Technical analysis on the export of pets to South American countries. SENASA requirements, health certificates and health risk management.
The geographical proximity of Chile, Argentina or Colombia generates a false sense of administrative simplicity that usually ends in rejections at border control posts. In Trujillo, we constantly receive owners who assume that because they are neighboring countries, the requirements are lax or negotiable. The technical reality is that health authorities such as the SAG in Chile or the ICA in Colombia operate under zero tolerance for errors in the documentary and health chain.
The most important document to cross these borders is the Official Veterinary Export Certificate (CZE) issued by SENASA in Peru. This certificate is not permanent; It has a validity that generally does not exceed 10 days from its issuance until the time of shipment. Many travelers in Trujillo process the document too early or suffer delays in their flights, invalidating all health traceability before even leaving the country.
The process to obtain this certificate requires an exhaustive clinical examination carried out by a registered veterinarian to guarantee the absence of infectious diseases. If the health certificate issued at the veterinary clinic has a date that does not align with the requirements of the destination country, SENASA will not issue the CZE. The rigor of this procedure is based on preventing the spread of transboundary pathogens, as we analyze in our The Pet Export File: Complete Document Chain, Taxonomy of Error and Reversibility.
Chile and Argentina are extremely strict with the administration of internal and external antiparasitics. The regulations require that treatments contain specific active ingredients, such as Praziquantel for internal parasites, and that they be applied in a time window that usually ranges between 15 and 30 days prior to the trip. Registering a generic product or one applied outside of this time range is sufficient reason for the animal to be detained at the border for forced deworming.
In consultation, we see how data such as the commercial name of the laboratory or the exact date of application on the vaccination card are omitted. For countries like Colombia, the certification that the animal comes from an area free of specific diseases is a requirement that the veterinarian must validate under public faith. Omitting the patient's health status at the point of origin nullifies the validity of the international health certificate and puts the admission of the animal in the destination country at risk.
Although flights within South America are shorter than a transatlantic trip, metabolic stress does not decrease proportionally. Handling on airport runways with extreme climates, such as the heat of Cartagena or the altitude of Bogotá, subjects the animal to severe physiological demand. Sudden pressure changes on short flights can cause episodes of dysbiosis or hepatic lipidosis in felines if the fasting and transport protocol has not been clinically supervised.
The fit-to-fly assessment must consider the airline's transportation and infrastructure conditions. In Trujillo, we perform this clinical screening to ensure that the animal does not suffer thermal or respiratory collapse during transit. Ignoring pre-boarding metabolic preparation is the mistake that costs the most lives when air transporting pets, regardless of whether the destination is only three hours away.
Identification by microchip, although it is not always a strict legal requirement in all countries in the region for temporary admissions, is the only way to guarantee that the health certificate really belongs to the animal that is presented to customs. At Zoovet Travel, we always recommend the implementation of the ISO 11784/11785 transponder as an administrative security measure. Without unambiguous identification, any doubt by the border inspector about the identity of the animal will result in immediate detention.
The data agreement between the owner and the animal in the SENASA system must be absolute. A typing error in the owner's passport number or in the rabies vaccine code stops the document flow irreversibly. It is not possible to correct these errors at the airport; The only solution is to restart the documentary chain, which implies new clinical examinations and new payments of official fees that the traveler does not usually anticipate in their moving budget.
An error in the deworming deadline or an inconsistency in the SENASA certificate will prevent your dog or cat from entering Chile, Argentina or Colombia. Zoovet Travel audits every technical and health detail so that the border crossing is a successful formality. Request your technical evaluation in Trujillo by contacting us at . Protect the integrity of your process with veterinary criteria specialized in export.
Calle Cuba 241, Urb. El Recreo — Trujillo, Perú