Pet Transport in San Juan, PR
We provide pet transport to and from San Juan, to the mainland and internationally, planned around the weather, the season and your destination’s entry rules.
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- Export and import paperwork
- Check-in at SJU
- Door-to-door relocation
- Meeting your pet at the arrival airport
Puerto Rico asks for an official health certificate with every dog and cat that arrives.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 1-877-540-0555
San Juan at a glance
How a move from San Juan works- Flights from
- Luis Muñoz Marín (SJU)
- Door-to-door pickup
- Roughly one to two hours’ drive of San Juan
- Airline guides
- Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines
- Export paperwork
- USDA endorsement through VEHCS
- Service area
- South and Islands
Pet Relocation from San Juan
Through the warmest months, ramp temperatures at Luis Munoz Marin International (SJU) often pass the point where airlines will load a pet in the hold, so we book early-morning departures and watch the forecast on both ends. Hurricane season, roughly June through November, can move schedules with little notice, so we keep backup dates ready.
How a Move from San Juan Works
Book our pet relocation services for one leg, such as the flight to the mainland, or for the whole trip from your home in San Juan.
Flights and check-in
We book your pet’s flights from Luis Muñoz Marín (SJU), set the dates around the weather, the season and each airline’s rules for pets, and handle the check-in with the airline on travel day.
Door to door, when you book it
Door-to-door pet transport adds the road legs. A partner driver collects your pet from home, anywhere within roughly one to two hours’ drive of San Juan, and handles the check-in personally, and we meet your pet at the arrival airport. We do not run local rides to the vet, groomer or daycare.
Paperwork for a move abroad
For a move abroad, the paperwork starts with the destination. APHIS’s export page, read September 16, 2026, says to verify your destination country’s entry requirements every time you plan to travel, and that a USDA-accredited veterinarian submits the health certificate for USDA endorsement on your behalf. APHIS calls VEHCS the fastest route to endorsement, says processing there is staffed Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time outside federal holidays, and says there is no in-person or drop-off service. We prepare the file with you, including an import permit where the destination country asks for one, and check each document against its rules before your pet flies. Our destination guides cover the rules country by country.
Arriving
Moving a Pet to San Juan
Coming from the mainland? The Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture’s entry requirements, last updated November 11, 2024 and read September 23, 2026, say a dog or cat moving from another state needs no import permit, but does need an official health certificate from an accredited veterinarian in its state of origin, valid for 30 days from the inspection. They also ask for a rabies vaccination within the six months before shipping for any dog or cat over four months, official identification, and an external parasite treatment within 72 hours before arrival. The document is in Spanish. A dog coming from another country also has to meet CDC’s entry rules, which our guide to the CDC dog import form sets out.
How the service works from start to finish is on our pet transport services page.
Flying a Pet Out of San Juan
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)
Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico, approximately 7 miles southeast of downtown San Juan.
American Airlines Cargo’s policies page, read September 15, 2026, includes Puerto Rico in its domestic flights, so a pet flying from SJU to the mainland can go as Priority Parcel Service when pet and kennel are within its limits. Our American Airlines pet policy guide sets out those limits.
Leaving San Juan for the mainland is travel within the United States, and the health rules are set where your pet lands. APHIS’s FAQ for accredited veterinarians, read September 16, 2026, says the agency does not set requirements or endorse health certificates for pets moving across state or territorial lines, and that each of them, Puerto Rico included, sets its own.
Airlines that fly pets from San Juan
Each airline named on this page publishes its own rules for animals. Our guides set out what each one says:
Alaska Airlines: cabin fees, carrier rules and its seasonal embargoes.
American Airlines: cabin, cargo and PetEmbark.
Delta: cabin rules, fees and who it ships pets for.
United Airlines: what it publishes for dogs and cats.
Our Pet Transport Process
Consultation
We review your pet’s details, destination, and timeline to identify requirements.
Travel Plan and Timeline
We build a route and schedule based on airline and territory rules.
Pre-Travel Preparation
We guide crate setup, documentation, and readiness checks.
Transportation Coordination
We coordinate airline bookings, routing, and airport logistics.
Arrival Support
We provide guidance for pickup and post-arrival steps.
Our Pet Transport Services
Air Pet Shipping
We guide pet owners in choosing the best air routes, manage timing, and coordinate airport pet check-in when required, including airline ticket booking.
