Borderless Moves Research Team

Moving a pet internationally means navigating rules from multiple governments, airlines, and veterinary authorities — and those rules don’t always line up neatly. The Borderless Moves Research Team researches those requirements so pet owners can understand what applies to their move, where the information comes from, and what still needs to be confirmed.

How we research pet travel requirements

We start with the authorities that actually make and enforce the rules. For travel to the United States, that typically means the CDC and USDA APHIS, followed by the relevant government authorities in the country your pet is leaving.

We also check state requirements when they apply and review official airline policies for practical travel restrictions such as pet acceptance, crate rules, documentation, and booking requirements.

Professional pet-relocation companies and other secondary sources can help us identify issues worth investigating, but we don’t use them as a substitute for an available official source.

When the rules aren’t clear

International pet travel isn’t always as clear-cut as it should be. Government websites can be outdated or unavailable. Different authorities sometimes publish information that appears to conflict. Airlines may impose requirements beyond government rules.

When we can’t verify something confidently, we’d rather tell you that than turn an uncertain answer into a fact.

Our guides distinguish between requirements we can verify and details that may need confirmation directly with an airline, veterinarian, government authority, or pet-relocation provider.

Keeping our guides current

Pet import and export rules change. We review our content regularly and show a Last reviewed date so you can see when a page was most recently checked.

We also link to the official sources behind important requirements whenever possible. Before you travel, we recommend checking those sources again for changes that may have occurred since our latest review.

Corrections

Accuracy matters, especially when an incorrect document or missed requirement can disrupt an international move.

If you spot information that appears outdated or incorrect, please contact us. We’ll check it against the relevant sources and update the page when a correction is warranted.