can i bring my pet bird to canada

Carefully read ALL requirements on this page.

• The onus is on the pet owner to ensure that their animal companion complies with U S. entry requirements. When the pet arrives in the US with unmet import requirements, it will cause issues and might even be denied entry.
• Multiple U. S. agencies regulate pets imported into the United States. Notifying and coordinating with all pertinent government agencies is crucial.

Please check your pet import permit requirements using the Veterinary Services Permitting Assistant (VSPA). Click on the Live Animals tab. A list of necessary import documents, such as certificates, permit applications, informational letters, and more, will be sent to you by the VSPA.

For pet birds entering the United States (U. S. ) from Canada, the requirements generally include:

• appropriate U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) certifications and permits;
• health certificate
• a Veterinary Services (VS) import permit; AND
• an examination at the first U.S. port of entry.

The following must be completed by US importers visiting Alaska by land BEFORE departing the U.S. S. :

All VS services have costs involved; generally speaking, you should budget at least $40. 00 (land entry) to $190. 00 (air/sea entry) for these services. This protocol is only applicable while highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is not present in Canada.

In order to comply with Canadian import regulations, whether you are bringing a pet along or intend to import an animal, you will need to have the appropriate documentation at the border. If you don’t, there’s a chance that you’ll face delays at the border and that Canada won’t let your pet in.

In order to safeguard its citizens, plants, and animals, Canada has put in place strict import regulations to prevent the introduction of animal diseases.

Do you need a permit?

1Any pet birds that enter or exit a zone that has been closed because of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) need to be flown straight to John F. Miami International Airport (Florida) or Kennedy International Airport (New York) will be subject to a 30-day federal quarantine with required testing.

We have divided the travel process into manageable steps and indicated how long it should take to complete each one to make it easier for you. Please take note that the expandable text for each step below will provide you more information about the requirements, including any fees.

Prior to departure, your pet bird must have been in your care for a minimum of ninety days and must not have come into contact with any other birds or poultry.

Please contact the VS National Import Export Services (NIES) Staff in Riverdale, Maryland at 301-851-3300, option 2, or by email at LAI@usda, if your pet bird does not meet these requirements. gov for additional guidance. If your pet bird satisfies these prerequisites, you can enter the U S. with no quarantine.

Pet birds are not permitted entry into the United States if they travel to Mexico and try to drive from Mexico to Canada. S. All birds entering the United States are subject to a 30-day federal quarantine. S. from Mexico. In order to avoid quarantine, you should fly your bird back to Canada. When traveling from Mexico to Canada with your pet bird, if the aircraft lands in a U S. airport you will need to obtain a transit permit. Instructions regarding import permits can be found in STEP 4.

Note that FWS may have additional eligibility restrictions; contact information is provided in STEP 3.

In the U.S., FWS regulates birds protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (WBCA). There are extensive U.S. entry and exit requirements for birds regulated under these laws, so it is critical that you contact FWS to discuss their processes and fees if your bird is regulated by them. To determine your pet bird is regulated by FWS, please visit their website at: http://www.fws.gov/permits/ and review the fact sheet. You may also contact FWS directly at 703-358-2104 or 800-358-2104.

All pet birds entering the U. S. VS import permits are required at all ports of entry. You will turn in the application for a permit to the VS National Import Export Services (NIES) Staff in Riverdale, Maryland, for any pet birds of Canadian origin. About 30 days before your departure, you must apply for a VS import permit. Prior to applying, you must specify your travel itinerary and date of travel. The import permit is good for 30 days starting on the day you want to travel. Should your itinerary alter and your pet bird is scheduled to arrive in the United S. You will need to apply for a new or amended permit if the import permit expires more than thirty days after the travel date listed on the permit. Only before they expire can permits be changed (for an additional cost). You must apply for a new import permit when your current one expires.

9CFR 130. 4 “initial permit”: This is an additional fee per application; therefore, if you are traveling with multiple pet birds at the same time, you should list each bird on the application and only need one permit to cover them all.

9CFR 130. The fee for a “amended permit” is only applicable if you need to make changes to a permit that has already been issued, such as if your travel itinerary or port of entry changes.

Filling out and submitting the VS Form 17-129, Application for Import or Intransit Permit, is the first step in applying for an import permit. The VS Form 17-129 can be filled out and sent electronically online through the eFile system, or it can be completed and sent by fax, regular mail, or email. When your import permit application is received, please allow 7–10 business days for its issuance.

• Fill out the fillable VS 17-129 (73 KB) and send it by email, regular mail, or fax to the NIES Riverdale Staff manually. 07 KB) (General Instructions (113. 93 KB))Submit via one of the following methods:E-mail: VS. Live. Animals. Import. Permits@usda. Gov. Mail: USDA-APHIS-VS-NIES 4700 River Road, Unit 40 Riverdale, MD 20737; Fax: 301-734-4704.
• The VS Form 17-129 can be submitted electronically through the eFile System. The instructions for completing the form online are available here. 52 MB).

The importer can receive permits by mail or email via U S. Postal Service. When submitting your permit application, be sure to specify how you would like to receive your permit. Call the office where you submitted your application and inquire about the status if, at least 72 hours before your planned travel, you still haven’t received your permit. Note: If you are getting the permit via email, print your document in color using a color printer since you need one with a blue signature.

Any special requirements your airline carrier may have regarding the travel of your pet bird must be discussed with them.

