US
United States
✈️
VE
Venezuela
Pet Transport from United States to Venezuela
6-9 weeks
Typical preparation
None
Quarantine on arrival
High
Route complexity
✓ Managed
Full door-to-door service
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from United States to Venezuela
typically takes around 6-9 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
A rabies titre test is not required.
Start your journey
Get Your Free Quote
Enter your pet's details and route
Quotes are tailored to your specific journey.
Regulations checked
Reviewed guides prioritise government and carrier sources; older pages are clearly flagged. How we source our data →
Overview
Relocating a pet from United States to Venezuela follows a clear path once you understand what Venezuela asks for. This route takes some organising, and roughly 6-9 weeks of preparation is about right. Pets with correct documentation skip quarantine entirely.
A rabies titre test is not needed for this route. Follow the sequence below and keep a buffer for anything that slips.
Step by step
The United States to Venezuela process
1
Before applying for the export certificate.
Confirm the rabies vaccination is current, within the past year, and the microchip scans correctly.
Responsible: Vet in the United States
2
Allow one to two weeks for the appointment and USDA endorsement to come through.
Have a USDA-accredited vet complete the International Health Certificate through VEHCS, checked against Venezuela's current INSAI requirements.
Responsible: Owner, with a USDA-accredited vet
3
As early as the disrupted schedule allows, then reconfirmed close to departure.
Confirm current flight routing given Maiquetia's closure: a US gateway to Bogota on Avianca, or to Panama on Copa Airlines, then onward to Valencia.
Responsible: Owner or a pet transport agent
4
4-6 weeks before travel, once routing is confirmed.
Book cargo space for the pet on both legs of the itinerary.
Responsible: Owner or agent, with the airline's cargo desk
5
Once the certificate is signed and within its validity.
Travel: US gateway to Bogota or Panama, then onward to Valencia or, if it has reopened by then, Caracas.
Responsible: Airline cargo handling
6
On landing.
INSAI clearance and the sanitary mobilisation permit (5 UT fee) on arrival, at whichever airport is currently handling international traffic.
Responsible: INSAI airport office, with the owner or a receiving agent
Checklist
Venezuela: entry requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Microchip | Not explicitly required by INSAI's published import checklist, though almost every pet leaving the United States already carries one, which makes the document check straightforward wherever it ends up happening now that Maiquetia is closed. |
| Rabies vaccination | Required. Current rabies vaccination certificate, no more than a year old, presented as original plus a copy. Published INSAI guidance does not vary this by country of origin, so a US-vaccinated pet is held to the same standard as one vaccinated anywhere else. |
| Rabies titre test | Not required. INSAI's published guidance does not ask arriving pets from the United States for a rabies titre test, the same position found for arrivals from the UK and most other countries in current research. |
| Quarantine | No routine quarantine for a pet arriving with complete paperwork. INSAI can require further examination, or quarantine at the owner's cost, if the animal appears unwell on arrival. |
| Import permit | Sanitary mobilisation permit, standard fee 5 Unidades Tributarias. Published guidance names the INSAI office at Simon Bolivar International Airport, Maiquetia, as the processing point, but Maiquetia has been closed to scheduled commercial traffic since the June 2026 earthquake. It is not confirmed in current published sources whether INSAI runs an equivalent process at Valencia or another contingency airport. Confirm directly with INSAI or a Venezuela-based agent before travel. |
| Health certificate | International health certificate valid one month, plus the combined vaccination card (Sextuple for dogs, triple for cats) and an internal and external deworming certificate valid three months, all presented as original plus copy. |
Leaving United States of America
Export requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Export permit | No general US export permit for pets. Venezuela asks only for the standard USDA-endorsed International Health Certificate for dogs and cats, per APHIS's own Venezuela-specific export guidance. |
