Prepare both the outward trip and the route home

Travelling to Brazil with a dog or cat needs an official veterinary document, a clear treatment history and a properly arranged flight. If a return to Great Britain is possible, plan it before departure: the return rabies-testing requirements can be more demanding than the outward journey.

This guide covers planning from Great Britain for personal dogs and cats. Other species need a separate pathway. Start with the pet's full records, owner and receiver details, Brazilian destination and the complete itinerary, including any connection or onward travel.

Use the current certificate requirements

APHA currently lists EHC 2906 for cats and dogs exported from Britain to Brazil. Brazil's MAPA also publishes its current international veterinary certificate, known as a CVI, under Ordinance 741/2024, with a model mandatory from September 2025.

Because the published UK specimen and the newer Brazilian model differ, have the Official Veterinarian confirm the acceptable current documentation with APHA and the Brazilian entry authority before final certification. Do not assume an old saved form is still sufficient.

This is a document-version check to resolve early, before the final appointment and flight. Ask the certifying team to confirm the certificate and any supplementary requirements that will actually be used for your pet's journey.

Rabies preparation and the supporting record

The current Brazilian model records rabies vaccination details and requires 21 days to have elapsed after a first vaccination. A lapse before revaccination is treated as a new primary vaccination for that condition. Have the vet calculate the eligible date from the actual records.

Provide the vaccination date, expiry, vaccine name, manufacturer and batch information. Make sure the animal's description and any microchip details agree with the other paperwork. Where records are incomplete, request the original practice history before scheduling the final certification.

There are specific provisions for very young animals, but they should not be treated as a general shortcut. Airline age limits, the animal's welfare and any onward or return requirements need their own assessment.

Parasite treatment and clinical examination

The current Brazilian model requires treatment against internal and external parasites within the 15 days before certificate issue, using authorised products. It records the administration date, manufacturer, product and active ingredients.

Brazil's published requirements also call for a clinical examination within the ten days before issue, confirming the animal is free of signs of infectious or parasitic disease and fit for transport. Have the vet align those dates with the final certificate and any tighter airline requirement.

Do not substitute a home treatment or a product receipt for the evidence the certifying vet needs. Send recent treatment information in advance and let the vet select the appropriate species-safe programme.

Build a realistic appointment sequence

First, resolve the current certificate version, rabies eligibility and return-testing plan. Next, confirm that the airline accepts the animal on the complete route and identify who will handle arrival.

Then arrange the parasite treatments and examination within the applicable windows, followed by official certification. Leave time for a full document check before handover. If the route changes, review the transit conditions as well as the veterinary dates.

The Brazilian model describes a 60-day validity subject to its conditions, but that does not make every examination or airline document valid for 60 days. Keep the issue date, entry validity and any carrier-specific deadline separate on your checklist.

Make the final document pack precise

Gather the owner or responsible person's name and address, Brazilian receiver and destination details, the animal's identification and description, full vaccination evidence, treatment records and confirmed transport information.

Ask how originals and any certified attachments must accompany the animal. Keep readable backups with the receiver, but do not assume a photograph replaces the official document at inspection.

APHA's Brazil guidance warns against manual alterations or strikethroughs on the final certificate. Have mistakes resolved through the certifying team before travel rather than correcting a date or chip number yourself. This makes early checking of spellings, addresses and identification particularly worthwhile.

Flights and connections

Ask the operating airline to confirm whether the pet travels in the cabin, hold or as cargo, and obtain the exact carrier or crate specification. Confirm acceptance for each flight rather than only the first departure from Britain.

A connection can add handling and transit requirements. Find out whether the pet remains under the carrier's control, changes aircraft, is collected and rechecked, or enters the transit country. Have the proposed route reviewed before choosing a long stopover.

Agree where the pet is handed over, where it will be collected in Brazil and who deals with any clearance. Allow for time-zone differences when sharing appointment dates and arrival times between the British vet and Brazilian receiver.

