Relocating a pet from United Kingdom to Honduras follows a clear path once you understand what Honduras asks for. Allow around 3-6 weeks and follow the steps in order to stay on track. Compliant pets are not held in quarantine on arrival. …
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from United Kingdom to Honduras
typically takes around 3-6 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
A rabies titre test is not required.
Regulations checked
Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team
Step by step
The United Kingdom to Honduras pet import process
Each step must be completed in a precise sequence. Start early. We manage every stage and deadline.
1
Rabies vaccination confirmed current, or primary course completed. Honduras sets no minimum wait after vaccination.
Responsible: UK vet
Before travel, with enough margin for the vet visit and health certificate appointment.
2
Microchip confirmed or implanted. Not mandatory for Honduras but required for the UK's own export paperwork.
Responsible: UK vet
Before the health certificate appointment.
3
APHA-authorised vet completes the Official Veterinary Health Certificate.
Responsible: APHA-authorised UK vet
Close to travel; confirm current APHA appointment turnaround.
4
Cargo routing booked: UK airport to Miami, Dallas-Fort Worth, or Houston, connecting onward to Palmerola (XPL) or San Pedro Sula (SAP).
Responsible: You / pet relocation agent
As soon as travel dates are fixed.
5
For 3 or more pets only: Permiso Zoosanitario de Importación applied for via SENASA's Plataforma de Importaciones.
Responsible: Importer / SENASA-registered agent in Honduras
In advance of departure.
6
Pet, health certificate and vaccination card presented to Cuarentena on arrival; inspection fee paid.
Responsible: You, at the port of entry
On arrival in Honduras.
Requirements
What your pet needs to enter Honduras
Every item below must be in place before your pet can travel. We manage and verify each one.
Microchip
Not explicitly required by SENASA's own import instructions, which ask only for a current vaccination card and the origin country's veterinary export certificate. Fit one anyway: it's already on the UK export paperwork and is useful if the pet is ever lost. Source: SENASA, 'Instructivo para Trámites de Importación de Mascotas a Honduras,' 2023.
Rabies vaccination
A current, in-date rabies vaccination recorded on the vaccination card (cartilla de vacunación) is required. SENASA's instructivo doesn't set a fixed day-count window; it simply requires the vaccination to be valid ('vigente') on arrival. Source: SENASA import instructivo, 2023.
Rabies titre test
Not required. Honduras does not ask for a rabies antibody titre test for pets arriving with a valid vaccination record and export certificate. Source: SENASA import instructivo, 2023.
Quarantine
No fixed kennel quarantine for the ordinary case of 1 or 2 pets arriving with correct paperwork; a Cuarentena official inspects the animal at the port of entry and charges a Lps 525 (roughly USD 20) fee. Bringing 3 or more pets at once switches to a different process that includes vet-supervised home quarantine (Cuarentena Fiduciaria). Source: SENASA import instructivo, 2023.
Import permit
Not required for 1 or 2 pets; documents are presented directly to Cuarentena at the port of entry. For 3 or more pets, a Permiso Zoosanitario de Importación must be applied for in advance through SENASA's online Plataforma de Importaciones. Source: SENASA import instructivo, 2023.
Health certificate
Certificado Veterinario de Exportación from the country of origin (the UK's APHA-endorsed export health certificate), presented with the current vaccination card. Source: SENASA import instructivo, 2023.
Export permit (United Kingdom)
No separate UK export permit is required for a personal pet move. The APHA-endorsed health certificate is the operative document on the UK side.
Costs
What this route typically costs
APHA vet appointment and export health certificate: GBP 100-300
Travel crate, IATA-compliant: GBP 60-250
Air cargo UK to Honduras via Miami, Dallas-Fort Worth or Houston: GBP 900-2,800 depending on crate size and routing
IPATA agent fee for the connecting leg into Honduras: GBP 250-600
Permiso Zoosanitario de Importación, only for 3 or more pets: Lps 750 TGR1 fee plus Lps 20 in stamps (roughly USD 30 total)
Total typical range, 1-2 pets: GBP 1,300-3,700
Critical points to read before you book
There is no direct flight from the UK to Honduras. Every routing changes carrier in the US (Miami, Dallas-Fort Worth or Houston) or Central America, and Avianca does not carry pets on its UK flights, so it can't form part of the transatlantic leg.
Honduras's own import rules are genuinely light for the usual 1 or 2 pet move: no titre test, no import permit, no fixed kennel quarantine. Moving 3 or more pets at once switches to a slower process requiring a Permiso Zoosanitario de Importación and vet-supervised home quarantine.
SENASA's import instructivo relies on the pet's current vaccination card, not a separate Honduran-format certificate, to confirm vaccination status at the port of entry. Travel without it and the Cuarentena inspection has nothing to check against.
Airlines
Carriers approved for this route
Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. We know which carriers to use and how to book.
AMERICAN
American Airlines
Flies Miami (MIA) and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) onward to Palmerola International (XPL, serving Tegucigalpa) and to San Pedro Sula. A UK to Miami or Dallas transatlantic leg connects into this network, usually on a separate booking.
Cargo Only
UNITED
United Airlines
Flies Houston (IAH) onward to XPL. An alternative second-leg routing into Honduras via Houston.
Cargo Only
BRITISH
British Airways
No direct UK to Honduras route. BA World Cargo can carry the transatlantic leg to Miami; the onward Central American leg is typically arranged through an IPATA-registered agent rather than booked directly with BA.
Cargo Only
AVIANCA
Avianca
Serves XPL from San Salvador and other Central American points, but its help centre states it does not carry pets on flights to the United Kingdom. Not usable for the transatlantic leg; relevant only for a Central American connection an agent arranges separately.
Cargo Only
How Honduras handles incoming pets
Honduras keeps its requirements reasonable, though a few steps have fixed timing. Map those out first and the rest falls into place.
What experienced owners do
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 United Kingdom to Honduras pet transport
No. Honduras’s import rules ask for a current, valid rabies vaccination recorded on the vaccination card, not a blood titre test. This is one of the few Central American routes where the destination country’s requirements are lighter than the wider region. Source: SENASA, ‘Instructivo para Trámites de Importación de Mascotas a Honduras,’ 2023.
Not for the ordinary case of 1 or 2 pets arriving with correct paperwork; a Cuarentena official inspects the animal on arrival and charges roughly Lps 525 (about USD 20). Moving 3 or more pets at once triggers a different process involving vet-supervised home quarantine. Source: SENASA import instructivo, 2023.
Ramón Villeda Morales International in San Pedro Sula (SAP) or Palmerola International (XPL), which serves Tegucigalpa and opened in 2021 in place of the former Toncontín airport. Both receive connections from American Airlines and United through US hub cities.
No airline flies nonstop between the UK and Honduras. British Airways’ transatlantic cargo network reaches Miami, from where the pet connects onward to Honduras on another carrier, usually arranged by an IPATA-registered pet relocation agent.
Airline guides
American Airlines
United Airlines
British Airways
Avianca
Breed guides
Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.
Get a free, fully itemised quote for your United Kingdom to Honduras pet move. Our specialists will map out the entire timeline and costs. No surprises.