Pet Transport from Paraguay to Canada

Bringing your dog or cat from Paraguay to Canada takes some coordination, but the requirements are well defined. Expect about 4-7 weeks, with a short and predictable checklist. No routine quarantine …

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4-7

Weeks lead time needed

Start this early minimum

None

Quarantine on arrival

Low

Route complexity

Airlines on this route

Lead time needed

4-7 weeks

Quarantine

None

Route complexity

Low

Airlines

3 carriers on this route

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In short: Preparing to move a pet from Paraguay to Canada typically takes around 4-7 weeks. There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets. A rabies titre test is not required.

Regulations checked July 2026

Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team

Step by step

The Paraguay to Canada import process

Start of planning.

Confirm the pet's destination province and check for any provincial breed restriction, such as Ontario's pit bull import ban, separate from federal CFIA clearance.

Responsible: Owner

Any time before travel; no fixed federal wait applies since Paraguay is not high-risk.

Administer or confirm the rabies vaccination and complete a certificate in English or French stating vaccine trade name, serial number and expiry.

Responsible: Your vet in Paraguay

Within 10 days of travel.

Clinical inspection and CVI issued by SENACSA, within 10 days of departure.

Responsible: SENACSA-registered vet

4-6 weeks before travel.

Book cargo space, choosing between Copa's weekday-only Panama routing and the LATAM-Air Canada Sao Paulo alternative.

Responsible: Owner or pet transport agent

Day of arrival.

Fly, and present the rabies certificate and CVI to CBSA on arrival.

Responsible: CBSA officers

Requirements

Canada entry requirements

Every item below must be in place before your pet can enter. We verify and track each one.

Microchip

Not generally required by CFIA for a personal pet dog or cat. The exception is an animal arriving from a CFIA-designated high-risk rabies country, where a 15-digit ISO microchip is mandatory. Paraguay is not on that list, so a microchip is not a federal entry requirement here, though most owners already have one from the export process and it's worth keeping regardless.

Rabies vaccination

Required for any dog or cat over 3 months old. The certificate must be in English or French, signed by a licensed vet, and must state the vaccine's trade name, serial number and expiry date, not just the date given.

Rabies titre test

Not required. CFIA's rabies antibody titre pathway and its stricter documentation apply only to dogs arriving from a country on the high-risk list. Paraguay is not on that list, last updated 13 March 2025, so the standard rabies certificate route applies instead.

Quarantine

No routine federal quarantine for a compliant pet. CBSA officers inspect documents and the animal at the border rather than holding it for a fixed period.

Import permit

No CFIA import permit required for a personal, non-commercial pet dog or cat. A CBSA border inspection fee of roughly CAD 30-55 can apply.

Health certificate

Rabies vaccination certificate in English or French, signed by a licensed vet, plus a general health certificate most airlines still require for booking even though CFIA doesn't mandate one federally for a low-risk-country pet.

Leaving Paraguay

Export requirements

Export permit

No separate export permit beyond the CVI. The certificate functions as export authorisation once SENACSA has confirmed the clinical inspection, microchip match and vaccination record.

Health certificate

Certificado Veterinario Internacional (CVI), issued by SENACSA under Tramite 2 for companion animal export. A clinical inspection must take place within 10 days of the CVI being issued, through the SENACSA Digital portal or the Certification Department in person.

Costs

What this route typically costs

SENACSA CVI and clinical inspection: fee not published online, typically a modest local charge, confirm at time of application

Rabies vaccination certificate: USD 80-180 equivalent

IATA-compliant travel crate: USD 100-300 if one is not already owned

CBSA border inspection fee: CAD 30-55

Cargo Asuncion-Panama-Canada or Asuncion-Sao Paulo-Canada for a medium dog: typically USD 2,200-4,200

Total typical range: USD 2,600-4,900 over 4-7 weeks.

Critical points

Paraguay is not on the CFIA's high-risk dog rabies list, last revised 13 March 2025, unlike Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and several other Latin American neighbours. That removes the mandatory microchip, the stricter documentation and the 7-month minimum age CFIA applies to dogs from listed countries.

CFIA clearance is a federal minimum, not the whole story. Ontario bans the import of Pit Bull-type dogs under its own Dog Owners' Liability Act, entirely separate from anything CFIA checks at the border. Confirm the destination province's own rules before assuming federal clearance is enough.

Copa does not carry live animal cargo on weekends, since its Panama hub vet only works weekdays. This is the most common scheduling trap on this route, not a paperwork issue.

Airlines

Approved carriers on this route

Airline	Notes	Type
Copa Airlines	Runs the strongest single-carrier option: Asuncion (ASU) to its Tocumen (PTY) hub in Panama City, then on to Toronto or Montreal, all on Copa metal. Dogs and cats fly as cargo Monday to Thursday only, since the Tocumen transit vet works weekdays. Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, English Bulldog, Presa Canario, Dogo Argentino, Cane Corso and Fila Brasileiro are excluded from cargo outright.	Cargo Only
LATAM Airlines	Flies Asuncion to Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) roughly five times a week, connecting into Air Canada's nonstop Sao Paulo-Toronto service. A workable alternative when Copa's weekday-only schedule doesn't fit the travel window.	Cargo Only
Air Canada	Covers the Sao Paulo-Toronto leg nonstop, daily, on a Boeing 787, once a pet arrives on LATAM from Asuncion. Small pets travel in-cabin on the Canadian domestic sector only; the international sector moves as cargo.	Cabin and Cargo

What Canada requires

Bringing a pet into Canada is one of the simpler processes. Cover the core requirements and you should have few surprises.

Avoiding the common mistakes

Ask about temperature embargoes for your travel window. Summer and winter cargo restrictions can rule out certain routes and dates entirely.

Microchip before you vaccinate. The microchip must be in place before the rabies shot for the vaccination to count, and getting this order wrong is the most common and costly mistake.

Use an official, government-authorised vet for the health certificate, not just your usual clinic. Many destinations only accept certificates signed by an approved vet.

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.

FAQ

Common questions about this route

No. Paraguay does not appear on the CFIA’s high-risk dog rabies list, last updated 13 March 2025. Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala are among the Latin American countries that are listed. Because Paraguay is excluded, the mandatory microchip, 7-month minimum age and tighter documentation that apply to high-risk-country dogs don’t apply here.

Not as a federal requirement, since Paraguay isn’t on CFIA’s high-risk list. A microchip is mandatory only for dogs arriving from listed high-risk countries. Most pets already have one from Paraguay’s own SENACSA export process, and it’s worth keeping regardless of the federal minimum.

No. Copa Airlines, via its Panama City hub, is the most direct single-carrier option into Toronto or Montreal, though it carries no live cargo on weekends. LATAM connecting to Air Canada’s nonstop Sao Paulo-Toronto service is the alternative routing.

CFIA itself has no federal breed restriction. Provincial law can still apply once the dog is on the ground: Ontario, for example, bans owning, breeding or importing Pit Bull-type dogs under its Dog Owners’ Liability Act. Check the destination province’s own rules separately from federal clearance.

Airline guides

Copa Airlines
LATAM Airlines
Air Canada

Breed guides

Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.

Browse all breed guides →

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