Ottawa announced Wednesday that it will no longer be necessary to have veterinary certificates relating to vaccination and microchipping independently validated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to enter the United States with your dog.
With a new U.S. policy coming into effect on their entry into the United States just days away, federal Health Minister Mark Holland is in talks with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to obtain a grace period for Canadians who are not in compliance.
Dog owners’ hopes of crossing the border with their pooches as early as August were slim. However, owners will be relieved because Ottawa has revised the procedure that must be followed to certify the good health of their four-legged companion.
Two forms are now required when going through customs. The first, covering general information about the dog, must be completed at each visit. A second, detailing information about the dog’s vaccinations and microchip, must be signed by a veterinarian. However, the latter no longer has to be approved by the CFIA. This form is valid for the entire duration of the vaccine.
Due to the high volume of applications, the CDC recommends that travelers apply as early as possible. It can take up to six weeks for the agency to process permits.
May Announcement
Last May, new criteria were announced. These provided that, as of 1er As of August, dogs crossing the U.S. border will have to be vaccinated against rabies and microchipped.
However, microchips no longer have to comply with specific ISO measurements. From now on, “any type of functional microchip” that is universally readable is accepted, the minister announced.
With two weeks to go until these policy changes come into effect, “we are waiting for confirmation that there will be a grace period where people will be given a warning at the border for the first two months so that this policy is not imposed on them,” Minister Mark Holland said at a news conference.
A Canada-specific form is now valid as long as the rabies vaccine is valid; it is no longer necessary to complete this form each time you enter the United States.
However, Minister Holland laments that this proof of vaccination must be approved by a veterinarian, a costly and time-consuming measure. “I think Canada should be exempted as a country that is not a source country of rabies and we should work more closely on political parity,” he believes.
If the standards for dogs entering Canada are “similar,” the minister calls for the creation of a single regulation. “I think it would be good to create a common policy for both countries, and that’s my goal.”
Currently, a CDC import form must be completed at each border crossing. “There is an obligation to use the form at every instance. Even if someone arrives at the border several times a month. For me, this is not acceptable,” the minister said. A customs officer must also validate that it is the right dog at each visit, a measure that “takes a lot of time [de temps] and which is a poor use of agents’ time.”
The Health Minister is calling for an exemption for assistance dogs, who must comply with the same rules: “It’s not fair to create a situation like this for a family that needs a dog for a medical situation.” He describes the impact of the customs measures as “disproportionate” for people with disabilities.
The requirements for dogs entering the United States from Canada can be found on the government website. The government also recommends using the DogBot platform, a conversational artificial intelligence that allows Canadian travelers to ensure their pet is following CDC rules. This feature also helps users determine exactly what documents are required for the pet to enter the United States.