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The purpose of this text is to provide information to people intending to bring into Mexico animals such as dogs and cats, reptiles, songbirds and ornamental birds, ferrets, turtles, etc., regarding the steps to follow and the requirements to be met at Agricultural Health Inspection Offices (OISA) located at international airports, border crossings and international seaports. It is important to note that in Mexico only cats and dogs are considered pets.

Please note that the Mexican Consular Network is not authorized to intervene in this process.

1)    Documentary screening at the OISA

Submit a Health Certificate in original and copy, issued by a private Veterinarian or by the corresponding Federal Authority in the country from which the pet is arriving. For health certificates issued on official forms, these must be duly signed by official personnel of the country of origin or provenance, and if no term of validity is indicated, the form must be issued no more than 15 days prior to the date of import into Mexico.

The Heath Certificate issued by the Veterinarian must be on letterhead paper, including the Veterinarian’s professional license number (or its equivalent), and must indicate:

If during the documentary screening it is found that the health certificate does not indicate one of the requirements mentioned in the previous points, the importer can present the vaccination record (original and copy) showing the missing requirements, or contact a trusted Veterinarian to apply the missing treatments. In the latter case, any costs associated with this treatment will be covered by the interested party.

 

2)    Physical inspection of pets at the OISA.

OISA staff will verify that the physical description stated in the Health Certificate matches your pe

t (sex, breed, and colour), and will verify the state of health and ensure that the animal is free of external parasites.

If during the physical inspection it is detected that the pet is not free of external parasites, it will be necessary for a private Veterinarian to apply the corresponding treatment, at the importer’s expense.

 

3)    Issuance of the Health Certificate for Import at the OISA.

Once the above requirements have been met, official OISA staff will prepare the Health Certificate for Import.

 

Explanatory Notes

Arriving in the country without Animal Health documents:

Animals must remain at the Health Inspection Office until a Veterinarian has reviewed and certified the state of health and applied the rabies vaccine and parasite prevention treatment to continue with the import procedure. This can cause delays and costs that the owner will be required to cover.

Importing animals other than cats and dogs (reptiles, songbirds and ornamental birds, ferrets and turtles):

You will need to comply with special requirements as indicated in the Animal Health Requirements Sheet, which can be requested through the public service module of the Directorate General of Animal Health, located at Boulevard Adolfo Ruiz Cortines 5010, Planta baja, Col. Insurgentes Cuicuilco, Ciudad de México. C.P. 04530

Hours of operation from Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm,

Tel.: 01 (55) 5905-1000 or 1 (800) 987-9879.

You can also check the requirements listed online at the following website (Spanish only):

https://www.gob.mx/senasica/acciones-y-programas/importaciones

For further information, complaints or suggestions about the Plant and Animal Health Inspection Service, please send an email to:
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