Arrival and the first days in Brazil

Have the original official documents available for the Brazilian checks and ensure the person receiving the pet can be contacted. Do not book an inflexible onward connection on the assumption that release will be immediate.

Plan a secure, comfortable place for the pet to settle after the journey. For a longer stay, identify a local vet and discuss a destination-appropriate preventive-care plan. Keep the travel records and vaccination dates accessible for future care.

If you intend to continue to another South American country, check its entry rules before leaving Brazil. The existence of a regional certificate model does not mean every additional border or airline will accept the journey without further conditions.

The return to Britain needs a rabies blood-test plan

Brazil falls under Great Britain's unlisted-country pet-travel pathway. A return therefore needs an acceptable rabies antibody test in addition to the usual identification, vaccination and document requirements, unless a specific applicable arrangement has already been satisfied.

For the standard preparation, the sample is taken at least 30 days after rabies vaccination, tested at an approved laboratory and must achieve at least 0.5 IU/ml. A three-month wait from sampling normally applies when preparation is undertaken abroad.

Discuss testing before leaving Britain, especially for a short trip. Whether a pre-travel result removes the overseas waiting period depends on satisfying the applicable rules and evidence requirements; do not assume that simply having any previous test report guarantees immediate return.

Organise Brazilian export formalities

Before the journey home, arrange the appropriate Brazilian official export documentation for Great Britain. MAPA provides a specific process for that destination. Start early enough for the local vet's work and official certification to fit the flight.

Dogs normally need a vet-administered tapeworm treatment 24 to 120 hours before British arrival. This is separate from both the rabies test and the parasite treatment used for entry into Brazil. Cats do not have the British dog tapeworm requirement.

Keep rabies vaccination validity continuous where required and carry the accepted certificate and supporting test evidence. An outward EHC issued in Britain is not automatically the correct document for a later return from Brazil.

Resolve the difficult points while there is time

The two issues most likely to alter the plan are using an outdated certificate model and leaving the return rabies test until the end of the stay. Both are easier to solve before the pet leaves Britain.

Other avoidable problems include incomplete treatment records, manual corrections on the final certificate, and an airline connection that was never checked for the animal. Keep one complete itinerary and review it with the certifying team after any change.

Brazil pet travel: common questions

Which certificate should be used for Brazil?

APHA lists EHC 2906, while MAPA publishes its newer Brazilian CVI requirements and model. The Official Veterinarian should confirm the currently acceptable combination before signing; do not rely on an old downloaded specimen.

Is a rabies blood test needed just to enter Brazil?

It is not a routine requirement shown for an ordinary adult pet in the Brazilian model described here. The crucial distinction is the return to Great Britain, for which Brazil's unlisted-country status makes rabies testing important.

Can I return to Britain immediately after a short visit?

Only if the return conditions have been properly satisfied. Discuss the rabies test and any applicable waiting-period exemption before departure. Otherwise, the standard overseas preparation can create a much longer wait.

Can I correct a mistake on the certificate myself?

No. Contact the certifying vet. APHA's guidance specifically warns about manual alterations to Brazil paperwork, so resolve errors through the official process before travelling.

Plan your paperwork with TPPC

For help with your Brazil travel paperwork, send The Pet Passport Co. your proposed dates, full route, pet details and available veterinary records. Include any import permit, previous overseas residence and whether you are planning to return to Britain.

Ask for the relevant pathway and appointment availability to be confirmed before committing to a tightly timed flight. The aim is a clear preparation plan, with the right evidence ready for certification.

Ask us about your pet's journey

Official sources and review date

Guidance checked on 11 October 2026. Requirements can change; the current official conditions, individual permit where applicable and transport operator's rules should be checked again for your travel date.

• APHA: Brazil export certificate 2906
• APHA: Brazil certification guidance
• MAPA: current entry requirements
• MAPA: current international veterinary certificate model
• Brazilian government: export certification for Great Britain
• GOV.UK: rabies blood tests for entry to Britain
• GOV.UK: the document needed for entry to Great Britain
• GOV.UK: tapeworm treatment for dogs returning to Britain