Bringing a pet to Mexico
Mexico SENASICA pet import (import into Mexico) — inspection-based, CZI issued on arrival
Photo: Daniel Escobedo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Bringing a dog or cat to Mexico requires an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination, and an official Depends on origin: exempt for US/Canada origins; other countries need a Certificado de Buena Salud (official or licensed vet, with licence number), valid for at most 15 days. On arrival SENASICA issues a Certificado Zoosanitario para Importación (CZI) on the spot. health certificate used within 15 days of endorsement. There is no routine quarantine when every requirement is met. A rabies antibody (titer) test is not routinely required.
Requirements by origin country
us canada departing us canada
No titer testOrigin is Mexico/United States/Canada, and departing from the United States or Canada
On-arrival physical inspection only; verbatim 'No es necesario presentar Certificado de Buena Salud y cartilla de vacunación.' — no health certificate and no vaccination card needed. On arrival, request a CZI from SENASICA staff and pass the inspection.
other countries
No titer testArriving from any other country
On-arrival physical inspection + you must present a 'Certificado de Buena Salud' (valid for at most 15 days after issue; original + copy) that includes: issued by an official or licensed vet (with professional licence number); names and addresses of exporter/importer; rabies vaccination date and validity (animals under 3 months exempt); clinically healthy at the pre-travel check; treated for internal and external parasites within the 6 months before departure and free of external parasites.
Preparation checklist
Preparation timeline
- Before vaccinationMicrochipPending official confirmation
To be confirmed: the current SENASICA page and the official English leaflet both make no mention of a microchip (neither requiring nor explicitly excluding one); it appears that dogs and cats do not need a microchip to enter, but the tier-1 text is silent, so it is marked .
- Day 0Rabies vaccination
- ≤ 15 days before entryHealth certificate issued and endorsed
Endorsed by The exporting country's official vet, or a licensed private vet (with a professional licence number, cédula profesional).
- ArrivalEntry checks at an approved point
No routine quarantine when all requirements are met.
Costs & fees
- Import permitNot required
- QuarantineNone (if compliant)
- Vet, microchip & health certificatePaid to your vet and the endorsing authority in your origin country.Varies by country of departure
Some fees not publishedNo advance import permit; the CZI is issued on the spot on arrival. Carrier/crate rules (verbatim): the carrier must be clean and is sprayed with a preventive product by officials at inspection; you may not bring in crate padding such as mattresses, diapers, newspaper, wood shavings or rags, nor toys, treats or items containing ruminant ingredients, on pain of removal and destruction; a collar and lead are allowed. Food: you may carry (SENASICA EN leaflet verbatim) 'a daily ration of balanced feed in bulk' (equivalent SENASICA-registered feed can also be bought in Mexico). To be confirmed: neither the current page nor the English leaflet states a fee for the import CZI or whether it is free (an earlier 'gratuito' reference is no longer present on the current page).
Breed rules
Pending official confirmationTo be confirmed: the SENASICA import rules are completely silent on breed, with no breed-specific import restriction (the same health rules apply to all dogs). Whether Mexico has a 'federal' dangerous-dog law is outside SENASICA's remit and was not found in tier-1 (dangerous-dog matters are mostly state/municipal); if this is to be shown on the page, the legal basis must be checked separately, and one must not simply claim 'no federal ban'.
Important alerts
Frequently asked questions
Does Mexico require a rabies antibody (titer) blood test?
No routine rabies titer test is required under the current rules for Mexico. Always confirm your specific origin country with the official authority.
Is there a quarantine for pets entering Mexico?
No routine quarantine when your pet meets every requirement. Non-compliant animals can be detained. Healthy animals that pass inspection are released on the spot; there is no routine quarantine. The only detention is for ticks/risk: if ticks are found, a sample is sent to an official laboratory and OISA 'detains the animal until the result rules out an exotic or notifiable species'; if external parasites are found, the owner must have a vet treat the animal at their own expense before release (verbatim, SENASICA EN leaflet: 'All expenses incurred will be paid out of your pocket').
