Bringing Your Pets to Panama from the USA or Canada
Last Updated on October 7, 2026 by Retire in Panama
So, you have decided to make the move to Panama, and now you are in the planning stages. What to do with the house, furnishings, mail forwarding, the car, and of course, the most important one, your baby (dog or cat). Pets are like family and of course you want to take them with you. Bringing a pet to Panama is actually quite simple, but it is not easy. There are many steps that you will have to follow, or you could run into problems, that you do not want to face, upon arrival with your pet in Panama.
I would highly suggest as the governments and Airlines change policies often, for you co contact the airline and each agency mentioned below, to confirm there have been no changes to the process. If you have come on one of our Retire in Panama Tours, we will always keep you updated on the changes, and we even provide some red-carpet services, for a small fee to handle the process here in Panama for you. Remember, when you arrive here, everything will be handled in the Spanish language.
Now remember, in the steps below, timing is very critical, if you do something with the wrong time frame, like vet check up at home at the wrong time, shots at the wrong time, or even arriving at the Panama City airport at the wrong time, your pet could be taken and put into Panama quarantine, and you will not see it for a several weeks, or they could be shipped back on the next flight.
Step #1 – Choose an airline and book your flight
You should be booking your flight 5 – 8 weeks out at this point, and below are the current links to the Airlines Pet policies. Please read through carefully. These are airlines that fly to Panama City (PTY) airport. Currently Copa is the only airline from North America flying Pets in Cargo from Miami, Orlando, New York, Washington, Denver, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. The other Copa destinations fly pets in Cabin only.
**Pets in Cargo on Copa must be 11 years old or younger (minimum 4 months). There is no older age restriction for pets in Cabin, just must be 4 months old.
The below airlines from Pets in Cabin
Step #2 – Your pets’ vaccinations
You will need 2 vet appointments. Usually, unless your pet already has all up-to-date vaccinations, the vaccinations must be dated 30 days before your travel date.
Your pet’s rabies vaccination must be given at least 30 days before your flight if it does not have a current rabies vaccine. In addition to rabies vaccine, dogs need to be vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis, Parvovirus (DAPP), and leptospirosis. Cats need to be vaccinated against viral rinotraqueitis, calcivirus and panleucopenia. Your pet must be microchipped and have a broad-spectrum parasite treatment within 30 days of the flight.
Step #3 – Paperwork
See your vet 10 days before your travel date and get following from them. The health certificate must be dated no more than 10 days before your travel date.
Health Certificate for dogs or cats – (Up to 3 dogs or 3 cats per certificate) You can download here and bring to your vet (Canadians use This Form) (no need to download this form if you are from the US and using a USDA vet that files electronically.
Rabies Certificate (signed by your vet)
Other Vaccinations info
Home Quarantine Request (download here)
I your Vet does not file electronically with the USDA, take the Health Certificate(s), put in an overnight envelop, addressed to the USDA office at one of their offices here , and add two addressed overnight envelops inside that are addressed to the Panama Consulate and one to yourself.
If you Vet does file electronically with the USDA, send the health certificate to the Panama Consulate office below, of if you live near one, you can make an appointment and do it in person.
The Panama Consulate office is at:
CONSULATE OF PANAMA
2862 McGill Terrace, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
. . . and write in clear print “TRAVELING WITH PET” on the outside of the envelope that you are overnighting to them so they can process it faster ( include a $30 per document money order in the envelope payable to Consulate of Panama,) , and put the other envelope addressed to you, inside that envelope, so they return it to you.
You can use a local Panama Consulate, but the DC office is used to doing these and they will turn it around fast for you. If you have a USDA office and a Panama Consulate office in your city, you can do all of this in person, which would be great, but remember, the health certificate must be dated no more than 10 days from your arrival.
So put your self-addressed envelope folded into the Panama Embassy or Consulate envelope (with the money order) and that envelope in the USDA envelope. Here is a link to USDA offices you can use.
Your documents must be certified by the USDA, and they will take 2 days, typically, then they will forward the documents in the pre-addressed envelopes you have provided to the Panama Consulate. Within 3- 4 days of sending to the USDA, you can contact the Panama Consulate to confirm they received the envelope, and they will Apostle them for you , keep the money order ? and return them to you in the self-addressed envelope you provided. I told you, simple, but not easy.
**2021 UPDATE** Many states in the US can now electronically file with the USDA, so sending them the documents is not always necessary. Check with your vet if they can electronically file with the USDA. You will still have to have the health certificate authenticated with the Panama Consulate.
As you see the timeline here is tight, so you need to be on it. If you start too early, outside of the 10 days, the airline will reject the paperwork when you arrive there with your pet.
Step # 4 – Apply for Home Quarantine
Without this paperwork filled in and presented when arriving in Panama, your pet will be taken away and quarantined in a Panama facility for 40 days, and you will have to pay a $10 per day fee. And you do not want this.
Fill out the form “Home Quarantine Request” (download here)
Email all completed and authenticated paperwork, to camzoonosis@gmail.com and cc cam@minsa.gob.pa. This form must be sent to the Ministry of Health authorities 3 – 5 days prior to your arrival in Panama. DO NOT send this form to early, as it may get lost, and do not send it late.
The request must include arrival date, flight number, time, pet information and name & passport number of the person filling in the form, and length of time pet will remain in Panama.
