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Pet Transport from Honduras to Canada

Moving a dog or cat from Honduras to Canada is very doable with the right preparation. Expect about 6-9 weeks. Nothing here is unusually complex, but the deadlines matter. You will …

6-9 wks
Preparation needed
Check guide
Quarantine on arrival
Medium
Route complexity
Managed
Full door to door
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Lead time needed
6-9 weeks
Quarantine
Check guide
Route complexity
Medium
Airlines
3 carriers on this route
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What's required
MicrochipFor a dog, a 15-digit ISO …
Rabies vaccinationFor a dog, required, and the CFIA …
Rabies titre testNot required by CFIA for a personal pet …
QuarantinePet dogs imported into Canada are not …
Import permitNot required for a personal pet dog or …
Health certificateFor a dog, a certificate widely reported …
In short: Preparing to move a pet from Honduras to Canada typically takes around 6-9 weeks. A rabies titre test is not required.
Regulations checked
Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team
Step by step

The import process, in full

1
Start of planning.
Confirm the dog is at least 7 months old if travelling on the high-risk-country pathway; for a younger dog, plan the departure date around this threshold.

Responsible: Owner

2
Start of planning.
Microchip implanted (dogs) before or on the day of the rabies vaccination, then the vaccination given.

Responsible: Honduras-based vet

3
Final two weeks before travel.
SENASA export health certificate obtained via SECEH.

Responsible: SENASA-registered vet

4
Well ahead of booking, to catch any recent rule change.
Confirm current routing-specific detail against CFIA's AIRS tool, since secondary sources on the exact personal-pet high-risk-country requirements vary slightly.

Responsible: Owner or agent

5
3-4 weeks before travel.
Book cargo space, weighing Avianca's more direct Montreal routing against the Houston or Miami connections.

Responsible: Owner or pet relocation agent

6
Travel day.
Fly to Canada and present the SENASA export certificate, vaccination and microchip records at the border.

Responsible: Airline cargo handler, CBSA and CFIA

Checklist

What your pet needs

Every item below must be completed and verified before your pet can travel. Expand each category for the detail.

Microchip
For a dog, a 15-digit ISO 11784/11785-compliant microchip implanted before or on the same day as the rabies vaccination. For a cat, CFIA does not mandate a microchip, though most agents recommend one anyway.
Rabies vaccination
For a dog, required, and the CFIA high-risk-country pathway applies since Honduras appears on CFIA's list of countries at high-risk for dog rabies. For a cat aged three months or older, a rabies vaccination certificate from a licensed vet is required; cats under three months are exempt.
Rabies titre test
Not required by CFIA for a personal pet dog or cat, from Honduras or any other country. This is a genuine point of difference from both the UAE route and the US route out of Honduras, both of which require one.
Quarantine
Pet dogs imported into Canada are not subject to post-import quarantine, regardless of country of origin, provided the paperwork is in order. Source: CFIA, inspection.canada.ca, 2026.
Import permit
Not required for a personal pet dog or cat. CFIA's 2022 high-risk-country measure blocks import permits for commercial dogs only, meaning dogs for resale, adoption, fostering, breeding, show or research; an owner-accompanied personal pet is exempt from that ban.
Health certificate
For a dog, a certificate widely reported as requiring the animal to be at least 7 months old at entry when coming from a high-risk country, alongside the microchip-before-vaccination sequencing above. CFIA's primary guidance points owners to its Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) tool to confirm the current, routing-specific detail; secondary veterinary summaries are consistent on the 7-month figure, but it's worth checking AIRS directly before booking. For a cat, a standard rabies certificate in English or French from a licensed vet.
Export permit
No general export permit for a personal companion dog or cat.
Veterinary inspection
A SENASA-registered vet examines the animal and confirms it's fit to travel before certification.
Government endorsement
SENASA stamps and signs off on the Certificado Zoosanitario de Exportación after the vet inspection.
Health certificate
Certificado Zoosanitario de Exportación, applied for online via the SECEH platform, Lps 450 flat fee plus two Lps 10 veterinary college stamps. Source: SENASA, 'Instructivo para Trámites para la Exportación de Mascotas,' senasa.gob.hn, 2023.
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Airlines

Carriers on this route

Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. Confirm the operating carrier's current policy for every flight segment.