Airlines may require a health certificate. Additionally, they might insist on the pet birds being transported as cargo, which might affect where your arrival inspection takes place. Additionally, the airline can tell you about their specifications for documentation, feed and water, and carriers and cages.

To arrange an inspection upon arrival, you must get in touch with the VS port veterinarian at least 72 hours in advance of your trip.

Contact information for the ports is listed in STEP 2. Call the port three to five days before your planned arrival. The port veterinarian can give you further details about the particular procedure at that border port as well as what to anticipate upon arrival (including costs and methods of payment).

Your VS import permit will have contact details for the first port of arrival if you are traveling by air or sea. To schedule an inspection, give the port a call or send an email as soon as you can. The port veterinarian can give you further details about the particular procedure at that port and what to anticipate when you arrive. It is important to inform the veterinarian if your bird will be traveling in the cabin with you, as accompanied baggage, or as unaccompanied cargo if you are flying, as this will change the location of the inspection. The port veterinarian will examine your import permit, go over any further conditions that may be specified, and talk about costs and available payment methods.

You should be aware of whether your pet bird is subject to any additional FWS requirements based on your previous communication with FWS (STEP 3). To make arrangements for any necessary inspections or document reviews, you will have to work with port FWS staff.

For more information on FWS requirements, please visit their website at: http://www.fws.gov/permits/ and review the fact sheet.

You may also contact them directly at 703-358-2104 or 800-358-2104.

Don’t forget to include all necessary paperwork with your pet bird.

You will need to have the following items:

• the initial VS import permit (for air, sea, or land travel)
• Original CITES documents (if the FWS regulates your pet bird) If you have any questions concerning CITES documents, get in touch with the FWS.

All documentation should accompany the pet bird during travel.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR DEPARTING FROM A PRE-CLEARANCE PORT: you must declare your pet bird and show your documentation to a U.S. official if you are departing from one of the approved Canadian pre-clearance airports. S. CBP Agriculture Officer PRIOR to boarding your flight in Canada. You will not be clearing customs in the U. S. on arrival (STEP 8 below). The location of your meeting with the veterinarian to have your bird examined must be arranged with them at your first port of entry.

When you arrive in the United States, you will need to clear your pet bird with CBP. S.

The CBP OneTM mobile application is available at select U.S. ports of entry to expedite your pet bird’s CBP agriculture inspection. You may request an inspection, upload required documentation, and view the status and details of your inspection prior to arrival.

Whether you are entering the U. S. at a land border port or entering the U. S. When visiting a seaport or airport, you must register and clear your pet bird with CBP. If you are driving to the U. S. if you arrive by air, sea, or land and your bird is not recognized as cargo (i e. Since you lack an airway bill, you must notify CBP of your bird when you pass customs. After that, you will usually be sent to a secondary CBP agriculture inspection, where your bird and all of the documentation will likely be examined by the VS port veterinarian and, if necessary, the FWS inspector.

If your bird is traveling as cargo, you will need to speak with the airline cargo company to learn where it will be transported for inspection, how to get your paperwork, and how to get it through customs. If you are on the same flight, after passing through passport control and customs, you might need to go to the cargo facility warehouse to meet the port veterinarian and the FWS inspector, if needed. To get your bird through customs, you might have to transport its documentation to a different location. If you have already arrived in the U. S. If you are taking an earlier flight, you will have to schedule the inspection’s time and location.

For all pet birds of Canadian descent, upon your arrival in the U. S. , the VS port veterinarian will examine your bird.

Your bird will be examined by the port veterinarian to ensure that it looks healthy. The port veterinarian will talk to you about your options if the bird doesn’t seem healthy at that point.

For the inspection, you should be ready to restrain your bird. You might want to bring a towel or gloves in case your bird bites you.

The “Agreement of Pet Bird Owner” VS 17-8 (77) will be signed by you. 88 KB) after the initial inspection on arrival. You will be asked to affirm the following:

• The bird appears healthy, has been in your care for at least ninety days, and has not been around any other birds during that time.

A copy of the VS 17-8 will be given to you by the port veterinarian.

After your pet bird has passed customs inspection and been examined by VS, you can resume your journey.

Fees for inspection:9CFR 130. 30 “Minimum user fees and hourly rate” – refer to the chart at (a) This fee is assessed every quarter hour; services under fifteen minutes are assessed at the minimum fee rate. Inspections at air or sea ports may cost more, depending on how long it takes the veterinarian to get to the arrival terminal. Inspections at land border ports are normally performed at the minimum rate. To find out an estimate of the costs for that location, get in touch with the particular port of arrival.

Overtime charges:9CFR 130. 30 “Minimum user fees and hourly rate” – refer to the chart at (b) You will also be charged overtime fees if you arrive earlier or later than the regular port duty hours, which vary from port to port but are generally 8:00 AM–4:30 PM. You will need to get an estimate from the specific port you are entering at, as these will vary based on the location and the particular time of service.

Compliance charges:9CFR 130. “Simple or complex import compliance assistance” is the fourth fee that could be assessed per lot. If your documentation has any errors, you might have to pay an import compliance assistance fee.

When you arrive, you will be required to pay for the inspection services, overtime, and/or non-compliance charges (if applicable). Therefore, be sure to ask port staff what form of payment is accepted.

FAQ

Can I cross the border with my pet bird?

Can you have a pet parrot in Canada?

Do birds need passports to travel?

Can I travel with my bird?