Pet Travel Documents for Canada: CFIA Rules for Dogs and Cats, Rabies Certificates and Translations

Picture a family arriving in Toronto from Ukraine with their dog, a rabies certificate in Ukrainian and an English translation made by their teenage son. Every word is right, and it still fails: the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says an official translation "cannot be done by the importer them self or a member of their family."

Pet paperwork is short, so details decide everything: the vaccine's serial number, the dog's age at vaccination, the certificate's language, and who owns the animal. Below: the documents CFIA asks for, when a translation works, personal versus commercial dogs, the border inspection and export certificates.

What documents does a dog or cat need to enter Canada?

For most pets, one: a valid rabies vaccination certificate. CFIA's pet import tool, last updated July 2, 2026, sets the requirements by species, age, purpose and origin. Ferrets, birds, rabbits and other animals have separate rules in the same tool.

Every dog must also appear healthy and meet humane transport requirements. Canada does not require a microchip for personal pet dogs or cats.

What must the rabies certificate say?

CFIA lists the contents precisely. For a dog, the certificate must:

• be written in English or French, or be accompanied by an official translation
• be issued and signed by a licensed veterinarian
• identify the animal (age, breed, sex, colour or markings, weight, and microchip or tattoo number if applicable) and the owner
• state that the animal is vaccinated against rabies, with the date of vaccination
• give the trade name and serial number of the licensed vaccine
• specify the period of validity, or CFIA treats it as valid for one year from vaccination
• carry the veterinarian's name and signature and the date signed

The dog must have been at least 3 months old when vaccinated. An EU pet passport is accepted instead "as long as all the required elements" are included. The cat certificate lists the same items, minus the owner, and must "be written in English or French."

Does a foreign rabies certificate need to be translated for CFIA?

For a dog, yes, unless it is in English or French. CFIA's rule mirrors IRCC's: an official translation "can be done by a certified translator or a non-certified translator." A certified translator is a member in good standing of a professional translation association, in Canada or abroad, whose seal shows a membership number. Where a certified translator cannot provide the translation, it "must be accompanied by an affidavit swearing to the accuracy of the translation," completed "in front of a commissioner, notary public or equivalent."

Either way, "all stamps and seals that are not in English or French must also be translated", and the importer and their family may not translate. Our guides explain certified translators versus sworn affidavits and what a certified translation contains.

For a cat, CFIA's requirements say only that the certificate must be written in English or French, with no translation option. The same wording covers the Veterinary Certificate of Health, the Rabies Country-Freedom Certificate and a veterinarian's letter requesting a rabies exemption. If your cat's certificate is in another language, ask the vet to reissue it in English or French, or ask CFIA in writing whether a translation will do before you fly.

Personal pet or commercial dog: why does it matter?

Because commercial dogs from countries CFIA rates as high-risk for dog rabies cannot enter Canada at all. The ban took effect on September 28, 2022, and CFIA still describes it as in force "until further notice." Its list of 112 countries and territories includes Brazil, Colombia, India, Iran, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Türkiye and Ukraine.

A personal pet dog will live with its owner, and the owner must be the importer. A dog brought in to be given away, sold, adopted out, fostered, bred, shown, trained as an assistance dog or used in research is commercial, "regardless of whether a profit is made."

Adoption contracts, purchase receipts and kennel registrations from abroad are often in the local language. CFIA sets no language rule for them, but the officer checking ownership has to read them.

What happens at the border, and what does it cost?

The Canada Border Services Agency checks the documents of personal pet dogs, commercial dogs over 8 months and domestic cats, confirming the rabies vaccination is valid and the description matches the animal. Officers look for signs of illness or injury and can refer the animal to CFIA. The CBSA says you "must declare all food, plants, animal and related products" you bring in.

The CFIA Fees Notice sets the import inspection fee for dogs, cats and ferrets at $36.95 for the first animal in a shipment and $6.16 for each additional animal, the rates since March 31, 2026, with taxes calculated by the CBSA.

If a pet fails the rabies requirements, the owner must have it vaccinated within a set period, at their own expense, and show the record to a CFIA Animal Health Office. Otherwise CFIA may order the animal removed, apply fines or take legal action. Travelling with your pet's medication? See travelling with medication.

How do I take my pet from Canada to another country?

Start with the destination's rules; Canada's role is certification. A licensed veterinarian completes the export certificate and an official CFIA veterinarian endorses it by appointment. CFIA cannot endorse once the animal has left Canada, and some countries also require an import permit.

• European Union and Northern Ireland: the certificate must be completed "in English and the official language" of the first point of entry, so a dog bound for Poland that lands in Germany travels on the English and German version. Under a 2026 EU update, old-format certificates are accepted only if signed on or before September 30, 2026. The certificate is valid 10 days from the veterinarian's signature, 5 days for dogs entering Finland, Malta, Ireland or Northern Ireland.
• United States: under CDC rules in force since August 1, 2024, a dog that has spent the past 6 months only in low-risk countries such as Canada must be at least 6 months old, microchipped and travel with a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. It still needs a valid rabies certificate to return to Canada.
• Mexico: no health certificate is needed, but SENASICA inspects every pet on arrival, and a pet treated for a skin condition should carry a veterinarian's letter on letterhead with diagnosis, treatment and licence number.
• Elsewhere: where the destination has no prescribed format, CFIA's Canadian International Health Certificate, in bilingual and trilingual versions, can be used.

CFIA notes that some export certificates exist only "in English and/or another language without a corresponding French version". You do not translate those; the language is built into the form. Translation comes in for supporting records, such as a rabies vaccine given in another country, for which the EU wants proof of the vaccination details and the manufacturer's instructions.

Why pet documents fail at the border

• The owner or a relative translated the certificate, or its stamps and seals were left in the original language.
• The dog was vaccinated before 3 months of age, which CFIA does not count.
• No vaccine trade name or serial number, both mandatory.
• A rescue dog from a high-risk country. Adoption, fostering and transfer to a rescue group are commercial purposes.
• A cat certificate in Spanish or Arabic, with no translation option in CFIA's cat rules.
• Export endorsement left too late. CFIA endorses only while the animal is in Canada, and an EU certificate lasts 10 days.

Checklist: pet documents for Canada

Questions people ask