The fee for pet importation and doctors visit is $25 per pet and for home quarantine is $40 per pet, and you will be paying this fee in US Cash (exact change) when you arrive at the Panama City Airport.
Step #5 – Travel Day
Well, the day is here, and if only pet travel was like this:
Your moving to another country, wow, stressful, but don’t forget, it is also going to be a very stressful day for your pet, especially in they cannot travel in the cabin with you. If you have traveled before with your pet on a plane, this may be easier for you. Check out the airline guides above for the requirements of the pet carrier, to make sure you don’t have problems before even getting on board.
Please see this comprehensive guide on how to choose the best dog carrier.
Step #6 – Arrival at Tocumen Airport
After you arrive, you will first go through Immigration. Then, you’ll collect your luggage and proceed through Customs. The customs officer will either see your pet directly if it traveled in the cabin with you, or review your pet’s paperwork if it was transported in cargo. Based on this, they will direct you to the veterinary inspection area. If that area is located in another terminal, an airport staff member will escort you there.
Next, at the vet office, you will pay the fees. This $146 ($16 for importation, and $130 for home quarantine) fee must be paid in cash, exact change.
The vet will then proceed to check your pet, and get you on your way. Depending on how busy they are, this can take from 30 minutes to over two hours.
Step #7 – Love on your pet!
Now get them outside to some grass, and welcome to Panama. The Panama airport is under constant construction, and I will update this article when the new International Terminal is fully operational in case they have moved anything, but as of the writing, the only grass is out the doors of Terminal 1, turn right, at the end of the terminal near the Domestic entrance, you will find some grass.
Well, you made it, bienvenido a Panamá, and the journey of your new life in Panama as just begun, with your furry friend. Don’t worry, it may be a tough day on your pet, buy they will thank you forever from bringing them with you.
Join us on a Retire in Panama Tour to find the best location for your future life in Panama for you and your pet.
Our Sister Company, Panama Expat Service, offers an end-to-end solution for Pet Relocation to Panama, from directing you with paperwork, authentications, submitting paperwork, verbally checking with authorities that they have received everything, and everything is in order and they are expecting you, meeting you the airport to assist, and transferring you, your luggage, and your precious pet(s) to your new home destination. Inquire HERE.
Retire in Panama Tours
It’s more than a tour . . it’s an experience.
For Canadians
All the steps above are the same except replace the USDA with the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency, address below, , and get the Health certificate for your second vet visit below, and see addresses the Panama Consulate below.
Fees for the Canadian Panama Consulate are in IS dollars. US $30.00 for the first page and US $2.00 for each additional page attached to the first page.
Money Order payable to: “Embassy of Panama- Consular Section
Download Health Certificate
Find Offices for the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency here – this agency will be the first envelope, to get them to stamp, before the forward on to the Panama Consulate of your choice.
Canadian Panama Consulate Offices
Consulate of Panama in Vancouver
Park Place, 666 Burrard St, Suite 500, Vancouver, BC. V6C 3P6
Call: +1.778.370.1415
E-mail: panamaconsulatebc@outlook.com
Consulate of Panama in Toronto
4789 Yonge Street East, Suite 412, Toronto, ON M2N 0G3
Call: +1.416.651.2350
E-mail: info@consulatepanama.com
Consulate of Panama in Montreal
1425 Blvd. René Levesque Ouest, Suite 602, Montréal, QC H3G 1T7
Call: +1.514.874.1929
E-mail: consulado.pma.montreal@gmail.com
Direct flights from, USA and Canada to Panama City (PTY – Tocumen Airport)
USA
HOUSTON – United
ATLANTA – Delta
NEW YORK: United, Copa
NEWARK: United, Copa
CHICAGO: United. Copa
LOS ANGELES: Copa
BOSTON: Copa
MIAMI: American, Copa
LAS VEGAS: Copa
ORLANDO: Copa
FORT LAUDERDALE: Copa. Spirit
DENVER – Copa
NEW ORLEANS – Copa
SAN FRANCISCO – Copa
Washington Dulles – Copa
TAMPA- Copa
Canada
TORONTO- Air Canada & Copa
MONTREAL- Copa
Air Canada flies directly from Toronto to Panama City.
Thank you Beverly, I will add that to the article.
Thank you so much for this article!!! It’s been a huge help with our move to Panama. One question though, where are you seeing “ the health certificate must be dated no more than 10 days from your arrival”? I’m not seeing that anywhere so I want to make sure I don’t mess this up. On the certificate of good health form, it says that that form is good for 30 days. Where exactly are you seeing this so I don’t mess up. I’m flying with Copa from LAX to Panama and didn’t see that with their airline either.
I look forward to your response and thank you again for this wonderful article!
Hi Joseph, the 10-day requirement is the Airlines requirements, not the Panama requirement. The most important thing to ease the stress is finding a vet to fill in the health certificate, that files electronically with the USDA, saving you a couple of days. If you need any assistance with this, or transport in Panama when you arrive, please let us know.
Wow….. the fees add up for apostolate, home quarantine and vet fee. We have multiple dogs. If you were going back-and-forth a couple of times over the course of the year, do you have to pay those fees every time? That is our situation, so curious if rules vary for temp visitors. The home quarantine fee is excessive…..? Never seen that before with other countries in South or Central America
Hello Alison, the home quarantine fee has recently been reduced from $130 to $40 per pet, so that is a big difference. There are no special rules for temporary stays; you have to pay all fees on each trip.