If you are from the US or Canada and are planning on taking your Cambodian pet cat back home, we have good news for you. Exporting a cat to North America is much simpler than to other regions of the world—for the US, you don’t even need a rabies certificate! As one of my interviewees for this post put it, “It seems scary to export a pet to another country, but with reading, patience, and a little cash, it's not so hard.”

On the flip side, it seems like Covid-19 is, as with everything else, rearing its ugly head and making the process a bit more complicated. Many airlines are cutting back on flights that allow pets onboard and there may be stricter regulations in transit countries.

These aspects of exporting your pet to North America are explored in this article, our second entry on a series on pet travel. We will discuss the process of sending your pet to the US and Canada, touching on what documents you need, what are the best airlines, and which carrier you should use.

A Quick Note on Covid

The people interviewed for this article, all of whom recently exported their pets to North America, expressed frustration over new restrictions and regulations imposed as a result of Covid-19. According to them, the biggest coronavirus-related complications will come when searching for flights. Many airlines have changed their pet policies since the beginning of the year. 

As VSL’s Dr. Lauren Marsden noted in a previous blogpost, several airlines have stopped or greatly reduced the number of flights to and from the Cambodian capital. Additionally, many airlines have switched to smaller aircraft that are not fit for pet travel. 

Finally, it should be noted that sources interviewed for this article have reported difficulties in transit countries, where regulations are changing as a result of the pandemic. So, even though sending a pet to North America is significantly easier than to many other regions, Covid-19 has made what should be a walk in the park into something a bit more complicated.

The Process at a Glance

Let’s cut to the chase: You should begin the process of taking your pet to North America at least one month ahead of your departure date. A month should give you enough time to get everything sorted, assuming you’ve been a responsible pet owner and kept up with your pet’s health requirements.

To bring your cat to North America, you will need an export permit to leave Cambodia. According to some sources, to enter the US, you also need a letter issued by your vet stating that the cat is healthy and up-to-date with vaccines. Apparently, this letter needs to be issued no longer than a week before your travels, although we can’t confirm if this requirement is enforced. In addition, Canada requires a rabies vaccination certificate. Finally, some airlines will also have requirements of their own. For example, some ask that you submit a health certificate for your pet.

Here is a handy list of what you need. Note that some of the steps below are just recommendations. This means that getting it done is not mandatory, but it will smooth out the process and increase your chances of successfully exporting your pet. 

• Microchip your pet (recommended)

• Obtain rabies vaccination certificate (required only for Canada)

• Apply for export permit at the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture

• Obtain pet health certificate (this is an airline requirement. Not all airlines demand this document)

• Ask your vet to perform a pre-departure blood test (recommended)

• Obtain a letter from your vet stating your cat is healthy 

Now, let’s take a closer look at the process for each country.

United States

The US has very few requirements for importing pets, particularly cats. As we said earlier, to leave Cambodia, you will need an export permit from the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture. Likewise, it is likely that your airline will demand a pet health certificate. 

However, unlike in Canada, to enter the US you will NOT need a rabies vaccination certificate. At the first port of entry, you will only be asked to submit a record of your pet’s vaccinations (particularly rabies) and possibly a letter from your vet stating that the pet is healthy. At this point, the animal will be examined by a customs official for diseases transmittable to humans.

Some states may have additional guidelines, so make sure to check with state authorities before departure. Also, note that all pet cats arriving in the state of Hawaii and the territory of Guam, even from the mainland, are subject to locally imposed quarantine requirements.

Canada

We were lucky to meet Courteney, who had just gone through the process of getting her cat, Cooper (a Ministry of Cat alumni!), into Canada. The info she gave us was revealing. 

To bring Cooper to Canada, she started preparations one month in advance. She noted, however, that she had always made sure to keep up-to-date with his vaccinations and other health requirements. The process, naturally, would take longer if you are not on top of things. 

The process of exporting a cat to Canada is similar to the one for the US. To leave the Kingdom, Courteney said she needed to get an export permit in Cambodia. Likewise, the company she chose for the first leg of her trip, Eva Airlines, required a pet health certificate.

Additionally, as suggested by her vet, Courteney arranged for a “pre-departure” blood test four weeks before leaving. She said this was only a precaution, but that it paid off, as they found a parasite in Cooper’s blood and had to treat him with antibiotics. 

