International Pet Transport Glossary: Terms Every Pet Owner Should Know
A to Z of Key Pet Transport Terms
AHC (Animal Health Certificate): The official document required to move a pet internationally in most cases. Must be prepared by an accredited vet and endorsed by a government authority. Each destination country specifies the required format.
APHA: Animal and Plant Health Agency (UK). The UK government body that endorses AHCs for pets travelling from the UK to non-EU countries. APHA vets are OVs.
APHIS: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USA). The USDA division that endorses health certificates for pets travelling from the USA internationally. USDA APHIS has state offices.
AVS: Animal and Veterinary Service (Singapore). Manages all animal imports and exports in Singapore under the National Parks Board (NParks).
BICON: Biosecurity Import Conditions database (Australia). Australia’s online tool at bicon.agriculture.gov.au where importers check the current import conditions for specific animals into Australia.
CFIA: Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The Canadian government authority that endorses health certificates for pets travelling from Canada internationally.
DAFF: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia). The Australian government authority that manages pet imports and exports.
EU Pet Passport: A standardised booklet issued by EU member state vets that records microchip, vaccinations, and titre test results for pets travelling within the EU and to/from listed third countries.
FAVN: Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralisation test. The gold-standard rabies antibody test required by Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and some other countries. Blood is drawn by a vet and sent to an approved laboratory.
IATA: International Air Transport Association. Sets global standards for live animal transport by air, including crate specifications (Container Requirement 82 for dogs and cats).
IPATA: International Pet and Animal Transportation Association. The professional body for pet transport agents.
ISO 11784/11785: The international standard for microchips. A compliant chip has 15 digits. Some older US chips have 10 digits – these may not be readable by standard international scanners.
IU/mL: International Units per millilitre. The unit used to express FAVN titre test results. The internationally accepted minimum passing level is 0.5 IU/mL.
MAFF: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan). The Japanese authority that manages pet imports. Japan has one of the most complex pet import systems in the world.
MOCCAE: Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (UAE). The UAE authority that manages pet import permits and live animal imports.
OIE: World Organisation for Animal Health (now WOAH). Sets international animal health standards including approved rabies titre test laboratories.
OV (Official Veterinarian): A government-authorised vet empowered to issue official health certificates. In the UK: APHA-authorised. In Ireland: Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine-authorised. In the USA: USDA-accredited.
Titre test: Blood test measuring antibody levels. In pet travel, usually refers to the FAVN rabies titre test. Results above 0.5 IU/mL confirm adequate rabies immunity.
Zoonotic disease: An animal disease that can be transmitted to humans. Rabies is the primary zoonotic disease concern in international pet movement, driving most of the strictest import requirements (Australia, NZ, Japan, Hawaii).
Information accurate as of May 2026.