Hiring the wrong pet mover can mean lost documents, missed flights, or worse. The good news is that a legitimate international pet relocation company is easy to tell apart from a scam or an unreliable one — if you know what to check.
This guide covers how to evaluate a pet mover you’re already considering. If you’re still deciding whether to hire a professional at all versus handling the move yourself, that’s a separate question this site covers elsewhere.
Current as of 2026: Verify any company’s credentials directly with the source that issued them — IPATA membership and USDA licensing status can both be checked independently, and you should always confirm rather than take a company’s own website at its word.
The Short Answer: What to Check Before You Hire
Before you send any money or sign a contract, check these in order:
- IPATA membership, verified on IPATA’s own website — not just a logo on the company’s site.
- USDA licensing or registration status, verified through USDA’s own public search tool.
- References from past customers, contacted directly.
- A written contract covering transportation method, timeframe, airline, and a copy of the health certificate.
- Consistent contact information — a real phone number that’s actually answered, and a website that matches the company’s claimed location and services.
If a company can’t clear these basic checks, treat that as a serious warning sign, not a minor inconvenience to work around.
Check #1: Is the Company an IPATA Member?
The International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA) is the pet-shipping industry’s own trade association, founded in 1979. It’s not a government regulator, but its membership standards function as a real, checkable credential.
To become and remain an Active IPATA member, a pet shipping company must:
- Operate independently, with no direct affiliation or contract with a government agency or airline that could dictate its own policies or training.
- Be legally registered or licensed to do business at its actual location, including any required liability insurance.
- Agree to provide services to the general public and maintain an English-language website.
- Agree to comply with IPATA’s Code of Ethics.
- Have at least one staff member pass IPATA’s Pet Shipping Proficiency Exam and complete IATA’s Live Animals Regulations training.
- Provide references from at least 2 existing IPATA members.
- Complete a mandatory one-year provisional membership period before becoming a full Active member.
Don’t just trust a logo on a company’s website. IPATA has publicly warned that scammers copy real members’ logos, wording, and even testimonials. The only reliable way to confirm membership is to look the company up directly on IPATA’s own member list, or email petscams@ipata.org if you can’t find them there.
Check #2: Is the Company USDA-Licensed or Registered?
In the United States, commercial businesses that transport or handle regulated animals for compensation generally have to be licensed or registered with USDA APHIS under the Animal Welfare Act. This isn’t something you have to take on faith — USDA provides a public tool specifically so you can check it yourself.
Use the USDA Animal Care Public Search Tool to look up whether a specific company is actually licensed or registered, along with any inspection history. A company that resists giving you enough information to check this, or gives you a license number that doesn’t match what USDA has on file, is a red flag.
Red Flags: Signs of a Scam or an Unreliable Mover
IPATA publishes detailed scam-prevention guidance aimed specifically at people hiring a pet shipper. The most useful checks:
- Website inconsistencies — poor grammar, misspelled words, or a service area that doesn’t match the company’s listed phone number or address.
- Misspelled regulator names — IPATA’s own example: a scam site referred to “USDAT,” which doesn’t exist; the real agency is USDA.
- Suspicious phone number patterns. IPATA specifically flags country codes +237 (Cameroon) and +234 (Nigeria) as associated with a disproportionate share of reported scams — though it’s clear scams also come from many other countries, including the US and UK, so a familiar-looking number isn’t proof of legitimacy either.
- Email-only contact, with no real website. Legitimate movers overwhelmingly have one.
- Pressure to send money quickly, before you’ve verified references or credentials.
- A company you can’t find in IPATA’s member list, despite claiming membership on its own site.
Before paying anything, call the phone number listed and confirm a real person answers — even if it means an international long-distance call.
What a Legitimate Contract Should Cover
Before sending any money, get a written contract that specifies:
- The method of transportation (cabin, cargo hold, or ground).
- The timeframe for the move.
- The specific airline of carriage, if flying.
- A copy of the health certificate that will be used.
A company unwilling to put these details in writing before payment is a warning sign, not a normal business practice. Once signed, keep a copy of the contract with your other travel documents — you may need to reference it at the airport or if a dispute comes up later.
If You Think You’ve Found a Scam
If a company can’t be verified through IPATA or USDA, or shows multiple red flags above, you can report it. IPATA’s own guidance points to several channels:
- Petscams.com, which tracks and catalogs pet-scam websites.
- The Federal Trade Commission, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or 877-FTC-Help.
- The Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker.
- The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, for scams involving Canada.
Be cautious of anyone who contacts you afterward claiming they can help recover money you already lost — IPATA specifically warns this is itself a common follow-up scam.
A Mover Doesn’t Replace Understanding the Requirements
Even the most reputable pet mover is there to help execute the requirements for your route, not to replace your own understanding of them. It’s still worth knowing the basics of what your pet needs — rabies vaccination timing, health certificates, and the CDC import process — so you can tell whether a mover is actually doing the job correctly.
