Country Corridor
Flying Your Dog or Cat from Canada to Brazil
With the right preparation and a clear understanding of Brazilian entry requirements, your pet can make this journey comfortably and arrive without delay.
Our perspective
Paws en route Notes
Brazil sits within the MERCOSUR trade bloc, and that membership shapes everything about how the country approaches the import of companion animals. The governing document for this corridor is CFIA certificate HA2348, a bilingual instrument that must be completed in both English and Portuguese, issued by a licensed veterinarian and then countersigned and stamped by an Official Veterinarian of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. This two-signature requirement is one of the first things that surprises pet owners who assume a visit to their private clinic is all that is needed. The CFIA endorsement step takes time to schedule and to process, and it must happen before the certificate can be considered valid for Brazilian customs. Understanding that your paperwork has two distinct stages, the private vet examination and the federal endorsement, is the foundation of planning this trip well.
Rabies vaccination is the central pillar of Brazilian pet import policy, and the timing rules around it are precise enough to create real problems for owners who plan at the last minute. Brazil requires that any dog or cat over three months of age be vaccinated against rabies, and critically, that vaccination must have been administered at least 21 days before the animal arrives in Brazil. This is not a grace period or a general guideline; it is a hard minimum. An animal that lands in Brazil on day 20 after its rabies shot is non-compliant regardless of how perfect every other piece of documentation is. For puppies and kittens under 90 days of age at the time the certificate is issued, there is a specific exemption: if they have not been vaccinated, the veterinarian must confirm that the animal has not been on any property where urban rabies has occurred within the preceding 90 days. This exemption is narrow and must be explicitly declared on the certificate, so it is not simply a matter of leaving the vaccination section blank.
Parasite treatment is the second major clinical requirement, and unlike the rabies rule, it operates on a much shorter and more compressed timeline. Within 15 days prior to the issuance of the health certificate, each animal must receive a broad-spectrum treatment against both internal and external parasites, using products authorized by the Government of Canada. The certificate requires the veterinarian to record the exact date of administration, the manufacturer, the commercial product name, and the active ingredients for both the internal and external treatments separately. This level of documentation detail matters because Brazilian authorities will read this section carefully. Owners sometimes underestimate how specific this record-keeping must be, and a certificate that records only a product name without the active ingredient, or that lists a treatment date just outside the 15-day window, can create complications at arrival.
The health certificate itself carries an important validity window that must be kept in mind when coordinating travel logistics. Once issued, certificate HA2348 is valid for 60 days from the date of issue for entry into MERCOSUR member countries, provided that the rabies vaccination documented within it remains current and has not expired. This means the clinical examination at the heart of the certificate, which must take place within 10 days before the certificate is issued, sets the clock in motion. If a flight is delayed, rescheduled, or rerouted significantly, owners need to check whether they are still within that 60-day window. The 10-day examination window also means that booking your CFIA endorsement appointment too far in advance of the vet visit, or too close to departure, can compress the schedule into something unworkable. We routinely advise clients to work backwards from their intended travel date and map each deadline explicitly.
One nuance of this corridor that a simple checklist tends to obscure is the provision for declaring any treatments the animal has received in the three months preceding the certificate's issuance. Section IV, item 4 of the HA2348 certificate asks the veterinarian to document any treatments administered during that period, including the presumptive diagnosis, the product, and the dates. For a healthy pet, this section may simply be left blank or marked as not applicable, but for any animal that has been treated for a condition in the preceding quarter, that history needs to be transparently disclosed. This is worth discussing with your veterinarian in advance so that the documentation is complete and accurate rather than assembled under time pressure. Brazil's agricultural inspection authority takes the health status of arriving animals seriously, and a complete, honest certificate inspires confidence in a way that a certificate with gaps or corrections does not.
Entry Requirements
What your pet's journey to Brazil requires
Every detail is prepared before you even think to ask. The requirements below are verified against CFIA guidelines for this corridor.
Microchip
The health certificate includes a field for the animal's microchip number, date of application, and location on the body, and this information must be accurately recorded by the attending veterinarian. While the certificate marks microchipping as applicable where relevant, Brazilian authorities use this identifier to match the physical animal to its documentation at the point of entry. Ensure the microchip is readable and that the number on the certificate matches exactly what a scanner reads.
Rabies VaccinationLong lead time
Dogs and cats over three months of age must be vaccinated against rabies, and the vaccination must be administered at least 21 days before the animal arrives in Brazil. The certificate records the vaccine name, manufacturer, batch number, and expiration date. Animals under 90 days of age may be exempt if the veterinarian confirms the animal has not been on a property where urban rabies occurred in the preceding 90 days.
Broad-Spectrum Parasite TreatmentLong lead time
Within 15 days before the health certificate is issued, each animal must receive a broad-spectrum treatment against both internal and external parasites using products authorized by the Government of Canada. The veterinarian must record the treatment date, manufacturer, product name, and active ingredients separately for internal and external treatments. This 15-day window is calculated from the date of treatment to the date of certificate issuance, not the date of travel.
Clinical ExaminationLong lead time
A licensed veterinarian must examine the animal within 10 days prior to issuing the health certificate and confirm that the animal shows no clinical signs of parasitic or infectious disease and is fit for transport. This examination date is recorded on the certificate and is the basis on which the CFIA Official Veterinarian endorses the document. Any examination conducted outside this 10-day window renders the certificate invalid.
