Export Live Animals to Canada

Last Modified: December 13, 2024

Electronic Signature ACCEPTED; Digital Endorsement for SOME COMMODITIES ONLY

For Accredited Veterinarians: Electronic signature ACCEPTED

For APHIS VMO: Digital endorsement for SOME COMMODITIES ONLY

USDA-accredited veterinarians can electronically issue health certificates and use VEHCS (Veterinary Export Health Certification System) to submit them to USDA for endorsement. 

Digital endorsement varies by species—see requirements on this page for details. The health certificate either bears the original ink signature and embossed seal or digital signature/seal.

Summary of Requirements

For terrestrial animals to Canada, USDA-accredited veterinarians may issue health certificates electronically through VEHCS. These certificates will be digitally endorsed by APHIS once received in the system and available for printing by the USDA-accredited veterinarian once the endorsement is completed by APHIS. An APHIS-endorsed, printed paper copy must accompany the shipment.

For aquaculture/aquatic animals to Canada, health certificates may be submitted by the USDA- accredited veterinarian through VEHCS; however, the APHIS veterinary medical officer's ink (wet) signature with the application of the APHIS embossed seal must appear on the health certificate. To accomplish this, aquatic certificates received by APHIS through the VEHCS system will be printed and endorsed in our offices, and the hard copy will be returned when complete. This APHIS-endorsed paper copy must accompany the shipment. 

USDA Health Certificate options:

Note: When submitting certificates for live horses (non-slaughter) to Canada through VEHCS, please select the intended use of breeding/rearing OR competition/racing. The breeding/rearing option includes all horses traveling as personal pets, for recreation, etc., regardless of intention for use as a breeding animal. 

Note: There are only two classifications of U.S. origin live horses destined for Canada:

Breeding/Rearing/Competition/Racing

This option includes all horses entering Canada for purposes other than slaughter. All horses traveling as personal pets, for recreation, etc. are included in this option, regardless of intention for use as a breeding animal.

  • Horses - Breeding/Rearing/Competition/Racing - Protocol and Health Certificate - December 2019
  • Horses - Breeding/Rearing/Competition/Racing - Additional Animal Identification Table Page (if needed) - November 2016
  • Horses - Breeding/Rearing/Competition/Racing - Additional Animal Photo Page (if needed) - November 2016
  • Note: In addition to the fillable form and online submission, Canada will also accept both the VS Form 17-145 and VS Form 17-140 (these forms require an addendum to include all necessary statements for Canada) for shipments.
  • Note: For horses that have been in Texas or New Mexico during the 21 days prior to export to Canada, the animals must test negative to equine piroplasmosis (both T. equi and B. caballi) using cELISA during the 15 days prior to export.
  • Note: For Canadian horses returning to Canada on a Canadian health certificate, a supplemental certification document will be provided by the CFIA endorsing office when advised of intended return. The supplemental certification will need to be attached to the Canadian health certificate after completion and endorsed by USDA before return of the horse(s) to Canada. Canadian horses returning to Canada exported to the United States for exhibition or pleasure purposes require an Owner's Declaration included in the supplemental certification. The Owner's Declaration does not need to be endorsed by USDA.
  • Note: Information about U.S. horses transiting to/from Alaska from the lower 48, including horses transiting through Canada. CAUTION: Before you depart the United States and enter Canada, please make sure that your certificate will still be valid upon entry into Alaska or reentry into the lower 48 states. The certificate is valid 30 days after the date of inspection (Box. 14 on Page 1 of the model certificate for export) for export by the accredited veterinarian.
  • Note: Addendum to Health Certificate for Temporary Export of Horses to the European Union Intended for Re-Export to Canada in Less Than 90 Days - May 2024 
  • Note: For horses imported into the United States traveling to Canada (temporary U.S. stay), the following documents are required by CFIA:
    • Health certificate for export from United States to Canada 
    • Health certificate for export from third country to United States
    • USDA Quarantine and Test Result Certificate (Form VS 17-30)
      • Must indicate that the horses were tested with negative results in the USA for piroplasmosis, equine infectious anemia and, where applicable, dourine and glanders.
      • Laboratory reports are not required to be presented
    • CEM Procedure Declaration, if required

Slaughter

Other Equine Certificates

Germplasm

Feeder

Breeding

Note: Prior to export movement, lactating dairy cattle are required to receive a negative test for influenza A virus at an approved National Animal Health Laboratory Network laboratory. The negative testing of milk or mammary samples via PCR  must be documented on the required addendum posted below.

