Bring Your Pet to Brazil

It won’t work to hide your pet in your suitcase! My Little Brasil gives you all the information you need so that your pet can make the trip with you.

Health requirements and entrance visa for your pet

Before moving to Brazil with your pet, it is important to make sure that it meets the requirements to travel. The vaccination against rabies is required.

In addition to the documentation for rabies, you will also have to provide :

• The health passport number of your pet’s electronic microchip (mandatory since 2008)

• Confirmation of your pet’s good health by your veterinarian

• A certificate of health issued by the vet services of the Ministry of Agriculture

• International Health Certificate (IHC) for animals, less than 10 days old, issued by a licensed veterinarian

Finally, your pet must be more than 10 weeks old.

Remember to register your pet while booking your flight because otherwise it will be denied boarding. In terms of the fees and conditions for transporting your animal, it is best to check with your respective airline company as every company has their own rules. For example, in 2014 for Air France the cost to transport a pet was around 200 euros ($220). Also, if it weighed more than 6 kilos, it had to travel in the storage area of the plane (with the condition that the total weight, cage + animal, didn’t exceed 75kg or 165lbs).

Entering France with a Brazilian pet

If your animal is Brazilian and has never stepped its paws in France, you have to follow the new procedures! Before leaving for France, you will need to get several vaccines and tests against rabies at the Laboratorio de Zoonoses e Doenças Transmitidas por Vetores in São Paulo or you can ask your vet to send the required tests to the aforementioned institute to test the validity of your pet’s rabies vaccine.

These tests need to be performed a minimum of 3 months before leaving! And that’s not all! The International Health Certificate, issued by a VIAGIAGROO inspector (border control service under the authority of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture) in the airport (upon presentation of confirmation of good health issued by a local vet that is less than 3 days old) will also be needed. The IHC is only valid for 10 days! For French animals, ensure the validity of their health passport and clinical exam records.

Adopting a pet in Brazil

Adopting a new family member in Brazil is easy! We recommend going to the different animal protection organizations like “UIPA” or “Cão Sem Dono”. Your other option is to go to a pet shop, which can easily be found online.

Once an animal has joined your family, you will have no trouble finding a vet in Brazil, which is ranked as second worldwide in number of households with at least one pet.

Last little detail. In order to adopt an animal in Brazil, you have to be at least 21 years old, provide a piece of ID, be a resident (permanent or not) and promise to take care of the animal by signing an official document.