Pet Travel Glossary: Terms You’ll See on Every International Move

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Endorses the Animal Health Certificate for pets leaving the US on international moves — without this endorsement, most destination countries won’t accept your paperwork.

The International Pet and Animal Transportation Association — the trade association for professional pet shippers. IPATA membership signals a company follows established industry standards for animal welfare and documentation, rather than operating as an unregulated broker.

The International Air Transport Association publishes the Live Animals Regulations (LAR) — the global standard nearly every airline and crate manufacturer follows for crate dimensions, ventilation, labeling, and handling of live cargo.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regulates dog imports into the US, including the High-Risk Rabies Country program that adds extra requirements for dogs arriving from countries with elevated rabies risk.

The official document issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian certifying your pet’s health prior to international travel, then endorsed by USDA APHIS. This is the core document nearly every destination country requires for entry.

An official EU document issued to pets already residing in, or repeatedly traveling within, the EU. First-time movers from the US don’t qualify for one — they use an Animal Health Certificate instead, which is valid for onward EU travel for a limited window.

A pre-arrival approval some countries require before your pet can even be booked on a flight — separate from the health certificate, and often with its own multi-week processing time.

The fixed number of days — commonly 10 days from USDA APHIS endorsement — during which your Animal Health Certificate must be used. The destination country sets its own acceptance window on top of this, so the tightest deadline wins.

A blood test measuring rabies antibody levels, required by rabies-free and low-risk countries in place of, or in addition to, standard vaccination proof. Results can take weeks, making this one of the longest lead-time items on a move.

Your pet travels unaccompanied through the airline’s dedicated cargo division, tracked with its own air waybill — regardless of whether you’re on the same flight. Common for larger pets and most international moves.

Your pet travels in the pressurized, climate-controlled hold on the same flight as you, documented like checked luggage rather than as separate cargo.

A small pet travels under the seat in the passenger cabin, subject to strict size and carrier limits that vary significantly by airline.

A travel kennel meeting IATA Live Animals Regulations dimensions and construction standards — ventilation on at least three sides, secure but not padlocked doors, no wheels for cargo/hold travel, and enough room for your pet to stand, turn, and lie down naturally.

A seasonal restriction airlines apply during extreme heat or cold, suspending hold and cargo pet travel on affected routes to protect animals from temperature exposure on the tarmac.

The airline- or airport-specific minimum layover required to safely transfer a live animal between flights — typically longer than the standard passenger minimum connection time, since it accounts for climate-controlled transport between aircraft.

A 15-digit microchip meeting ISO 11784/11785 standards, required for identification by nearly every destination country. Must generally be implanted before — or at the same time as — the rabies vaccination for the vaccination to count.

A CDC classification of countries with elevated dog rabies risk. Dogs arriving in the US from these countries face additional requirements — specific paperwork, designated ports of entry, and sometimes a CDC Dog Import Permit.

A mandatory isolation period some countries impose on arriving pets who don’t meet all entry requirements in advance — ranging from short at-home isolation to a government facility hold, historically most associated with island nations like the UK and Japan.

Airline- and country-specific limits on flat-faced breeds — French Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers, and similar — due to elevated respiratory risk at altitude. Often bars cargo and hold travel entirely, restricting these breeds to in-cabin only where weight allows.