Note: The brucellosis screening test for breeding cattle to Canada is the FPA or BAPA. Any animal with a non-negative test result on the FPA or BAPA is not eligible for export to Canada, irrespective of the results of any confirmatory test that is subsequently performed. To clear the rest of the cohort for export: the animal with the non-negative result must have a negative result to a cELISA or iELISA test. The cELISA is not available in the United States. Therefore, the iELISA test must be done, which is only available at NVSL.

  • Bovine including Bison - Breeding - Protocol and Health Certificate - August 2020    
    • Bovine-lactating dairy cattle-Addendum Influenza A testing - April 2024
      • Note: In VEHCS, the current defined certificate for breeding cattle to Canada does not include this addendum and therefore cannot be used for lactating dairy cattle. Instead, when creating the certificate in VEHCS for lactating dairy cattle to Canada, please select “commodity not listed” and upload the breeding cattle health certificate and the influenza A addendum as a PDF upload. 
    • Bovine - Breeding - Addendum (if needed) - August 2020
    • Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) Guidance for Rodeo Cattle - August 2020
      • Note: Any animal with a non-negative result on the Caudal Fold Tuberculin (CFT) Test is not eligible for export to Canada, irrespective of the results of any confirmatory / ancillary test that is performed. The cohort animals are eligible for export subject to the following:
        • To clear the cohort animals for export, a Comparative Cervical Tuberculin (CCT) Test must be done on the non-negative animal. If the CCT Test is negative, then the cohort animals are eligible for export providing the CFT Tests of all the cohort animals are negative.
        • In the case of rodeo/roping type breeds, both the CFT Test and the Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) test in the cohort animals must be negative. The CFIA does not recognize the IGRA test as a confirmatory test to be performed subsequent to a non-negative CFT Test. Only the CCT Test is considered a confirmatory test to the CFT Test.

Slaughter

Canadian Origin Cattle

Note: For Canadian origin cattle in the United States for 60 or more days, the animals are considered part of the U.S. national herd and must use the relevant health certificate for export of cattle from the United States to Canada. 

Note: For Brucellosis, any animal with a non-negative test result on the Florescence Polarization Assay (FPA) is not eligible for export to Canada, irrespective of the results of any confirmatory test that is subsequently performed. The cohort animals are eligible for export, subject to negative results on confirmatory testing by indirect ELISA (i-ELISA), conducted on the animals testing non-negative.

Note: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) prohibits the movement of all live birds, live poultry, and hatching eggs which originate from, or transit through trade restriction zones established due to detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in poultry.

Exporters are advised to plan transit routes in advance of travel to avoid transit through restricted zones or otherwise risk delays or rejection of shipments.

Exporters MUST provide documentation to demonstrate the route of travel to Canadian border/port officials. This documentation must accompany the health certificate but is NOT endorsed by APHIS. The documentation must include:

  • a map of the intended route of transit
  • a statement attesting that the consignment has not traveled a route that transited any control zone for HPAI. Example: [Insert Commodity Type, e.g. Hatching eggs] covered by certificate(s) [Insert health certificate number] will travel in a closed conveyance via the following route. To the best of my knowledge, this route does not transit any restriction areas established due to detections of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) in poultry.
  • commodity being exported and certificate numbers associated with the shipment
  • signature of the accredited veterinarian and date of signature

For live birds, live poultry, and hatching eggs traveling by air from the United States to Canada, in addition to the guidance above:

  • The exporter should provide a map of their route from the place of origin to the first airport, to demonstrate that the first part of their travel does not transit through any restricted zones.
  • For any layovers, rather than provide a map of the layover airport, the exporter can include a comment that the travel includes a second airport in the United States and this second airport is not located in a restricted zone.

For industry members needing to evaluate routes and generate maps, the Veterinary Services Trade Route Mapping Tool has been developed to support these processes. Follow the steps in the document entitled "Veterinary Services Trade Route Mapping Tool Access Guide" below to access the Trade Route Mapping Tool.

Veterinary Services Trade Route Mapping Tool Access Guide -  June 2024

Note: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) prohibits the movement of all live birds, live poultry, and hatching eggs which originate from, or transit through trade restriction zones established due to detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in poultry.

