CO
Importing Your Pet to Colombia
Moderate to importVerification date not recorded. Confirm current requirements with the destination authority.
Prepared by Dr. Sarah Okafor, International Animal Health Consultant
Colombia’s ICA (Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario) applies one set of requirements to all origins. Before you arrive, you register as an ICA user and request the Certificado de Inspección Sanitaria (CIS) online through SISPAP, then print the request and payment receipt. ICA inspects the pet on arrival and issues the CIS if the documents and the physical inspection are satisfactory.
USDA APHIS says personal pet dogs and cats do not need an import permit, and ICA’s own pages ask only for the advance SISPAP request. The minimum age for entry is 15 weeks.
Colombia has no routine quarantine for compliant pets. On arrival, go with the pet to the ICA office at the airport, port or border crossing of entry.
Import Requirements
Every requirement below is taken from an official government page, and each one links to the page it comes from. The rules were last checked on 1 October 2026. They can change, so check the linked page again before you book.
Who is in charge
- ICA inspects pets on arrival and issues the Certificado de Inspección Sanitaria (CIS) if documents and physical inspection are satisfactory.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026
Where your pet travels from
| Group | What applies | Origins |
|---|---|---|
| All origins | Single ICA rule set: SISPAP CIS request before arrival, official health certificate within 10 days, current vaccinations (rabies at least 21 days before boarding if first dose), parasite treatment within 60 days, minimum age 15 weeks, inspection on arrival. Source | all countries |
| Origins where rabies vaccination is not carried out | Official statement from the origin veterinary service that rabies vaccination is not done; entry conditional on home quarantine in Colombia during which the pet is vaccinated. Source | countries whose official service certifies that rabies vaccination is not carried out (not listed) |
- ICA applies one set of requirements to all origins, for companion and commercial dogs and cats alike. Only variation: where the origin country does not vaccinate against rabies, an official statement to that effect is required and the pet does home quarantine in Colombia during which it is vaccinated.
Resolución 100164 de 2021, checked 1 October 2026
Import permit
- Before arrival, travellers register as ICA users and request the CIS online through SISPAP, then print the request and payment receipt.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026 - Per USDA APHIS guidance for exports from the US (page last modified 5 March 2026): personal pet dogs and cats do not need an import permit. ICA's own pages require only the advance SISPAP request for the CIS (see the other import_permit entry) and are silent on any separate import permit, so the absence of a separate permit rests on this exporting-government guidance.
Applies to dogs and cats travelling from the US.
Pet Travel from the United States to Colombia, checked 1 October 2026
Microchip
- Not required for import: the ICA certificate must describe the animal and record its microchip only if it has one.
Entran en vigencia nuevos requisitos del ICA para el ingreso o salida de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026
Rabies vaccination
- For pets vaccinated against rabies for the first time, the vaccine must have been given at least 21 days before boarding.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026 - ICA does not allow pets in without assurance of rabies immunity (Resolución 100164 of 2021).
Entran en vigencia nuevos requisitos del ICA para el ingreso o salida de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026
Rabies titre test
- Not required for entry: ICA only recommends a rabies antibody test before travel for pets that will later return to the EU or other countries requiring one.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026
Health certificate
- The original health certificate must be issued or endorsed by the official veterinary authority of the origin country, dated no more than 10 calendar days before entry.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026 - The certificate must state the pet is free of transmissible infectious and parasitic diseases.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026 - Per USDA APHIS guidance for exports from the US (page last modified 5 March 2026): the certificate is issued by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by APHIS within 10 days of travel, and needs no notarisation or Colombian consular stamp. ICA's own pages (entry page and Resolución 100164) are silent on notarisation and consular legalisation, so that point rests on this exporting-government guidance.
Applies to dogs and cats travelling from the US.
Pet Travel from the United States to Colombia, checked 1 October 2026
Other vaccines and tests
- Dogs need current vaccination against rabies, distemper, canine hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, coronavirus and parainfluenza. If a vaccine other than rabies is not used in the origin country, an official statement from the origin veterinary service saying so is accepted instead, with no home quarantine.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026 - Cats need current vaccination against rabies, feline panleucopenia, feline viral rhinotracheitis and feline calicivirus. If a vaccine other than rabies is not used in the origin country, an official statement from the origin veterinary service saying so is accepted instead, with no home quarantine.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026Official sources differ
ICA news of 9 July 2021 (https://www.ica.gov.co/noticias/ica-nuevos-requisitos-ingres-salida-mascotas) lists only rabies and feline panleucopenia for cats. The current ICA entry procedure page also requires feline viral rhinotracheitis and feline calicivirus; follow the entry page.
Parasite treatment
- The certificate must state internal and external parasite treatment within 60 days before travel.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026
Quarantine
- If the origin country's official veterinary service certifies that rabies vaccination of dogs and cats is not carried out there, entry is conditional on home quarantine in Colombia during which the pet is vaccinated against rabies by a registered private vet with an ICA-registered vaccine.
Applies to dogs and cats from countries where rabies vaccination is not carried out.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026 - If inspection fails, ICA may retain the animal, impose home quarantine, re-ship it or humanely destroy it.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026 - No routine quarantine for compliant pets. Home quarantine (isolation and observation at the owner's address for at least 15 calendar days, at the owner's cost, followed up by ICA) applies where the pet lacks a valid official health certificate but has current vaccinations; if home quarantine is refused, ICA re-ships the pet. Home quarantine can also apply where the origin country does not vaccinate against rabies, or after a failed arrival inspection (see the other quarantine entries).
Entran en vigencia nuevos requisitos del ICA para el ingreso o salida de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026
Arrival points and notice
- On arrival, go with the pet to the ICA office at the airport, port or border crossing of entry.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026 - Inspection outside normal office hours is a special service at a different tariff and must be requested in writing 48 hours ahead from the ICA office where the pet enters or leaves.
