Taking Your Dog to the Philippines: What You Need to Know
If you’re planning on travelling to the Philippines, whether it’s for a holiday or to relocate, and you’re taking your dog with you it’s important that you know and understand what you need to do.
Travelling with a dog isn’t easy and it takes a great deal of planning and effort to ensure that you have all of the documentation in order and that your pet is comfortable for the duration of the flight.
Here’s our guide to taking your dog to the Philippines including our top tips to help make your life easier.
Top tip number 1: there’s a lot to do, so make sure you have plenty of time to plan and prepare.
First things first
As with all pet relocations, the initial step requires working with your pet’s vet to ensure that all vaccines align with the import requirements for the country you’re travelling to.
To be able to import your pet to the Philippines you will need to obtain and import permit from the Philippine Bureau of Animal Industry at least two months prior to travel. This will list in detail the requirements for transporting your pet to the country.
Top tip number 2: don’t stress, your PBS Pet Travel specialist will work closely with you and the Bureau of Animal Industry to get this permit.
The regulations
Top tip number 3: we’re providing the following information as guidelines, it’s important that you contact the appropriate authorities for your destination country prior to travelling to get the most up to date and valid information.
Certificate 2930EHC
This export health certificate is used for the export of dogs and cats from the UK to the Philippines. It can be signed by a Local Veterinary Inspector and must then be sent to AHVLA Specialist Service Centre within seven days of issue.
Microchip
Wherever your dog is flying it must be microchipped and have the microchip number recorded on all veterinary certificates.
Microchipping is to be undertaken before the required vaccinations or treatments are given to enable the Official Veterinarian (OV) or Local Veterinary Inspector (LVI) Veterinary Surgeon of DEFRA to identify the animal when completing any paperwork, which will include a Veterinary Certificate of Health.
Rabies and Vaccinations
To be granted entry to the country your dog must have an original rabies and vaccine certificate listing the following vaccines:
- Rabies
- Canine distemper
- Infectious hepatitis
- Leptospirosis
- Canine parvovirus
- Treatment for internal and external parasites
The certificate must be completed by the vet that administers the vaccines and attached to the export health certificate.
The certificate must list the following information:
- Microchip
- Pet details including its breed, colour, markings, date of birth, sex and age
- Date of inoculation and validity period
- The serial number, product and manufacturer of the rabies vaccine
After being vaccinated for rabies you must wait 21 days before travelling.
Examination
To assess whether your pup is fit for travel they must be examined by an official veterinarian not more than 72 hours prior to travel.
Quarantine
Once arriving in the Philippines your pet does not need to be quarantined for any length of time. You can be reunited straight away and carry on with your adventure.
Top tip number 4: Sometimes you can be so overwhelmed by ensuring that the paperwork is complete that you forget about making sure your pet is going to be comfortable during the long flight. Our guide to a smooth pet relocation is here to help.
For more information get in touch with us at PBS Pet Travel.