Exporters are advised to plan transit routes in advance of travel to avoid transit through restricted zones or otherwise risk delays or rejection of shipments.

Exporters MUST provide documentation to demonstrate the route of travel to Canadian border/port officials. This documentation must accompany the health certificate but is NOT endorsed by APHIS. The documentation must include:

  • a map of the intended route of transit
  • a statement attesting that the consignment has not traveled a route that transited any control zone for HPAI. Example: [Insert Commodity Type, e.g. Hatching eggs] covered by certificate(s) [Insert health certificate number] will travel in a closed conveyance via the following route. To the best of my knowledge, this route does not transit any restriction areas established due to detections of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) in poultry.
  • commodity being exported and certificate numbers associated with the shipment
  • signature of the accredited veterinarian and date of signature

For live birds, live poultry, and hatching eggs traveling by air from the United States to Canada, in addition to the guidance above:

  • The exporter should provide a map of their route from the place of origin to the first airport, to demonstrate that the first part of their travel does not transit through any restricted zones.
  • For any layovers, rather than provide a map of the layover airport, the exporter can include a comment that the travel includes a second airport in the United States and this second airport is not located in a restricted zone.

For industry members needing to evaluate routes and generate maps, the Veterinary Services Trade Route Mapping Tool has been developed to support these processes. Follow the steps in the document entitled "Veterinary Services Trade Route Mapping Tool Access Guide" below to access the Trade Route Mapping Tool.

Veterinary Services Trade Route Mapping Tool Access Guide -  June 2024

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Export Restrictions for New Mexico, California, Florida, and Texas

Note: Effective December 2019, Canada has placed a ban on all shipments of whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) from the state of New Mexico which are susceptible to Infectious Hypodermal and Haematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV).

Note: Effective November 2019, Canada has placed a ban on all shipments of whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) from the state of California which are susceptible to Infectious Hypodermal and Haematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV).

Note: Effective June 2019, Canada has placed a ban on all shipments of live crustaceans from the states of Florida and Texas which are susceptible to Infectious Hypodermal and Haematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV).  This includes, but is not limited to: blue shrimp (Litopenaeus stylirostris), brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), brown tiger prawn (Penaeus esculentus), giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon), greasyback shrimp (Metapenaeus ensis), northern white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus), whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), and yellowleg shrimp (Farfantepenaeus californiensis).  To verify if crustaceans originating from Florida and Texas are susceptible to IHHNV, and are impacted by this ban, please check CFIA regulated species and the diseases they are susceptible to.

Guidance Documents

How to Meet the Requirements for Export of Aquatic Animals from the United States to Canada (349.54 KB)

Disease and Testing Information:

Aquatic Animals and Germplasm - Culture

Aquatic Animals and Germplasm - Research and Education

Aquatic Animals Intended for Zoo/Aquarium

Aquatic Animals Intended for Food Service, Retail, or Further Processing

Finfish

Koi Carp

Note: Instructions for Koi Health Certificate (120.28 KB) - March 2019

Note: Testing Information for Koi Health Certificate (140.83 KB) - March 2019

Ornamental Aquatic Animals

Note: The health certificate for the export of Commercial Dogs intended for Breeding/Show/Exhibition must be signed/endorsed by a USDA accredited veterinarian and an APHIS Veterinary Services Veterinarian.

Note: The health certificate for the export of Commercial Dogs intended for Resale/Adoption must be signed by a USDA accredited veterinarian. Endorsement by APHIS Veterinary Services is not required. Please consult APHIS Animal Care for any questions regarding licensing and/or movement of these animals.

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If your species is not listed, the requirements for that species are not known. Exporters who want to ship livestock or germplasm whose requirements are not listed above should have the importer or buyer in the destination country apply for an import permit at the appropriate ministry. This import permit will most likely outline the specific requirements.

Need Help?

USDA-Accredited Veterinarians

Contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian for questions about your destination country's entry requirements for animals (including any needed vaccinations, tests, or treatments) and for issuance of health certificates.

Find a USDA-Accredited Veterinarian

USDA Endorsement Offices

Contact your nearest APHIS Veterinary Export Trade Services Endorsement Office for questions about endorsing an export health certificate for live animals. 

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