Ground Pet Transport
Ground transport supports airport transfers and regional moves within Puerto Rico, with routes planned around distance and weather.
International Pet Transport
International and territory-to-mainland pet relocation includes documentation guidance, airline coordination, and destination entry planning.
Door to Door Relocation
Door-to-door relocation combines air and ground services into one coordinated plan, managing routing, documentation, and travel timelines.
Types of Pets We Transport
Dog Transportation
Dogs are the moves we plan most often. We match the crate to your dog’s size, book around airline rules and the heat limits, and plan the routing through San Juan (SJU) so nothing turns into a last-minute scramble on travel day.
Cat Transportation
Cats travel best when the day stays calm and the waiting is short. We choose airline-approved carriers, sort out the cabin-or-cargo question early, and plan the schedule so your cat spends as little time at the airport as possible.
Bird Transportation
Birds need a little more care: species-specific paperwork, airline approval, and travel that holds a steady temperature. We walk you through the health certificates and routing so nothing slips through the cracks.
Small Mammals
Rabbits, guinea pigs, and other small pets travel in approved carriers on carefully timed routes. We confirm that the airline will accept your pet well before the date, so there are no surprises.
Reptiles and Exotic Pets
Reptiles and exotic pets each come with their own rules. We review the airline policies and temperature requirements one by one and build a route that genuinely suits your animal, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Our Service Areas Near San Juan
We provide pet transportation services throughout San Juan, Bayamón, Carolina, Guaynabo, Caguas, and surrounding areas across Puerto Rico. We also coordinate pet relocation services nationwide and worldwide.
San Juan sits in our South and Islands service area, which also takes in Miami and Honolulu.
Ready to start?
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
What to Expect When Shipping a Pet Through San Juan Airport (SJU)
Additional Services at SJU
Who actually handles your pet at SJU
Alaska Air Cargo does not run a Pet Connect station at Luis Munoz Marin International, so the Alaska option here is a road leg to the nearest station rather than a flight out of San Juan. American Airlines Cargo carries pets for the general public through its PetEmbark service. Delta ships pets only for active US military and State Department Foreign Service personnel with permanent change of station orders. United publishes its own policy on its pets page.
We check the counter, the cut-off and the aircraft on the specific routing before quoting, because at a station this size the aircraft type is what usually decides whether a large crate can travel at all.
Temperature limits and ground handling
Airlines decide whether a pet flies, not the airport. American transports warm-blooded animals when ground temperatures are between 45F and 85F. Below that it requires a letter of acclimation signed and dated by a licensed veterinarian, which covers 20F to 44F, and it will not carry an animal at all below 20F. Alaska Air Cargo says many of its stations have seasonal temperature embargoes for animal shipments over a summer season that generally runs from May 1 to October 16. Between drop-off and loading your pet waits in the cargo handler building rather than a dedicated animal terminal, so the acceptance window and the handler opening hours are what a travel date has to be built around.
Questions about moving a pet to or from San Juan
Request a QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
How does San Juan’s summer heat affect pet flights?
San Juan summers are the biggest factor in timing a pet’s flight. Through the hottest months, ramp temperatures often climb past the limits airlines set for animals in cargo. American will not carry a warm-blooded animal when the ground temperature is above 85F at the origin, connection or destination city. Alaska Air Cargo says many of its stations have seasonal temperature embargoes for animal shipments over a summer season that generally runs from May 1 to October 16. We plan San Juan moves around that, booking early-morning or overnight departures from San Juan or shifting the window so your pet is never left waiting in the heat.
What kinds of pets do you relocate from San Juan?
We coordinate travel for dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, and select reptiles or exotics from San Juan, whenever airline and destination rules allow. Each species has its own requirements, and snub-nosed breeds and older pets get extra planning around routing and the heat.
Is moving a pet to San Juan a domestic or international trip?
Puerto Rico is a US territory, so moving a pet between the mainland and San Juan is domestic; there is no import permit or quarantine. Because it is an island, everything travels by air, usually connecting through a mainland hub, and we plan the routing and the heat-safe timing through Luis Muñoz Marín (SJU).
What does pet transportation from San Juan cost?
Every San Juan move is priced on its own, because the route, airline fees, your pet’s size and crate, the season, and the destination’s rules all change the total. Tell us where and when, and we’ll put together an estimate: request a quote. For a closer look at what drives the price, see our guide to pet shipping costs.