Local Travel with Pets

Pursuant to the directives issued by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), citizens are required to apply for a Shipping Permit (SP) when traveling domestically (inter-island) together with their pets (dog, cat). Application is to be done initially at the NVQSD website.

To apply for an SP, a pet owner must submit a copy of a Veterinary Health Certificate (VHC). One VHC is required per pet.

AVCI can issue a VHC for traveling pet owners with the following conditions:

• The pet has been vaccinated with rabies at AVCI or from any other legal veterinary practice.
• Rabies vaccination has been done within a year upon request.
• The pet is apparently healthy during checkup.

Take note that the validity of a VHC is only 3 days.

To request for a VHC from AVCI, consider the following conditions & requirements:

• You must present your pet at AVCI. As required by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), your pet must be weighed and must undergo physical examination.
• If your pet has recently received its first or initial rabies shot, a mandatory 14-day waiting period is necessary before it becomes eligible for a Veterinary Health Certificate (VHC).
• If your pet’s rabies booster was administered within the preceding 12 months from the last shot, your pet can promptly obtain a VHC without the 14-day waiting period. Nevertheless, we will still conduct a thorough examination, including weighing and a physical assessment, before releasing the VHC.
• If your pet’s rabies booster was administered beyond the 12-month timeframe from the previous rabies shot, your pet has missed the required annual booster. In such instances, a 14-day waiting period from the last rabies shot is imperative before obtaining a VHC.
• For clients from another veterinary clinic, we will consider your pet’s rabies vaccination history for VHC issuance, on the condition that the administering veterinarian is a licensed practitioner in the Philippines.
• The asking fee of a VHC per pet is P400 (exclusive of rabies shot fees).
• To ensure an accurate assessment of your pet’s health and fitness for travel, we recommend visiting AVCI for the VHC not more than 14 days before your scheduled date of domestic travel. This timeframe minimizes the margin of error in evaluating your pet’s condition and complies with our protocol.

Before presenting your pet at AVCI, please fill out the VHC Form below for travel details and to set a date for your visit. We do not allow filling up the form and visiting AVCI on the same day.