USD
Vet, lab and courier costs are not included. The final amount can depend on how many tests or pets are on the certificate.
Common questions
Does my dog need a rabies blood test to go from the United States 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 into the Philippines?
Yes: A dog or cat cannot enter the Philippines without an SPS import permit (SPSIC) from BAI's National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division.
Will my dog 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.
Does my dog need a microchip?
Yes: Your pet's microchip number is part of the SPSIC application.