CFIA-Endorsed Health Certificate (HA2348)Long lead time
The official export document is form HA2348, a bilingual English-Portuguese certificate that must be signed by the examining licensed veterinarian and then countersigned and officially stamped by a CFIA Official Veterinarian. The completed certificate is valid for 60 days from the date of issue for entry into MERCOSUR countries, provided the rabies vaccination documented within it remains valid. Scheduling the CFIA endorsement appointment well in advance of travel is essential, as availability varies by region.
Every requirement, handled
These are the steps we manage, start to finish.
Share your travel dates and your pet's details. We build the compliance timeline, confirm lab approvals, and coordinate every appointment.
Preparation Timeline
Plan 30 days ahead
Nothing is left to chance. Here is how we stage your pet's documentation, step by step.
- 1
At least 4 weeks before travel
Microchip verification
Confirm the microchip is present, functioning, and that the number is accurately recorded in your pet's records, as this identifier must match the health certificate exactly.
- 2
At least 21 days before arrival in Brazil
Rabies vaccination
This is a hard minimum enforced at the Brazilian border; the vaccination must appear on the health certificate with the full product details, and the 21-day window is calculated to the date of arrival, not departure.
- 3
Within 15 days before the health certificate is issued
Broad-spectrum parasite treatment
Both internal and external parasite treatments must be administered within this window, with the product name, manufacturer, and active ingredients recorded on the certificate.
- 4
Within 10 days before the health certificate is issued
Clinical examination by licensed veterinarian
The veterinarian confirms the animal is free of clinical signs of infectious or parasitic disease and is fit for transport; this examination date is recorded on the certificate.
- 5
After clinical examination, well before travel date
Health certificate issuance and CFIA endorsement
The private veterinarian completes and signs form HA2348, which must then be endorsed and officially stamped by a CFIA Official Veterinarian before it is valid for export.
- 6
Within 60 days of certificate issuance
Travel to Brazil
The certificate is valid for 60 days from the date of issue, provided the rabies vaccination documented within it has not expired; verify both expiry dates before departure.
Start today
The sooner we begin, the smoother each deadline becomes.
Tell us your travel window and your pet's current vaccination status. We stage everything from there.
FAQ
Questions about this corridor
The CFIA certificate framework for Brazil does not include a mandatory quarantine period for dogs and cats arriving with compliant documentation. Brazilian authorities will inspect the health certificate at the point of entry, and provided all requirements are met, including the valid rabies vaccination and the parasite treatment records, the animal is generally admitted without detention. If documentation is incomplete or the timing requirements have not been satisfied, the animal may be held while the matter is resolved, which underscores why precise preparation matters.
The single timing requirement that drives the minimum preparation window is the rabies vaccination rule, which requires at least 21 days between vaccination and arrival in Brazil. When you add the clinical examination window of 10 days before certificate issuance, the CFIA endorsement scheduling time, and the parasite treatment that must fall within 15 days of the certificate date, a realistic minimum is approximately 30 days of active preparation. Clients who are starting from scratch with an unvaccinated adult animal or who have not yet scheduled their CFIA appointment should begin the process at least five to six weeks before their intended departure date to allow comfortable margins at each stage.
The CFIA source documents for this corridor, specifically form HA2348, do not include a requirement for a rabies antibody titre test for dogs and cats travelling from Canada to Brazil. The requirement is for a valid rabies vaccination administered at least 21 days before arrival. This is a meaningful distinction from some other corridors, where a titre test adds weeks or months to the preparation timeline, and it makes the Canada-to-Brazil route more straightforward than many owners anticipate.
Certificate HA2348 is valid for 60 days from the date of issue for entry into Brazil and other MERCOSUR member countries, provided that the rabies vaccination recorded within the document has not expired during that period. If your travel plans change and your departure is delayed, you should verify both the certificate issue date and the rabies vaccine expiration date to confirm you remain within valid windows. A certificate that expires before your rescheduled travel date will need to be reissued, which requires a new clinical examination.
The CFIA export documentation for this corridor does not enumerate breed-specific restrictions within the federal health certificate framework. However, individual airlines operating the Canada-to-Brazil route maintain their own breed policies, particularly regarding brachycephalic dogs and cats, and these policies vary by carrier and can change with limited notice. We recommend confirming the specific airline's breed acceptance policy at the time of booking and again closer to departure, as this is where breed-related complications most commonly arise on this route.
Brazilian agricultural authorities conduct document inspections on arrival, and a certificate with missing information, such as an absent active ingredient for a parasite treatment or a treatment date that falls outside the required window, can result in the animal being held at the port of entry while the matter is assessed. In some cases a minor administrative issue may be resolved with supporting documentation, but in others the animal may face a period of supervised holding until the importing owner can demonstrate compliance or arrange for the animal to be returned. The best protection is a certificate that has been reviewed carefully before departure to confirm every field is complete, accurate, and within its required timing window.
Carriers
Airlines serving this corridor
These carriers operate between Canada and Brazil with known pet transport policies. We verify current breed restrictions and cargo availability before every booking.
Related Routes
City routes within this corridor
Looking for a specific city pair? Each route page has carrier-specific notes, compliance timelines, and booking guidance for that exact origin and destination.
City-pair routes for this corridor are being added. Check back soon.
Ready to travel?
Every requirement, handled before you even think to ask.
Tell us your travel dates and your pet's details. We take care of the rest, from health certificates to airline coordination.
