Technical guide for the export of dogs and cats from Peru to Canada. Microchip requirements, rabies vaccination compliant with international movement regulations and logistical risk management.
The biggest mistake when planning a move to Canada is trusting that the official CFIA regulations are enough to guarantee the trip. Canada is one of the least restrictive destinations in the world at a documentary level, but that flexibility is a logistical trap. If the pet arrives at the airline counter without the technical traceability that the carrier requires, boarding is stopped, regardless of what the Canadian government website says.
Technically, Canada does not require personal pets to be microchipped to enter the country. However, in Trujillo we frequently see families arriving at the airport and facing refusal from the airline. Air transport companies require unequivocal identification for the traceability of the animal during stopovers and handling in the warehouse. Trying to travel without a substandard deviceISO 11784/11785 FDX-BIt is administrative negligence that ends in lost flights.
Chip implantation should be the absolute first step. Any subsequent medical procedure, especially vaccination against rabies, must be linked to that 15-digit code. In our clinical experience, a health certificate that does not include the microchip number verified by the veterinarian has no value for the international aviation security system. The identification process is detailed in our Animal identification microchip: technological foundation, international regulatory framework and health traceability.
Canada classifies Peru as a rabies risk country. This implies that the vaccine must be current, but there is a temporality criterion that many owners omit due to lack of technical advice. Although the package insert for a vaccine indicates that it protects for one year, the international validity for entry is activated only 21 days after the primary vaccination. If the animal travels on the 20th, the CFIA has the power to order a vaccination at the border at the owner's expense or, in extreme cases, deportation.
It's not just about having the stamp on the card. The Canadian health authority requires that the vaccination certificate specify the trademark, batch number and expiration date of the dose used. At Zoovet Travel we have managed files where the illegibility of a lot number was the reason for documentary observation at the point of entry in Toronto. The technical precision in the registration is what separates a successful procedure from a health retention.
Moving to Canada means considering extreme weather, not only at the destination, but during transit. Transportation of brachycephalic dogs (Pugs, Bulldogs) to Canadian climates presents severe metabolic risks due to the inability of these animals to thermoregulate through panting. During layovers, where track temperatures can be unpredictable, the risk of heat stroke increases exponentially if the patient's physical fitness has not been previously assessed.
In consultation, we evaluate whether the patient has signs of BOAS (Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome) before issuing a health certificate. A dog that is not physiologically prepared to deal with the mild hypoxia of the cabin and the metabolic stress of travel should not fly, even if it meets all the requirements. The biological safety of the animal takes priority over any personal moving schedule.
Document management in Peru requires going through the SENASA filter. The Official Veterinary Export Certificate (CZE) is the final document that summarizes the entire clinical and health history of the animal. This document has a limited validity and must exactly match the data of the traveling owner. Any discrepancy in the name or destination address in Canada will invalidate the file at customs control.
The export file is not a folder of accumulated papers, but a logical chain of verifiable medical events. From internal deworming against parasites absent in Canada to the final clinical examination that guarantees that the animal is free of infectious diseases. Missing a single piece of information in this chain means the process must be restarted from scratch, which often takes weeks that the traveler does not have.
An error in the microchip number or vaccination date may result in the forced quarantine or return of your pet from Canada. Zoovet Travel manages the complete document chain and the technical verification necessary to avoid rejections at airports and customs. Insure your pet's travel with medical judgment, not internet assumptions.
Calle Cuba 241, Urb. El Recreo — Trujillo, Perú