Applies to dogs and cats arriving or departing outside ICA office hours.
Pago del certificado de inspección sanitaria (CIS) para la salida de perros y gatos, checked 1 October 2026
Minimum age
- Minimum age for entry is 15 weeks.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026
How many pets
- ICA entry page: one application can cover up to 10 animals of the same species.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026Official sources differ
ICA tariff Resolución 34487/2025 (https://www.ica.gov.co/getattachment/Oferta-Institucional/Tarifas/Resolucion-34487_2025-y-Anexo-1-1.pdf.aspx) prices the pet inspection certificate (code 03039) for up to 5 animals per species, so more than 5 of one species on one application may be charged more than one fee. - No maximum is set, but 5 or more dogs or cats imported in the name of one user count as a commercial destination under Res. 100164/2021; the same Article 4 entry requirements apply to companion and commercial animals.
Resolución 100164 de 2021, checked 1 October 2026
Banned and restricted breeds
- Import of Staffordshire Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier and American Pit Bull Terrier dogs, and their crosses or hybrids, is prohibited (Ley 1801 de 2016, Article 132). The article's paragraph exempts dogs used by private security or the public force. The Función Pública text notes that Ley 2054 de 2020 replaces the term 'razas potencialmente peligrosas' with 'razas de manejo especial' across national legislation.
Applies to dogs of the listed breeds and their crosses.
Ley 1801 de 2016, Código Nacional de Seguridad y Convivencia Ciudadana, checked 1 October 2026
How your pet may travel
- The same ICA entry process applies whether pets travel as accompanied baggage or as cargo.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026
Official fees
- CIS fees are paid by debit or credit card at entry points; cash is not accepted.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026 - A fee is payable for the inspection and issue of the CIS; the ICA entry page does not state the amount and sends travellers to ICA's tariff list (see the Resolución 34487/2025 fees entry for the 2026 amounts).
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026 - ICA tariff Resolución 34487 of 23 December 2025 (in force from 1 January 2026), Annex 1: code 03039, inspection certificate (CIS) for import or export of dogs, cats and other household pets, COP 78,200 for up to 5 animals per species. The same annex lists code 03120, supervision of quarantine of imported pets (dogs and cats), COP 606,450, and code 03116, inspection in special (out-of-hours) times, COP 86,750.
Applies to pet dogs and cats entering or leaving Colombia.
Resolución 00034487 de 2025 y Anexo 1 (tarifas ICA 2026), checked 1 October 2026
Other conditions
- If the arrival inspection fails, the owner or person responsible must bear the costs and responsibilities of whatever health measure ICA applies (retention, home quarantine, re-shipment or humane destruction).
Applies to pet dogs and cats entering Colombia.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026 - If the CIS cannot be requested through SISPAP in advance, it can be requested at the ICA office at the point of entry, presenting the pet and the paper documents and paying there (debit or credit card only).
Applies to pet dogs and cats entering Colombia.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026 - Travelling with a dog and a cat needs a separate CIS application for each species.
Applies to pet dogs and cats entering Colombia.
Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia, checked 1 October 2026
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Health certificate requirements for Colombia
The original health certificate must be issued or endorsed by the official veterinary authority of the origin country, dated no more than 10 calendar days before entry. It must state that the pet is free of transmissible infectious and parasitic diseases, and that it has had internal and external parasite treatment within 60 days before travel.
Vaccinations must be current. Dogs need rabies, distemper, canine hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, coronavirus and parainfluenza; cats need rabies, feline panleucopenia, feline viral rhinotracheitis and feline calicivirus. For a first rabies vaccination, the vaccine must have been given at least 21 days before boarding.
For pets leaving the US, USDA APHIS says the certificate needs no notarisation or Colombian consular stamp.
Restrictions on certain breeds in Colombia
Colombian law (Ley 1801 de 2016, Article 132) prohibits the import of Staffordshire Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier and American Pit Bull Terrier dogs, and their crosses or hybrids. The same article exempts dogs used by private security or the public force.
If your dog is one of these breeds or a cross, it cannot be imported as a pet, so settle this before you plan anything else.
Routes to Colombia
Frequently Asked Questions
No routine quarantine is required for compliant pets. ICA applies home quarantine (isolation and observation at the owner’s address for at least 15 calendar days, at the owner’s cost) where the pet lacks a valid official health certificate but has current vaccinations. If the arrival inspection fails, ICA may retain the animal, impose home quarantine, re-ship it or humanely destroy it.
No. ICA does not require a rabies antibody test for entry.
What it does ask for is current vaccinations, including rabies, and an official health certificate issued or endorsed by the veterinary authority in the country you are leaving.
ICA only recommends a titre test before travel for pets that will later return to the EU or another country that requires one.
No separate import permit, according to USDA APHIS. What ICA does require is the advance request for the CIS through its SISPAP platform, made after you register as an ICA user. ICA’s 2026 tariff (Resolución 34487 of 2025) sets the CIS fee at COP 78,200 for up to 5 animals per species, paid by debit or credit card; cash is not accepted.
Yes. Cats follow the same ICA process as dogs, with their own vaccine list: rabies, feline panleucopenia, feline viral rhinotracheitis and feline calicivirus. Travelling with a dog and a cat needs a separate CIS application for each species.
An original health certificate issued or endorsed by the official veterinary authority of your origin country, dated no more than 10 calendar days before entry. It must record current vaccinations, parasite treatment within 60 days before travel, and that the pet is free of transmissible infectious and parasitic diseases.
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Colombia
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Code: CO
Sources
Requirements on this page were checked against the authorities below. Rules change, so confirm current conditions with the relevant authority before you travel.
- USDA APHIS · United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service