Bringing a Pet to Canada

Key points

• Canada's pet-import rules live in the CFIA Import Reference Document, which is incorporated by reference into the Health of Animals Regulations (last amended 2025-10-08)
• Everything below is quoted from it, or from the CFIA / CBSA pages named
• THREE WAYS TO QUALIFY, NOT ONE
• Canada accepts a current rabies vaccination, a rabies-free country of origin, or a rabies antibody titre — they are alternatives
• For a cat: "the animal is currently vaccinated against rabies, or the animal is being imported from a country designated as free from rabies under section 7 of the Regulations (Rabies-free country) in which it was living during the six (6) month period immediately before the date of entry, or the animal has a Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre Test (RNATT) resulting in a titre of at least 0.5 IU/ml, taken at least 30 days after any prior rabies vaccination." For a dog from a country that is not rabies-free the titre route reads "a titre of at least 0.5 IU/ml, taken at least three to four weeks after any prior rabies vaccination." In both cases: "The animal must be properly identified on the laboratory report and the lab report must accompany the animal." Because the titre is an alternative and not a requirement, this row records titer_test.required = false
• RABIES-FREE ORIGIN
• CFIA's list: "The following countries are currently recognized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency currently as being free from rabies: Australia Fiji Finland Iceland Ireland (Republic of) Japan New Zealand Sweden United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)" — and CFIA adds "This list is currently under review and subject to change." VERY YOUNG ANIMALS. "Domestic cats less than three (3) months of age are not subject to any restrictions for importation." "A dog that is less than three months of age at the time of import does not require rabies vaccination or certification that the dog is being imported from a country designated as free from rabies under section 7 of the Regulations (Rabies-free country)." UNACCOMPANIED PUPPIES UNDER 8 MONTHS carry requirements the accompanied case does not, which is why this row's base leaves say those extra vaccinations are not required
• Such a dog also needs a veterinarian's certificate stating the dog "is not less than eight weeks of age at the time of examination" and "was vaccinated, not earlier than at six weeks of age, for distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and parainfluenza virus", and "the dog is imported into Canada not more than 72 hours after the time of the examination"
• COMMERCIAL DOGS ARE A DIFFERENT REGIME. "This section does not apply to commercial dogs less than eight (8) months old which may only be imported in accordance with Paragraph 12.(1)(a) of the Regulations." And CFIA: "As of September 28, 2022, the entry of commercial dogs into Canada from countries at high-risk for dog rabies is prohibited until further notice." A commercial dog is one being transferred to someone else — resale, adoption, fostering, breeding, show or research — not a pet travelling with its owner
• ASSISTANCE DOGS. "An assistance dog that is imported as a guide, hearing, or other service dog is not subject to any restrictions for import where the person importing the assistance dog is the user of the dog and accompanies the dog to Canada." CBSA adds: "If your assistance dog falls within the personal category, it is exempted from the rabies vaccination requirements." CBSA recognises a dog "certified and trained by an organization accredited by the International Guide Dog Federation or Assistance Dogs International"
• BREED RULES ARE LOCAL, NOT FEDERAL
• Federal import law names no breed, but "Cities and municipalities are responsible for business licensing and by-laws related to animals, including sales of animals and limits on numbers and types of animals that can be kept." Check the destination province and municipality separately
• PAPERWORK
• CBSA: "It is strongly recommended to always travel with the physical original copy of all required documents when bringing your dog(s) into Canada." THE EU PET PASSPORT: CANADA SPECIFIES CONTENT, NOT A FORM
• Travellers ask constantly whether Canada accepts an EU pet passport
• Canada never answers that question, because it is not the question Canadian law asks
• The instrument prescribes no document format at all — it requires that the animal be accompanied by "a valid rabies vaccination certificate issued in either English or French by a licenced veterinarian from the country of origin, which clearly identifies the dog and shows that the dog is currently vaccinated against rabies"
• So an EU pet passport is accepted precisely when it satisfies that test: issued by a licensed vet, identifying the animal, showing a current rabies vaccination, and readable in English or French
• One in another language alone does not meet the wording
• Checked 2026-09-03 across every cached Canadian government page plus a targeted search of inspection.canada.ca, cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, travel.gc.ca and canada.ca: CFIA discusses EU pet passports only for the OPPOSITE direction — exporting from Canada to the EU — and the only "pet passport" on travel.gc.ca is the CITES Certificate of Ownership for exotic species, a different document entirely
• Every claim that "Canada accepts the EU pet passport" traces to a commercial pet-relocation site citing no Canadian source
• Practical advice: carry the passport, and make sure the rabies page is legible in English or French
• CBSA adds: "It is strongly recommended to always travel with the physical original copy of all required documents when bringing your dog(s) into Canada."

Downloadable forms

• 📄 CFIA — Bringing Pets to Canada