USA to Chile
Pet Shipping from the USA to Chile
We provide international pet transport from the USA to Chile, planned around its import rules, the season and your move date.
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- The travel crate
- The export and import paperwork
- Check-in at your US airport
- Pickup in Chile with delivery to your new address
Chile at a glance
Full requirementsSAG’s entry conditions page times the deworming 5 to 30 days ahead of the veterinary certificate, and lets that document run 10 days, extendable by 5 if the journey needs it.
- Identification
- A tattoo or an ISO 11784 and 11785 microchip, individual and permanent. The number on the certificate must match the animal
- Rabies vaccination
- A first vaccination must be given at least 21 days before entry, whatever the animal’s age. An animal already vaccinated must be current
- Rabies titer test
- Not required on this route
- Import permit
- None to apply for in advance. SAG verifies the pet against its conditions when it lands
- Consular legalization
- Not required for a personal dog or cat
Pet Shipping from the USA to Chile
Chile asks for a short, precise file rather than a long one. There is no import permit to chase and no rabies titer test to wait out. What there is instead is a set of windows that interlock, all of them hanging off the date the international veterinary certificate is issued, and a check by SAG on arrival that the file has to pass.
The Deworming Has a Floor, Not Just a Deadline
Most countries put a ceiling on the parasite treatment: within 30 days of travel, within 15 days, within 5. Chile puts a floor underneath it as well. SAG’s condition is a broad spectrum internal and external antiparasitic given between 5 and 30 days before the certificate is issued. Both ends bind. A treatment given the day before the appointment sits outside the window just as one given six weeks earlier does.
The clinical examination sits in the 10 days before that same certificate, and the certificate is valid for 10 days from issue, extendable by a maximum of 5 more depending on the conditions of the journey. The certificate date is the hinge, and three separate appointments have to be arranged around it rather than queued up behind one another.
One difference is worth knowing about. The APHIS page for Chile, last modified August 20, 2025, and the USDA certificate for Chile, both read October 29, 2026, were written before SAG’s Resolution 3.343/2026 came into force, and in places they differ from it. The certificate counts the examination back from departure and the deworming back from entry, where the resolution counts both from the day the certificate is issued, and it lists a microchip or tattoo as not required, where the resolution requires one, with its number on the certificate. Where the two could give different answers, we plan to SAG’s rule and the tighter window.
Route details: USA to Chile
- Route
- USA to Chile
- How the pet flies
- SAG: as accompanied baggage or as cargo, which is an import cleared through customs; the certificate states who the pet travels with
- Health certificate
- Completed by a USDA accredited vet and endorsed by APHIS; valid 10 days after issuance, extendable by up to 5 days for the journey
- Quarantine on arrival
- SAG verifies the rules on arrival, measures at the importer’s cost if unmet. APHIS: official observation of at least 30 days may be required
- Time to get ready
- At least 21 days: a first rabies shot must be given at least 21 days before entry into Chile, whatever the pet’s age (SAG, APHIS)
- From 27 July 2026
- SAG Res. 3.343/2026, amended by Res. 5.444/2026, sets the entry rules for dogs, cats and ferrets, replacing Res. 6.508/2021
From official sources, read October 29, 2026: SAG, Solicitud de Autorización Sanitaria para Ingresar a Chile con Perros y Gatos Mascotas; SAG, Resolución Exenta N° 3.343/2026; USDA APHIS, Pet Travel from the United States to Chile; USDA APHIS, Veterinary Health Certificate for Export of Pet Dogs and Cats from the United States of America to Chile; SAG, Ingreso de perros, gatos y hurones mascotas; SAG, Resolución Exenta N° 5.444/2026.
What Happens After You Land
Import Eligibility for Pets
SAG’s Resolution 3.343/2026, which governs dogs, cats and ferrets entering Chile from July 27, 2026, the date fixed by Resolution 5.444/2026, contains no quarantine and no home confinement; both were read October 29, 2026. It sets a check instead. When the pet arrives, SAG verifies it against the resolution’s conditions, and if one is unmet SAG can take sanitary measures at any authorized entry point to meet it, paid for by whoever is importing the animal, as well as penalties under Chilean law.
