NORTH AMERICA

Entering the USA

Our first crossing into the USA from Mexico was at Nogales, Arizona. We arrived at the border for inspection. Maya was placed into a crate while they searched our rig. At the same time we went to get our visa. They did not ask to see any of Maya’s documentation.

Our second crossing into the USA with Maya was from Canada into Michigan, at Sault Ste. Marie. There is no requirement for a health certificate to enter the USA from Canada. They did not ask to see any of Maya’s documentation.

Documentation required to enter the USA by land:

1. Vaccinations must be recorded in the dogs health record
2. Rabies vaccination must be up to date. The vaccination must be administered a minimum of 30 days prior to entry.
3. All vaccinations (e.g. distemper plus others)
4. Worm, tape worm, heart worm, flea and tick treatment administered by a vet
5. Health Certificate (only when entering from Mexico. Walk in to any vet and they should be able to provide it straight away).

If your dog originally came from the USA, there may be other requirements, depending on what countries you have visited. Check with your local vet before leaving the country.

Entering Canada

To enter Canada by land, from the USA, you will need the same documents as when entering the USA from Mexico minus the health certificate. However, the documentation must be in English or in French. As we adopted Maya in Mexico, all her documentation was in Spanish. Translation must be by a recognised and approved translation service. After a day of phoning around for quotes, we recieved quotes of $200USD+, with a lead time of 3 weeks. We just didn’t have 3 weeks as we had to be in Vancouver to meet Steve’s Dad. We found a company called Translation Shop, who completed the translation remotely and quickly (24-24 hours) for just $20USD. Here is the link for Translation Shop Fast & Premium Document Translation Service – Translation Shop

All of Maya’s documents translated, the border guard didn’t even ask to see her documents. She didn’t leave the truck, neither did we! It was the quickest and easiest land border crossing we have experienced. But we are big believers that if you have the correct paperwork, they probably won’t ask for it. If you don’t have them, guaranteed they will want to see them.

Entering Mexico

Entering back into Mexico was equally easy. Vaccines must be up to date. A health certificate is not required. The border guard didn’t even ask to see her or her documents. She didn’t leave the truck.

CENTRAL AMERICA

We only visited Belize and Guatemala in Central America. As we drive a right-hand drive vehicle, we cannot enter Honduras or Costa Rica, which is why we couldn’t see more of Central America.

Entering Belize

We entered Belize from Chetumal, Quintana Roo. This was our first challenging land border crossing with Maya, as she required more paperwork than the truck and us combined. In addition to all the vaccines required to enter North American countries, you also need a pet permit which you can apply for online here Microsoft Word – Application form AHrevised (baha.org.bz) directly from Belize Agricultural Health Athority (BAHA).

The application process for getting Maya a permit was surprisingly quick and easy. Once we had submitted the application form, we received an email within 5 days with confirmation of her permit. On the application form, it asks for a fax number to send the approved permit to. If like us, you live on the road full time, we don’t have access to a fax machine, don’t worry! You can collect it at the border. You don’t have to make any payments with the application submission and you can pay the fee for the permit on collection at the border. The approved permit was emailed to us. This turned out to be handy as the official at the border had not yet received it from BAHA. So, keep it handy!

Reading lots of blogs and in social media groups, we found that Maya required a microchip. We could not find this anywhere on the BAHA requirements. However, we decided to get Maya microchipped anyway. On crossing the border, it was clear that dogs do not need to be microchipped. They must have something on them to identify their owner such as name tag, apple tag etc.

It was a very smooth process getting Maya across the border as we had made sure that we crossed every T and dotted every i. Maybe we didn’t need to do all the paperwork? While we were at the border, we watched two ladies get turned away. Because they didn’t have the correct paperwork for their dogs.

Entering Guatemala

We entered Guatemala from San Ignacio in Belize. Requirements for entering Guatemala by land are the same as entering the USA from Mexico.

1. Health certificate
2. Rabbies
3. All other vaccines
4. Wormer and flea treatment

The main difference with the border into Guatemala is, that they have a dedicated person to animals crossing the border and take the process a bit more seriously. Now, you have to go and find the office as there were no signs and no one asked about Maya when lots of officials saw her. You might think this a good thing as you can just take your dog without having to do anything. You might be mistaken! Mexico may be pretty lax on dogs entering from the USA but its a different story entering Mexico from Guatemala! Upon entry to Guatemala, you get a QR code, this must be scanned to exit Guatemala. Maybe you could hide the dog exiting Guatemala? If you tried, you wouldn’t get the dog into Mexico.

Apparently, Guatemala has one of the highest rates of rabies. The rules and processes are followed more stringently, than our experiences of crossing borders in North America. Get your health certificate and make sure vaccines are up to date before entering Guatemala to make it easier exiting and entering other bordering countries.

Entering Mexico from Guatemala

We thought this deserved a section of its own, because of the health certificate process and provide more information on why it is important to get the entry to Guatemala paperwork right! We crossed into Mexico at the Talisman border, near the West Coast.

In our experience, to get a health certificate, you go to a local vet and request one. They examine the dog to ensure they are healthy and not carrying any diseases. In Guatemala, not every vet is approved to carry out a health examination for the purpose of a health certificate for crossing borders. Once an approved vet has completed the health examination, administered worming treatment, the paperwork must be completed and sent to Guatemala City for approval.

