USDA Pet Health Certificate: What It Is & How to Get One (2026)

VEHCS (Veterinary Export Health Certification System) is the official online federal portal operated by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) through which USDA-accredited veterinarians electronically create, sign, and submit international pet health certificates for sovereign government endorsement.

Under international bilateral agreements and 9 CFR Part 91, destination foreign governments (including the European Union, United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, and Australia) do not accept health certificates signed merely by a private, licensed veterinarian. They require sovereign government-to-government certification from the USDA APHIS Veterinary Services division—the competent veterinary authority of the United States.

Without an official USDA endorsement stamp (either an electronic cryptographic seal or a physical raised embossed ink seal, depending on the receiving country), airline check-in agents will refuse boarding, and destination customs authorities will ground the pet at the border inspection post or mandate immediate repatriation at the owner’s expense.

For the European Union (Annex IV certificate) and Great Britain (Animal Health Certificate for non-EU travel), statutory regulations dictate that the physical clinical examination by the veterinarian must occur within 10 days of your pet’s scheduled entry through the destination border inspection post.

For Singapore, Japan, and Australia, specific pre-departure clinical inspection windows (ranging from 48 hours to 7–10 days) apply.

This timeline creates an intense logistical crunch in international pet travel:

Day 10 before arrival: Accredited vet conducts clinical exam, verifies microchip, checks vaccine and titer validity, and uploads digital paperwork to USDA VEHCS.

Days 9 to 6: USDA veterinary medical officers review the submission, verify rabies lot numbers, and digitally sign or print/emboss the certificate.

Days 5 to 2: Physical document returns via overnight priority courier (if the destination country requires physical ink endorsement) or is downloaded with digital USDA cryptographic seal.

The USDA charges non-refundable federal user fees for processing each export certificate. These fees are set by federal regulation under 9 CFR Part 130 and are separate from your private veterinarian’s examination charges.

1. Non-commercial certificate with NO diagnostic test verification required (e.g. EU Annex IV from US with no titer): $38.00 USD for the first animal + $7.00 per additional animal.

2. Certificate requiring diagnostic test verification (e.g. destinations mandating rabies titer test requirements like Singapore, Japan, Australia, or South Africa): $121.00 USD for the first animal + $12.00 per additional animal.

1. Microchip implantation date is blank or listed after rabies vaccination date.

2. Rabies vaccine manufacturer or lot number has typos or does not match veterinary records.

3. The veterinarian used white-out or manual cross-outs on physical forms (automatic rejection).

4. Owner address in destination country is incomplete (missing postal code or hotel address).

5. Primary rabies vaccine was given less than 21 days before departure.

6. Missing rabies titer test requirements laboratory documentation for destinations requiring blood tests.