Some of SAG’s own pages have not caught up. Its two procedure pages on the sanitary authorization go on describing confinement at the destination address, but the legal basis they cite is Resolution 6.508/2021, which Resolution 3.343/2026 repeals, and SAG’s current entry page for dogs, cats and ferrets, read the same day, does not mention confinement. So the thing to get right before the flight is a certificate with nothing missing.
Separately, APHIS notes that on arrival animals may be required to be under official observation for a period of at least 30 days. That line sits on the APHIS page written before the new resolution, and neither the resolution nor SAG’s entry page mentions an observation period. We tell you the possibility exists and confirm the position for your case rather than assuming it.
Before scheduling vet steps or flights, we confirm what applies to your pet against SAG’s entry conditions and the USDA export certificate, so nothing in your plan rests on an outdated summary.
Two things get settled early. Your pet needs permanent individual identification, a tattoo or an ISO 11784 and 11785 microchip, and the number recorded on the certificate has to match the animal. And if this is a first rabies vaccination, it has to be at least 21 days old on the day of entry, whatever the animal’s age.
Health Preparation and Documentation
The order is short but the spacing is strict. Identification first, so the number on every later document ties to the animal. Rabies vaccination next, and if it is a first vaccination it needs 21 days behind it before entry. Then the parasite treatment, which has to fall between 5 and 30 days before the certificate. Then the examination, inside the 10 days before the certificate. Then the certificate itself, which starts a 10 day clock the moment it is issued.
There is no import permit to apply for and no consular step for a personal pet. APHIS states plainly that consulate endorsement is not required for personal dogs or cats.
| Requirement | Chile, from the United States |
|---|---|
| Identification | A tattoo or an ISO 11784 and 11785 microchip, individual and permanent. The number on the certificate must match the animal |
| Rabies vaccination | A first vaccination must be given at least 21 days before entry, whatever the animal’s age. An animal already vaccinated must be current |
| Rabies titer test | Not required on this route |
| Import permit | None to apply for in advance. SAG verifies the pet against its conditions when it lands |
| Consular legalization | Not required for a personal dog or cat |
| Parasite treatment | Broad spectrum, internal and external, given between 5 and 30 days before the certificate is issued. Both ends of that window bind |
| Clinical examination | Within the 10 days before the certificate is issued, with no clinical signs of infectious or parasitic disease |
| Health certificate | International veterinary certificate, completed by a USDA accredited veterinarian and endorsed by APHIS |
| Certificate language | Spanish, plus the exporting country’s language or, in its absence, English, under section 2.3 of SAG Resolution 3.343/2026. The USDA certificate for Chile is printed in English and Spanish |
| Certificate validity | 10 days from issue, extendable by a maximum of 5 days depending on the conditions of the journey |
| On arrival | No confinement under Resolution 3.343/2026. SAG checks each condition, and a sanitary measure for an unmet one is at the importer’s cost |
| Ferrets | Need an exotic wildlife import authorization resolution from SAG’s DIPROREN division in addition to the certificate |
| Realistic lead time | 4 to 8 weeks where the rabies vaccination is already current. Longer where a first vaccination is needed |
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Chile
Chile is a short lead time route by the standards of this site. Allow 4 to 8 weeks where your pet’s rabies vaccination is already current. Where a first vaccination is needed, add the 21 days it has to be in place before entry, plus the wait for an appointment.
The sequence we work to, all of it anchored on the certificate date:
- Week 1. Identification confirmed, the chip or tattoo read and recorded. Rabies vaccination if the current one is not valid.
- Certificate date minus 30 to 5 days. The broad spectrum internal and external parasite treatment. This is the window with a floor as well as a ceiling.
- Certificate date minus 10 days. The clinical examination by a USDA accredited veterinarian.
- Certificate date. The certificate is issued and endorsed by APHIS. A 10 day clock starts, with up to 5 more available depending on the journey.