Once in Canada, the only requirement imposed by the government is having a rabies vaccination certificate. The Canadian government also recommends having all other health-related treatments (vaccinations, deworming, defleaing, and tick treatment) up-to-date. 

Courteney notes that, all in all, they spent around $600 dollars to get Cooper to Canada:

• $25 for the rabies vaccine booster

• $60 for health certificate

• $60 for export permit

• $360 in airline pet fees

• $40 for pre-departure blood test 

• $50 to buy an airline-approved hard kennel (a "Sky Kennel" purchased at Happy Dog Shop)
  

What Documents Do You Need to Bring Your Pet to North America?

Let’s take a closer look at the documents that we’ve discussed in this article.

Export Permit

The export permit is issued by the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture. You must know the exact itinerary and date of travel to apply. You can secure the permit on the same day if you go early morning to the Department of Animal Health and Husbandry in Phnom Penh. It will cost you about $20. However, you can also just go through your local vet. This route will take 7 to 10 business days and cost about $60. VSL recommends that you apply two weeks before departure.

Rabies Vaccination Certificate

Normally, rabies vaccines are recorded but no certificate is issued. However, to enter Canada, you will have to ask your vet to issue a certificate after a booster. To be valid, it will have to come from a vet, be dated and signed, and have the sticker from the rabies vaccine bottle attached. Note that this certificate is different from the rabies titration test required to enter Europe.

Health Certificate

Some airlines, including Eva, demand a health certificate. This can be easily arranged with your vet, who should be able to get it done for about $60.

Letter From Vet Stating Your Pet is Healthy

Although this requirement is not listed in the official sites of the US Department of Agriculture and the CDC, reliable sources have told us that at US customs you may be asked for a letter from your vet stating that your pet is healthy. To cover all the bases, make sure the letter is issued within a week of your departure.

Airlines

Our sources point out that airfare was the most confusing and frustrating part of the process. This is partly because of airlines’ policies, partly because of regulation in transit countries, and partly because of new travel restrictions due to Covid-19.

If a pet is in a transit country for more than four hours, most airlines require you to collect her until your next flight. The same is true if you change airlines. The problem is that if you collect your pet during your trip, you have to follow all the importing and exporting regulations of the country you are in. This applies even if you are on a codeshare flight.

After finding this out, Courteney said they were horrified. “Now we had to find a flight that was actually leaving from Cambodia, had layovers less than four hours, did not have to change airlines while in transit, and, actually allowed pets, whether it be as carry on, or as extra checked baggage under the plane.”

Courteney ended up choosing Eva airlines because it met all those requirements. Eva will take them from Phnom Penh to Taipei, Taipei to Los Angeles, and from there to Canada. To fly from Los Angeles to Canada, she chose WestJet, which she says “has the best reputation in Canada for flying with fur babies.” Cooper will be flying as extra baggage under the plane, which, Courteney notes, was the only option with Eva (however, she pointed out that WestJet did allow to take him as carry-on).

But Eva is not the only pet-friendly airline that can take you from Cambodia to North America. We have also heard good things about Korean Air. This airline normally allows cats in-cabin if they are older than eight weeks and if they weigh less than 7kg (15lbs), including crate. The price for this service ranges from $100 to $200. For pets traveling as excess baggage, the airline charges $300 per cage that is less than 32kg (70lbs) and $600 for cages that are 33kg-45kg (71lbs-100lbs). 

Asiana Airlines, Emirates, and China Airlines also connect Cambodia and North America, but we haven’t been able to contact anyone that has experienced transporting pets with them. If you have any experience with these airlines, we would love to hear from you!

Cat Carriers

You will need an IATA certified carrier of the right size. For a complete guide of what IATA’s requirements are, click here. As a rule of thumb, the crate must be big enough so that your animal can stand up, turn around, and lay down comfortably inside the crate. To ensure a happy journey, it’s a good idea to visit your airline office a few weeks prior to departure to ensure that your crate is the right size.

In Phnom Penh, we recommend buying your crate at a vet like VSL. Courteney said she bought hers at Happy Dog Shop. She bought a model called the “Sky Kennel” for $50.

In Conclusion

If you are from North America and are thinking of taking your Cambodian cat back home, consider yourself lucky. The process to export a cat to the US or Canada is much, much simpler than to the European Union or Australia. The most important thing is to always keep up with your pet’s health requirements, including vaccinations and treatment for parasites (worms, ticks, and fleas). If you manage to do this, the process of taking your cat back home should not take longer than a month.