Pet Transport from Vietnam to Canada: No Titre Test, MARD Certificate

Canada’s import requirements for personal pet dogs and cats from Vietnam are managed by the CFIA. For a pet travelling with its relocating owner, the core document is a valid rabies vaccination certificate for any dog or cat aged three months or older. It has to be in English or French, identify the animal, show that the vaccination is current, and state the date of vaccination and the vaccine’s trade name, serial number and expiry. There is no titre test, no quarantine and no import permit. Canada does not require a government-endorsed export certificate and publishes no Canada-specific certificate form, so the MARD health certificate endorsed by the Department of Animal Health is a Vietnamese export requirement and an airline requirement rather than a Canadian entry condition. It must be issued within 10 days of departure from Vietnam. Source: CFIA, inspection.gc.ca.

Two points about young animals and about cats. Dogs and cats under three months of age do not need a rabies vaccination, though they must appear healthy on arrival, so the age rule is a relaxation rather than a restriction. Where age does bite is the commercial prohibition described above: a puppy from Vietnam being sent to a breeder, a rescue, a new owner or anyone other than the person relocating with it is a commercial import from a high-risk country and cannot enter Canada. Cats are not covered by the commercial dog ban, but Canada’s rabies rule is written for dogs and cats alike, so a cat of three months or older should travel with the same rabies vaccination certificate as a dog. Do not rely on advice that says cats need nothing.

No direct cargo services operate between Vietnam and Canada. The most common routing for live animals is via Seoul Incheon (ICN), using a Vietnam Airlines or Korean Air first leg and Korean Air Cargo onward, or via Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) with EVA Air. Both routes connect to Vancouver (YVR) or Toronto Pearson (YYZ), which are the usual arrival points for pets on this corridor because of which carriers fly where, not because of any Canadian rule we can confirm restricting arrival airports. If your routing lands elsewhere, confirm arrival handling with the carrier.

When booking a connecting route, confirm with each carrier individually that live animals are accepted on both legs of the journey. Transit matters more than owners expect. Taiwan requires a BAPHIQ import permit before travel and applies a quarantine period to pets imported there, so a Taipei connection has to be confirmed as an airside transit on a single air waybill rather than an entry into Taiwan, and the same question should be put to the carrier for a Seoul connection. Ask each airline in writing what documentation the transit point needs. A specialist pet transport agent with experience on this corridor can manage the carrier coordination and confirm that the documentation is valid for each leg. Allow 6-8 weeks lead time before departure to confirm cargo space and coordinate documentation.

For owners with flexibility over their destination, the difference between Canada and EU countries is worth understanding. Canada: no titre test required, no quarantine, a current rabies vaccination certificate is the core document, with the MARD health certificate needed on the Vietnamese side. Total preparation: 8-14 weeks. EU countries (Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain): Vietnam is not on the EU Annex II approved third-country list. An FAVN or ELISA titre test at an EU-approved laboratory is required, with the blood drawn at least 30 days after the final vaccination, then a wait of three calendar months counted from the date the blood was sampled. Total preparation: 20-28 weeks. Source: EU pet travel regulations, ec.europa.eu.

On the figures above, the titre test and the three-month wait add roughly 6 to 14 weeks to the EU process compared with Canada. For owners whose relocation to Europe is fixed, that is simply a planning requirement. For owners choosing between destinations, Canada’s shorter process is a practical advantage.