- Inside that window. You fly. A shorter routing leaves more margin if a connection slips.
- Landing in Chile. SAG checks the pet and its certificate against Resolution 3.343/2026.
For a figure for your own pet and airports, request a quote. If you are weighing up the region, our Argentina and Brazil pages cover two neighbors whose paperwork works quite differently.
Our USDA health certificate guide covers the endorsement step in more detail. Panama, further north, asks for five vaccines rather than one, and our Panama page sets out the list.
For a line by line breakdown of what this move costs, from freight to the USDA endorsement fee, see our USA to Chile pet shipping cost page.
Every Pet Travels
Differently
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because every Chilean window is measured from the certificate, we fix the certificate date first and work outwards from it in both directions.
Destination-Focused Planning
SAG publishes the entry conditions and the USDA certificate encodes them. We read both, because the Chilean text measures its windows from the certificate and the American one measures some of them from departure.
Smart Routing and Logistics
Routing matters more here than usual, because the certificate expires 10 days after it is issued and a long connection can eat the margin.
Personalized Support
Your coordinator keeps the certificate date at the center of the plan and books the veterinary work around it, forwards and backwards.
Questions about moving a pet to Chile
Request a QuoteDoes my pet have to go into quarantine in Chile?
No. SAG’s Resolution 3.343/2026, the rule now in force, sets neither quarantine nor confinement at home. On arrival SAG verifies the pet against its conditions, and one not met can lead to sanitary measures where you land, paid by you as the importer. The APHIS page for Chile, written before that resolution, mentions a possible period of official observation, so we confirm the position for your pet.
Does my pet need a rabies titer test for Chile?
No. There is no rabies antibody titration requirement on this route. What Chile asks is that a first rabies vaccination is given at least 21 days before entry, whatever the animal’s age, and that an animal already vaccinated is current. The absence of a titer test is what makes Chile a weeks route rather than a months route.
When exactly should my pet be dewormed for Chile?
Between 5 and 30 days before the health certificate is issued, using a broad spectrum product effective against both internal and external parasites. The 5 day floor is the unusual part, because most destinations set only a maximum. A treatment given the day before the certificate appointment falls outside the window, and so does one given six weeks earlier.
How long does it take to move a pet to Chile?
Allow 4 to 8 weeks where the rabies vaccination is already current. If your pet needs a first vaccination, add the 21 days that has to be in place before entry, plus the wait for an appointment. Nothing on this route runs for months, because there is no titer test and no import permit to wait on.
Do I need an import permit for Chile?
There is no permit to apply for in advance. SAG checks the pet and its certificate when you land in Chile. APHIS also confirms that consulate endorsement is not required for a personal dog or cat. The document that carries the weight is the international veterinary certificate itself.
How long is the health certificate valid for Chile?
Ten days from the date it is issued, with a maximum extension of 5 days depending on the conditions of the journey. That is a short life, and it is why the certificate date is the hinge the rest of the plan turns on. SAG’s Resolution 3.343/2026 also requires, in section 2.3, a certificate written in Spanish and in the origin country’s language, or else in English.
How much does it cost to move a pet to Chile?
It depends on your pet’s weight and crate size, the airports at both ends, whether the animal travels in cabin, as checked baggage or as cargo, and the veterinary work the file needs. Chile is comparatively light on official fees, since there is no permit to buy and no titer laboratory to pay. We price each move individually rather than publish a band that would not fit your pet. Tell us the two airports, your pet’s breed and weight, and when you need to be there.
How can Pet Travel Advisors help with a move to Chile?
We build the plan around the certificate date, because on this route almost every condition is measured from it. We confirm the identification and the rabies history, place the parasite treatment inside its 5 to 30 day window, book the examination inside the 10 days before the certificate, and keep the routing short enough that the certificate is still live when you land. Before the appointment we also check that the certificate records everything Resolution 3.343/2026 asks it to, from the last two rabies doses to the deworming product and dose.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.