US
United States
✈️
PY
Paraguay
Pet Transport from the United States to Paraguay
8-10 weeks
Typical preparation
None
Quarantine on arrival
Moderate
Route complexity
✓ Managed
Full door-to-door service
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from United States to Paraguay
typically takes around 8-10 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
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Overview
Shipping a dog or cat from United States to Paraguay rewards owners who start planning early. Plan on roughly 8-10 weeks; the checklist is clear and the timing is manageable. No routine quarantine applies as long as every requirement is met.
The sections below cover each requirement in detail.
Step by step
The United States to Paraguay process
1
Start of planning, at least 6-8 weeks before travel.
Confirm the ISO microchip is fitted and the pet is current on rabies, plus, for dogs, distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis and leptospirosis, or for cats, panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus.
Responsible: Your USDA-accredited vet
2
6-8 weeks before travel.
Count the household's pets against SENACSA's 5-animal non-commercial cap, and check any dog's breed against Paraguay's banned list before booking anything further.
Responsible: You
3
3-4 weeks before travel.
Book the USDA APHIS eFile export health certificate appointment with a USDA-accredited vet.
Responsible: USDA-accredited vet, endorsed via APHIS
4
3-4 weeks before travel.
Book cargo space from a US gateway through Panama City (Copa), Bogota (Avianca) or Sao Paulo (LATAM) into Asuncion.
Responsible: You or a pet transport agent
5
Within days of travel, per the certificate's validity window.
USDA-accredited vet signs the export health certificate close to travel, referencing the vaccination record. Present this as the CVI to the SENACSA inspector on arrival in Asuncion.
Responsible: USDA-accredited vet, then SENACSA at the port of entry
Checklist
Paraguay: entry requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| 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. A first-time vaccination needs a 21-day wait before the animal can travel. Dogs also need up-to-date distemper, parvovirus, infectious hepatitis and leptospirosis cover; cats need panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus cover. Source: SENACSA, viewed July 2026. |
| Rabies titre test | No titre test is required by SENACSA for companion animals entering Paraguay under the standard non-commercial route, whether the pet arrives from the US or elsewhere. Confirm this directly with SENACSA before travel, since requirements are not always published in English and can be updated without much notice. |
| Quarantine | No standard quarantine period is published for pets arriving with a complete, correctly endorsed CVI. The animal is inspected documentarily and clinically by a SENACSA vet at the port of entry rather than held for a fixed period. |
| Import permit | No separate import permit for non-commercial pet movement. SENACSA allows up to 5 companion dogs and cats per owner under the non-commercial category; a sixth animal or more is treated as a commercial import with its own process. This cap applies to a US-origin pet exactly as it does to any other origin. |
| Health certificate | Certificado Veterinario Internacional (CVI), which for a US departure is the USDA-endorsed export health certificate issued by the USDA-accredited vet and confirmed through APHIS eFile. Present it to the SENACSA inspector on arrival along with vaccination records. |
Leaving United States of America
Export requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Export permit | No general US export permit for pets. Paraguay's SENACSA requires a Certificado Veterinario Internacional (CVI) from the exporting country's competent authority, which on the US side means a USDA-endorsed export health certificate presented as the equivalent document. |
| Health certificate | International health certificate issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian, endorsed through the USDA APHIS eFile system. The endorsement fee is roughly USD 38 per certificate, published on the APHIS pet travel pages. |
Costs
What this route typically costs
| 1 | USDA APHIS eFile endorsement fee: approximately USD 38 per certificate |
| 2 | Vaccination top-ups if any are due: USD 60-180 |
| 3 | IATA-compliant travel crate: USD 100-300 if one is not already owned |
| 4 | Cargo US gateway to Panama City or Bogota to Asuncion for a medium dog: typically USD 2,000-3,800, confirm with a current agent quote |
| 5 | Pet transport agent fee for a two-leg move: USD 300-700 |
| 6 | Total typical range: USD 2,500-5,000 |
Critical points
Read before you book
⚠ Paraguay bans the import of several breeds outright, including Pit Bull-type dogs, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, Cane Corso, Boerboel and multiple mastiff varieties. This applies regardless of documentation, so check a dog's breed and any mix against SENACSA's current list before booking a flight or a certificate appointment.
⚠ SENACSA treats a sixth pet in one shipment as a commercial import, with a different, more involved process. A US household moving with several animals should count carefully before assuming the standard non-commercial route applies.
⚠ There is no nonstop flight from the United States to Asuncion. Copa's routing through its own Panama City hub is the only single-carrier option; Avianca and LATAM both require a handover to a second airline at their respective hubs, which is worth weighing against Copa's weekday-only live animal acceptance in Panama.
Carriers
Airlines on this route
Copa Airlines
Copa flies from Miami, Orlando, New York, Washington, Denver, Las Vegas or Los Angeles into its Tocumen (PTY) hub in Panama City, then onward nonstop to Asuncion (ASU) several times a week, all on Copa's own network. That single-carrier routing avoids handing the crate to a second airline mid-journey. Copa excludes several breeds from cargo outright, including Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, English Bulldog and Cane Corso, and will not carry flat-faced dogs or cats such as Pugs, Bulldogs or Persians in the hold. Its Tocumen vet inspection only runs on weekdays, so live animals do not travel over the weekend.
Avianca Cargo
Routes a US gateway through Bogota, then on to Asuncion, an alternative connection point to Copa's Panama hub. Avianca excludes brachycephalic breeds such as Boxers, Bulldogs, Pugs and Persian cats from the hold, requires a health certificate valid for no more than 10 days, and asks for at least 48 hours' notice before booking a pet.
LATAM Cargo
Flies a US gateway to Sao Paulo (GRU) with an onward connection to Asuncion. LATAM's well-documented restriction on dog cargo applies to animals entering the United States, not to pets leaving it, so this outbound direction is not automatically covered by that rule. Confirm current booking terms directly, since cargo policy on this route has shifted before without much notice.
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
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.
Ask about temperature embargoes for your travel window. Summer and winter cargo restrictions can rule out certain routes and dates entirely.
Book the titre test laboratory well ahead. Approved labs have limited slots and the sample takes time to process, so this is not something to leave to the final weeks.
FAQ
Common questions
Up to 5 companion dogs and cats per owner under SENACSA’s non-commercial category. A sixth animal in the same shipment is treated as a commercial import, which follows a different, more involved process.
Yes. Paraguay bans the import of several breeds outright, including Pit Bull-type dogs, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, Cane Corso, Boerboel and multiple mastiff varieties. This applies regardless of documentation and should be checked before any booking is made.
SENACSA’s published companion animal entry rules do not set out a mandatory titre test for pets arriving from the United States. Confirm this directly with SENACSA or a Paraguay-based agent close to your travel date, since detailed English-language guidance is limited and rules can move.
No. There is no nonstop US-Paraguay flight. Copa Airlines offers the most direct single-carrier option, connecting a US gateway through its own Panama City hub to a nonstop Asuncion leg. Avianca, via Bogota, and LATAM, via Sao Paulo, are workable alternatives that involve a handover to a second airline.
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