On exiting Guatemala, you take the approved health certificate and the QR code you are given on entry to animal health border official. The animal border officers on the Guatemala side, scan the QR code and check the health certificate as well as vaccination and wormer/flea record. At the bottom of the health certificate, there is a section that is completed by the Guatemala officials. When you cross into Mexico, they ask for this part of the health certificate. Without it, they would have refused Maya entry. Mexican Customs searched our vehicle and separated Steve and I, so there is no way they wouldn’t have seen Maya. If you don’t get the QR code on entry to Guatemala and the health certificate, your dog cant get back into Mexico.

Travelling to the UK

As we now start to plan our journey home, we are establishing what we have to do to get Maya to the UK. Given the UK is an island, they don’t have any rabies or other diseases found in other countries, especially Central America. So the process is a lot stricter and cumbersome. This requires planning and will delay us getting home. We want to avoid Maya being placed in quarantine, upon arrival in the UK.

Taking a dog to the UK, especially when they haven’t originated from the UK and have recently been in an unlisted country, requires some planning. The UK has what they call Listed 1, Listed 2 and unlisted countries. These lists determine what the UK requirements are, depending on what country you are coming from. Mexico is a Listed 2 country. Guatemala and Belize are classed as unlisted countries. What does this mean for us and Maya?

Well, we have a couple of options.

1. Leave Guatemala and spend at least 4 months in Mexico/US. Enter the UK as if entering from a listed country. No need for rabies blood test.
2. If there is already a valid rabies vaccine. Have blood sample taken and only wait 3 months (from the date the blood sample was taken) in any country before entering the UK.
3. If there is not a valid rabies vaccine. Have the dog vaccinated, wait 1 month, have blood sample taken for testing, wait 3 months before entering. This wait can take place in any country. What does a valid rabies vaccine mean? For UK entry purposes, the rabies vaccine must have been administered after the microchip is inserted, not less than 30 days prior to entry and must not be older than 1 year. Unless the vaccine record states the vaccine expires at a later date. In the UK and in the USA some rabies vaccines last for 3 years. Also check to make sure the vaccine doesn’t require a booster.

Having a rabies blood test in Guatemala costs approx. $1000USD and takes a lot longer to get the results, weeks, possibly months. Having the rabies blood test in Mexico is supposed to be easier. This may be true in bigger cities or cities with common routes for foreign travellers with pets. However, in the State of Campeche, where we currently are, no vets are allowed to administer the blood test. You must go through an administration office in Campeche City.  The cost is around $300USD and we believe that it is an unpleasant experience for Maya. So, we have chosen to stay in Mexico for the 4 months, instead of putting her through the blood test.

In addition to all of the entry requirements I have already talked about, the UK requires that you bring in pets through an approved route. For us that would be via Heathrow or Gatwick (the closest approved airports near where we live in Hertfordshire).

You must use an approved airline, for us it will be British Airways. You can choose to use a company in Mexico and in the UK to help facilitate Maya’s travel and transit to and from the aeroplane, as well as helping ensure you have all the correct paperwork. This service is not cheap! £550 in the UK and $500USD in Mexico. This is not a requirement for entry but, would ensure the smoothest experience for Maya and entry clearance in the UK. You do not have to use this service, it’s a personal preference that we have chosen. Airlines have different times of the year where they wont fly pets. For example, you can’t fly between May-Sep with some airlines from Mexico, it’s just too hot on the tarmac for animals.

If we chose not to use a company in Mexico to facilitate Maya’s travel, she could be left on the tarmac in her crate, in the baking sun for hours. This is one of the reasons we have decided to use a company in Mexico. She will remain in an airconditioned unit until she is ready to board the flight, instead of being left on the tarmac in the baking sun. Choosing this service also means she gets a walk before boarding and we can go see her in the 3 hours after we have to check her in and we board the flight.

These costs do not include the cost of Maya’s flight, cargo fees or any import duty that may be charged in the UK. If an animal is taken into quarantine in the UK, additional charges apply. The process for booking Maya on a flight:

We must book our flights first!

The cargo team in Mexico then have to check if our flight will take animal cargo. If it does, we get her booked on the same flight. If it doesn’t, we have to cancel our flights, book a new one, then check if that flight will take animal cargo. you can fly on separate flights but this is more stress for Maya, as she will be crated and separated from us for longer. Not to mention the additional cost to us. So we would prefer to be on the same flights. Its definitely not a straightforward process. In addition to these variables, we also have to time it right to ship the rig home, and not leave us in Mexico for too long without anywhere to live and no transport, and get home in time before the ship arrives in the UK with our rig.

We have been advised by other travellers that its easier to fly to Europe and go to the UK from there. This may be true but for Maya’s sake, we would rather go via the approved routes and follow the requirements to avoid any possibility of her being placed in quarantine in the UK.   

Adopt a dog they said. It will be good they said 😊

Joking aside and in summary, yes it can be complicated to travel with your furry friends. But for us, the pros way out way the cons and giving your dog an incredible life of exploring and making new friends everywhere they go. But most importantly, she’s worth it!

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions! Thanks for reading and hope that you found this information useful.

Useful links

Bringing a pet to the UK

Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain: Overview – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Pets Abroad UK – the company helping us on the ground in the UK

Pets Abroad UK | Domestic and International Pet Transport

USA Information

Bringing a Dog into the United States | Bringing an Animal into U.S. | Importation | CDC

Canada Information

Bringing animals to Canada: Importing and travelling with pets – Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Mexico Information

How to Import Pets to Mexico – The Basic Requirements – Immigration to Mexico

The company helping us on the ground in Mexico

Especialistas en Carga y Aduana (cargorechy.com)

Belize Information

Entry Requirements | Belize Agricultural Health Authority (baha.org.bz)

Guatemala Information

Guatemala Pet Passport – Current Dog and Cat Import Requirements (pettravel.com)