Avianca
Sells a San Pedro Sula-Montreal routing through its own Central American and South American network, avoiding a US intermediate stop and the customs re-clearance that comes with it.
Cargo Only
United Airlines
Flies both San Pedro Sula and Palmerola (XPL) to Houston (IAH) up to twice daily, with onward United service from Houston to Toronto. This is the same Houston routing that fails the CDC's US entry rules on the Honduras-to-US route, since Houston lacks a CDC-registered facility, but that constraint is specific to dogs entering the US and doesn't apply to Canada, which has no equivalent facility-airport rule. The pet does typically still need to clear US agriculture and customs at the Houston stop as an intermediate country.
Cargo Only
American Airlines
Connects San Pedro Sula and Palmerola to Miami, then Miami onward to Toronto or Montreal, a reliable year-round alternative to the Houston routing.
Cargo Only
Costs

What this route typically costs

SENASA export certificate: Lps 450 plus two Lps 10 stamps (roughly USD 18-20)
Honduran vet visits, vaccination and microchip: USD 80-200
IATA-compliant travel crate: USD 100-350
Air cargo Honduras to Canada, direct via Avianca or connecting via Miami or Houston: USD 1,200-2,800
Total typical range: USD 1,600-3,500

Critical points

Honduras is on CFIA's list of countries at high-risk for dog rabies, but the ban that follows from that listing applies to commercial dogs only. A personal, owner-accompanied dog is not blocked, though it still needs to meet the age and microchip-sequencing conditions for the high-risk pathway.

The Houston routing that fails the CDC's arrival-airport rule on the Honduras-to-US route is not the same problem here. Canada is the final destination on this route, and CFIA has no facility-airport restriction equivalent to the CDC's, so United's Houston-Toronto connection is workable, even though the same flight wouldn't get a dog into the US.

Secondary veterinary sources consistently cite a 7-month minimum age for a dog entering Canada from a high-risk country, but CFIA's own pages point to the AIRS tool for routing-specific confirmation rather than stating it plainly on the general pages checked for this guide. Confirm directly before booking.

Cats carry almost none of the dog-specific high-risk-country conditions. If the household move includes both a dog and a cat, expect two different document sets and, potentially, two different comfortable travel dates.

What Canada requires

Getting a pet into Canada is a middle of the road process. The rules are well defined, so most of the work is simply staying on schedule.

Avoiding the common mistakes

If this is your first international move, consider an IPATA-registered pet transport agent. They handle the documents, airline booking and crate sizing, and can troubleshoot problems.

Get your pet used to the travel crate weeks in advance. A calm, crate-familiar animal travels far better than one meeting the crate for the first time at the airport.

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.

FAQ

Common questions

No. CFIA does not require a titre test for a personal pet dog or cat, from Honduras or any other country. This differs from both the UAE route and the US route out of Honduras, which both require one.
Honduras is on CFIA’s high-risk-for-dog-rabies list, which blocks commercial dog imports, meaning dogs for resale, adoption, fostering, breeding, show or research. A personal, owner-accompanied pet dog is not covered by that ban, though it still has to meet the microchip-sequencing and age conditions for the high-risk pathway.
Yes, and this is a genuine point of difference from the Honduras-to-US route on this site. Houston doesn’t work for a dog entering the US directly, since it lacks a CDC-registered facility, but Canada has no equivalent airport restriction, so a Houston connection onward to Toronto is workable for this route.
Veterinary summary sources consistently cite a minimum of 7 months for a dog travelling from a high-risk country, though CFIA’s general public pages point owners to its AIRS tool for routing-specific confirmation rather than stating the figure plainly. Confirm directly before booking a younger dog’s travel date.
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