What airlines typically require
- A health certificate (a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection) from a USDA-accredited vet, typically issued within 10 days of travel for domestic US flights. Some airlines and states use different windows.
- A current rabies vaccination, with the certificate. Many destinations require it to have been given at least 28 to 30 days before arrival.
- For international travel, the destination country’s import rules, which can add a microchip, a rabies titer test, parasite treatments and waiting periods of weeks to months.
Check the airline and, for international travel, the destination’s official import page. Rules change, and PawPass is a record keeper, not a substitute for them.
The order matters
- Microchip first, if the destination requires one, because a rabies vaccination given before the chip may not count.
- Rabies vaccination, then any waiting period.
- Titer test if required, then its waiting period.
- Health certificate last, inside the validity window, then any endorsement.
Keeping it all in one record
Attach the rabies certificate, the microchip paperwork, the titer result and the health certificate to your pet’s record as you get them. The share link puts every date on one page for the airline’s pet desk when you book; the signed originals travel in your bag, because check-in and border officials want to see those. The reminder you set on the rabies vaccination means the next trip does not start with a lapsed shot.
Common questions
- How long is a pet health certificate valid?
- Commonly 10 days from the vet’s exam for domestic US travel, but airlines and destinations set their own windows. Confirm with both before booking the vet.