International Health Certificates

Adamstown Veterinary Hospital is available for International Health Certificate exams. Exams must be scheduled within 10 days prior to departure and can be scheduled with any of the following veterinarians: Dr. John O’Neill, Dr. Alyssa Savage, Dr. Jennifer Sutton and Dr. Anna Leppien.

Before scheduling an appointment for an International Health Certificate at Adamstown Veterinary Hospital, you must follow the steps below to ensure smooth and safe travel for you and your pet.

1. Call the airline. Airlines may have specific paperwork or requirements needed for travel.

2. Call the USDA veterinarian. The USDA veterinarian for your state or area is a great source for information regarding importation of pets into another country. They will be able to help you with your questions and the steps you need to take to bring your pet into another country. You may visit their website at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulations/vs/iregs/animals/

3. Call the Consulate, Government Official or Embassy of the destination country. There are some countries that require special permits or paperwork to import your pet into their country. You will want to follow all the country’s guidelines to ensure your pet passes through customs – failure to do so can result in your pet being quarantined or turned away from entry.

4. Check your microchip registration. Make sure your pet’s microchip registration is up-to-date and is international travel friendly. Microchips placed several years ago may not be compatible with the international ISO standards. Call your microchip’s registrar to ensure all contact information is current and that your microchip number is international travel compatible.

5. Schedule all necessary appointments. Countries may require your paperwork be inspected and signed by the USDA veterinarian of your state or area. They may also require signatures of consulates or other government officials. Be sure to have all appointments scheduled prior to travel. Some USDA offices allow you to FedEx paperwork overnight to be inspected and signed, make sure you leave adequate time for return of this paperwork to you prior to travel.

6. Bring all your pet’s travel paperwork and documents to your Adamstown Veterinary Hospital appointment. It is required that the client bring all appropriate paperwork and documents to their International Health Certificate examination appointment. Adamstown Veterinary Hospital will not be responsible for any missing or inaccurate paperwork provided by the client.

Please note International Health Certificate exam appointments can take up to 40 – 60+ minutes, this is to ensure your paperwork is thoroughly completed by our doctors and technicians.

Helpful phone numbers:

USDA veterinarian office for the Pennsylvania Area

USDA-APHIS-National Import Export Services
2300 Vartan Way, Suite 250
Harrisburg, PA 17110
717-540-2770

USDA State Specific Handout for Pet Travel: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/sc1-pet-handout.pdf

Microchip information:

Pet Microchip Lookup website: http://www.petmicrochiplookup.org/

Travel Information changes frequently, so it always best to call the country of destination to find out up-to-date importation rules and regulations. Adamstown Veterinary Hospital cannot be held responsible for any inaccurate information or paperwork provided by the client.