| Health certificate | International Health Certificate completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian, submitted electronically through the Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS), then endorsed with USDA's ink-signed and embossed approval, either collected in person or returned by prepaid mail. The vet is responsible for checking Venezuela's current entry rules before issuing the certificate, so confirm this happens at the appointment rather than assuming it. Source: APHIS, Pet Travel From the United States to Venezuela, aphis.usda.gov, page last updated 30 July 2025. |
Costs
What this route typically costs
| 1 | USDA-accredited vet exam and International Health Certificate, including the APHIS VEHCS endorsement fee of around USD 38: USD 150-300 |
| 2 | IATA-compliant travel crate: USD 150-400 |
| 3 | Cargo fare from a US gateway to Venezuela via Bogota or Panama given the current routing: USD 1,500-2,800 depending on crate size and how many legs are involved |
| 4 | INSAI sanitary mobilisation permit on arrival: 5 Unidades Tributarias, confirm the current USD equivalent, and confirm whether it is still collected at Maiquetia or a contingency airport |
Critical points
Read before you book
⚠ Simon Bolivar International Airport at Maiquetia has been closed to normal scheduled commercial traffic since twin earthquakes, measured at roughly magnitude 7.1 to 7.5, struck northern Venezuela on 24 June 2026. As of this research in mid-July 2026, airlines are routing through Valencia's Arturo Michelena airport instead, and American Airlines' recently restored Miami-Caracas nonstop is itself suspended. Reconfirm the live routing directly with your carrier close to your travel date, not months out.
⚠ INSAI's published checklist names Maiquetia as the airport office where the sanitary mobilisation permit is processed on arrival. With Maiquetia closed, it genuinely is not clear from published sources where that processing currently happens. This is a thin spot in the research, not a settled answer, so confirm it directly rather than assuming Valencia works the same way.
⚠ The APHIS export guidance for Venezuela states requirements can change without notice, and the vet completing your certificate is responsible for checking the destination's current rules before issuing it. Do not rely on an old printed copy of the requirements; confirm with your vet at the appointment.
Carriers
Airlines on this route
Avianca
Avianca's Bogota hub connects from multiple US cities, and since Maiquetia's closure the airline has added temporary Bogota to Valencia flights, running two daily rotations at last confirmation. A US to Venezuela pet move on Avianca currently means a US gateway to Bogota, then Bogota to Valencia, not a single connection into Caracas. Confirm cargo space on both legs directly, since the Valencia service has been extended in short windows rather than set as permanent.
Copa Airlines
Copa's Panama City (PTY) hub connects widely across the United States, and Copa has added extra Panama to Valencia flights to cover the Caracas closure, alongside resumed service to Maracaibo, Barcelona and Barquisimeto. This gives a second workable routing besides Avianca's Bogota connection. Reconfirm cargo acceptance on both legs before booking.
American Airlines
American only resumed nonstop Miami to Caracas service in April 2026, its first in around seven years, and suspended it again in June because of the earthquake, with commercial flights paused into at least mid-July 2026 pending Maiquetia's reopening. Do not plan around a direct American routing until the airline confirms it is flying again.
The rules for bringing a pet into Venezuela
Venezuela has a detailed set of import rules, and each one needs to be satisfied before travel. None of it is unusual, but the order and timing are what catch people out.
How to keep this move on track
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. INSAI does not require a titre test for pets arriving from the United States, only a current rabies vaccination certificate no more than a year old, alongside the standard health and vaccination paperwork.
Not reliably. Simon Bolivar International Airport at Maiquetia has been closed to normal commercial traffic since the June 2026 earthquake, and American Airlines’ restored Miami-Caracas nonstop is suspended as a result. Current routing runs through Valencia’s Arturo Michelena airport, connecting via Bogota on Avianca or Panama on Copa Airlines. Reconfirm before you book.
A USDA-accredited vet completes an International Health Certificate, submitted through the VEHCS system and endorsed by APHIS for a fee of around USD 38. The vet must check Venezuela’s current INSAI requirements before issuing it, since these can change without notice.
Not routinely, for a pet arriving with complete and correct paperwork. INSAI can require further examination or quarantine, at the owner’s cost, if the animal shows signs of ill health on arrival.
Ready to book
United States to Venezuela?
United States to Venezuela?
Get a free quote →
No commitment. We reply within one business day.