Taking your dog or cat from Canada to Paraguay comes down to good timing and the right paperwork. Plan on roughly 6-9 weeks; the checklist is clear and the timing is manageable. No routine quarantine …
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from Canada to Paraguay
typically takes around 6-9 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
Regulations checked
Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team
Step by step
The Canada to Paraguay import process
01
Before any vet appointment.
Check the pet's breed against Paraguay's banned list and Copa's cargo exclusions before booking anything.
Responsible: Owner
02
At least 30 days before travel.
Confirm rabies vaccination is current, given 30 days to 12 months before arrival, plus core vaccines for the species.
Responsible: Licensed vet in Canada
03
1-2 weeks before travel, once the CFIA appointment is confirmed.
Book a CFIA appointment, have the vet complete the export certificate, and get it endorsed by an official CFIA veterinarian while the pet is still in Canada.
Responsible: Licensed vet, then CFIA
04
3-5 weeks before travel.
Book cargo space, choosing between Copa's weekday-only Panama routing and the Air Canada-LATAM Sao Paulo alternative.
Responsible: Owner or pet transport agent
05
Within 15 days of entry into Paraguay.
Internal and external parasite treatment, recorded on the certificate.
Responsible: Licensed vet in Canada
06
Travel day.
Fly, and present documents to the SENACSA inspector on arrival at Silvio Pettirossi International.
Responsible: Airline ground handler, SENACSA vet
Requirements
Paraguay entry requirements
Every item below must be in place before your pet can enter. We verify and track each one.
Microchip
ISO 11784/11785 microchip required, matching the number recorded on the CVI presented at the port of entry.
Rabies vaccination
Current rabies vaccination required for dogs and cats, given between 30 days and 12 months before arrival. First-time vaccination needs a 21-day wait before travel. Dogs also need distemper, parvovirus, infectious hepatitis and leptospirosis cover; cats need panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus cover.
Rabies titre test
No titre test is required by SENACSA for companion animals entering under the standard non-commercial route. Published English-language guidance on this point is limited, so confirm directly with SENACSA or a Paraguay-based agent before travel.
Quarantine
No standard quarantine period for a pet arriving with a complete, correctly endorsed CVI. The animal is checked documentarily and clinically by a SENACSA vet at the port of entry.
Import permit
No separate import permit for non-commercial pet movement. SENACSA allows up to 5 companion dogs and cats per owner; a sixth animal is treated as a commercial import.
Health certificate
Certificado Veterinario Internacional (CVI), built from the CFIA-endorsed Canadian export certificate, presented to SENACSA on arrival with vaccination records. Internal and external parasite treatment recorded within 15 days of entry.
Leaving Canada
Export requirements
Export permit
No general export permit exists for a personal pet leaving Canada. The requirement is a certificate, not a permit.
Health certificate
A licensed Canadian vet completes the export health certificate, which then must be endorsed by an official CFIA veterinarian before the animal leaves the country. Endorsement has to happen while the pet is still in Canada; CFIA cannot sign off after departure.
Costs
What this route typically costs
CFIA export certificate endorsement fee: approximately CAD 20-40 per certificate.
Rabies vaccination and additional core vaccines, if not already current: CAD 100-250.
IATA crate, cargo booking and agent fee: CAD 1,700-3,200.
Air waybill, Toronto or Montreal to Asuncion via Panama or Sao Paulo: CAD 2,600-4,800.
Total typical range: CAD 4,400-8,300 over 6-9 weeks.
Critical points
Copa does not carry dogs or cats as cargo on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays, since the vet who clears transiting animals at its Panama hub only works weekdays. Booking around a weekend departure without checking this first is a common way owners lose a week.
Copa excludes several breeds from cargo outright, including Pit Bull Terrier, Cane Corso and Presa Canario, several of which Paraguay also bans on the import side. A dog matching either list needs a different carrier or a different plan entirely.
SENACSA caps non-commercial pet imports at five animals per owner. A sixth pet in one shipment moves the whole thing into a commercial import process.
Airlines
Approved carriers on this route
Airline
Notes
Type
Copa Airlines
Runs the strongest single-carrier option: Toronto or Montreal to its Tocumen (PTY) hub in Panama City, then on to Asuncion, all on Copa metal. Dogs and cats fly as cargo Monday to Thursday only; Copa doesn't move live animals over the weekend so the Tocumen transit vet, who works weekdays, can inspect them. Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, English Bulldog, Presa Canario, Dogo Argentino, Cane Corso and Fila Brasileiro are excluded from cargo outright.
Cargo Only
Air Canada
Flies Toronto to Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) nonstop, daily, on a Boeing 787. Small pets can travel in-cabin on the Canadian domestic sector only; the international leg and larger animals move as cargo, handed to a connecting carrier for the final Sao Paulo-Asuncion leg.
Cabin and Cargo
LATAM Airlines
Covers the Sao Paulo-Asuncion connection for pets arriving on Air Canada's GRU service, roughly five times a week. A workable alternative to the Panama routing when Copa's weekday-only schedule doesn't fit.
Cargo Only
Paraguay entry requirements at a glance
Getting a pet into Paraguay is a middle of the road process. The rules are well defined, so most of the work is simply staying on schedule.
Getting the details right
Confirm live animal acceptance on every flight segment before booking. Not all aircraft or connections take pets, and cargo terms can differ leg to leg.
Keep every original document together and take copies. Border officials want originals, and a missing signature or date can hold up clearance.
Work backwards from your travel date and add a buffer. Fixed waiting periods mean a single slipped appointment can push the whole move back by weeks.
Check the airline’s crate size and labelling rules early. An undersized or wrongly labelled crate is a frequent reason pets are refused at check-in.
FAQ
Common questions about this route
No. Copa carries dogs and cats as cargo Monday to Thursday only, since the vet who inspects transiting live animals at its Panama City hub works weekdays. Build this into your booking before choosing a travel date.
No, not under SENACSA’s standard non-commercial route. This is thinly documented in English, so confirm directly with SENACSA or a Paraguay-based agent close to your travel date.
No. Copa Airlines, via its Panama City hub, is the most direct single-carrier option. Air Canada’s nonstop Toronto-Sao Paulo service, connecting to LATAM into Asuncion, is a workable alternative.
Yes. Pit Bull-type dogs, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, Cane Corso, Boerboel and multiple mastiff varieties are refused entry outright, with no documentation exception. Several of the same breeds are also excluded from Copa’s cargo service.
Airline guides
Copa Airlines
Air Canada
LATAM Airlines
Breed guides
Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.