How many pets can I bring to Mexico?
The per-person limit is not stated in the official source we hold — confirm with the authority before travelling.
Which airports or ports can I use to enter Mexico with a pet?
OISA offices at every point of entry (verbatim 'localizadas en todos los puntos de ingreso al país en puertos, aeropuertos y fronteras') — seaports, international airports and land borders.
How we verified this
| Claim | Detail | Sources | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competent authority / system | SENASICA/OISA; on-arrival inspection + on-the-spot CZI, no advance permit | ✓ Verified | |
| Scenario split (directionality) | US/Canada origins exempt from certificate and vaccination card vs other countries need a health certificate | ✓ Verified | |
| US/Canada origins | Physical inspection only; no Certificado de Buena Salud or vaccination card needed | ✓ Verified | |
| Other countries — health certificate | Valid ≤15 days (Spanish main page 'vigencia máxima de 15 días'; the EN leaflet says 'at least 15 days' — a translation defect, the Spanish authoritative version governs); includes vet licence number / both addresses / rabies vaccination date + validity / clinical health / internal & external deworming within 6 months | ✓ Verified | |
| Rabies-vaccine exemption | Animals under 3 months are exempt from the vaccination-date requirement | ✓ Verified | |
| Physical-inspection items | No signs of infectious disease, no fresh/scabbed lesions, no external parasites | ✓ Verified | |
| Tick / external-parasite handling | Ticks sampled and sent to an official laboratory, pet detained until the result rules out an exotic/notifiable species; external parasites treated at the owner's expense before release | ✓ Verified | |
| Carrier / items | Carrier must be clean + sprayed with a preventive product; no mattress/diaper/newspaper/wood shavings/toys/ruminant-ingredient items; a collar and lead are allowed | ✓ Verified | |
| Food | 'A daily ration of balanced feed in bulk' allowed (SENASICA EN leaflet verbatim) | ✓ Verified | |
| Points of entry | OISA at every point (seaports/airports/land borders) | ✓ Verified | |
| Quarantine | Healthy animals released on the spot, no routine quarantine (only tick/risk detention) | ✓ Verified | |
| Old regime (for contrast) | Before 2019-12-16 all origins (incl. the US) needed an advance health certificate | ✓ Verified | |
| Microchip | tier-1 silent (neither required nor explicitly excluded) | — | ⚠ Pending official confirmation |
| Per-person limit | Not stated on the current page; the '3' is the unrelated PMVF frequent-traveller threshold | — | ⚠ Pending official confirmation |
| CZI fee | Not stated on the current page or leaflet (an earlier 'gratuito' reference is no longer present on the current page) | — | ⚠ Pending official confirmation |
| Federal dangerous-dog law | Outside SENASICA's remit; not found in tier-1 | — | ⚠ Pending official confirmation |
| Screwworm alert (US re-entry) | Since 2024-11-22 Mexico is a screwworm-affected area; dogs returning to the US need APHIS screwworm freedom certification | ✓ Verified | |
| Regulatory-change notice | PET DOGS UPDATE 2026-06-10: existing procedures for now, new rules to be published once finalised | ✓ Verified | |
| Frequent Traveler | Regular US–Mexico travellers can register for the Pet Program - Frequent Traveler (SENASICA phone 59051000 ext. 53611/54326/51020) | ✓ Verified |
- Tier 1 · Official (primary)If you travel with your pet (SENASICA official EN leaflet) — SENASICA / gob.mx (Mexico, official)
- Tier 1 · Official (primary)Requisitos y procedimientos para viajar a México con tu mascota — SENASICA / gob.mx (Mexico, official)
- Tier 2 · Official (secondary)Pet Travel From the US to Mexico — USDA APHIS
Fields marked ⚠ are not yet confirmed verbatim against an official source. Rules change — always confirm with the official authority before you travel.