Traveling with a dog or cat to Chile: What are the requirements?

To travel with a dog or cat to Chile, they require some sanitary requirements and some extra care that must be taken into account, such as the harsh winters.

As the Brazilian government emphasizes, international travel with pets requires a passport or international veterinary certificate. And if some of these requirements are not met, your trip will hardly happen.

However, a few tips can ensure that your outing or moving to another country with your four-legged child is a success and happens in a way that doesn’t get in the way.

That’s why PETFriendly Turismo prepared this article to show you how to travel with a dog or cat to Chile based on basic tips and separated the main rules and requirements that your pet must follow.

Ways to travel with a dog or cat to Chile

There are 4 ways to ship PET to Chile, unlike some countries that only allow it as live cargo.

1. PET in the Cabin

Most airlines allow the transport of animals in the aircraft cabin, as long as they are small and at least four months old.

Dogs and cats must travel inside a clean, safe kennel under the seat in front of them.

2. Excess Baggage

When the total weight of the dog or cat plus the kennel exceeds that allowed by the airline, they must travel in the hold of the aircraft their owner is on.

Usually, airlines transport animals weighing up to 45kg and require the box to be up to 115 cm high and 300 cm linear (sum of height, width and length).

In addition, they must be made of plastic, metal or wood and the grille must be made of metal, as specified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

3. Live Charge

The transport of animals by live load is the service where the PET travels alone, that is, it is not linked to the owner’s air ticket.

The service is performed by a customs broker specialized in the Live Cargo service, such as PETFriendly Turismo.

The animal travels in a transport box that must comply with the rules of the IATA – air transport regulatory body and must be rigid, have ventilation openings, suitable size for the pet, etc.

4. Emotional Assistance

The animal of emotional assistance is a pet that is part of a treatment for psychological and chronic diseases, improving the tutor’s quality of life.

Once the animal is introduced to daily life, the tutor becomes daily dependent and materializes in the pet a unique comfort.

Some airlines have changed their rules and no longer accept this type of service, such as Latam which banned this model of transport in NOV/2019 and other airlines in FEB/2021.

If you intend to travel to Chile with your emotional assistance PET, contact PETFriendly Turismo.

Airlines that transport animals to Chile

Not all airlines accept animals on the flights to Chile, so the tutor should study each case specifically for the breed of the animal and the type of boarding desired.

It is possible to board the PET with the following airlines: Gol, Latam and Aerolíneas Argentinas.

Traveling with a dog or cat to Chile requires at least two months of preparation

To travel with a dog to Chile, you need to have a plan of up to 60 days in advance, ensuring that you have all the time you need to take the necessary care.

So, you need to define the days to make the trip and go after your pet’s documents to have everything in hand until the day of the flight.

That said, PETFriendly Turismo will show you the requirements to travel with a dog or cat to Chile in a chronological way, so that the trip does not have unforeseen events.

What vaccinations are required to travel with a dog or cat to Chile?

The dog must be up to date with the rabies vaccination. Still, it is worth mentioning some important information that, if you disagree, can cause you and your pet to miss the flight.

Vaccination against rabies is accepted as long as it has been applied at least 30 days before the date of travel, or within 12 months, otherwise the pet will be prevented from boarding.

Other than that, it is worth mentioning that only imported vaccines are accepted. They must be administered in recognized veterinary offices and campaign vaccinations are not considered.

Finally, the boarding of the pet also depends on the state of the vaccination card. In the document, all the tutor’s data must be legible, informing name, address and telephone number.

Prepare your PET for air travel

Airlines allow you to take your pet in a kennel that fits under your seat, or in pet carriers in the hold.

However, the situation can be stressful for the dog, so you should give as much assistance as possible.

Considering your 60-day deadline until the trip, you can get used to the kennel space so your pet doesn’t feel uncomfortable.

To make this happen, you must separate the kennel that your 4-legged child is more familiar with and train him with some practical tips that we have separated for you.

1. Create a trail with snacks

A good way to familiarize your pet with the kennel is to create a treat trail to the space every day. That way, the dog doesn’t suffer so much to get into the carrier.

2. Place the meal bowl in the kennel

Another important tip is to place the meal bowl inside the kennel.

 To do this, use the first tip to make the pet go to the bottom and wait for it to find the pot of food.

The goal here is for him to do this every day until he gains familiarity and feels comfortable eating inside the kennel.

3. Take a test workout to travel with a dog or cat to Chile

Halfway through the term, start targeting your dog. So, point to the kennel and ask the pet to enter and stay inside.

If he obeys, give him a treat and, if possible, increase the reward as he stays inside the kennel.

Deworming and Anti-flea to travel with dog or cat to Chile

A requirement for traveling

r with dog to Chile is the application of dewormer and anti flea within the 15 days before the day of the flight.

However, it is worth mentioning that not just any medicine works, so you and the veterinarian in charge should pay attention to the chosen medicines and have the name, laboratory and active ingredient in hand for a possible problem.

Issue a clean bill of health for the pet

Issuing a health certificate for your pet is also required and can be done up to 5 days before the trip. Even so, many tutors make mistakes at this stage because of an important detail.

It is not enough for a veterinarian to issue a health certificate, he must follow the model standardized by the Agricultural Surveillance (Vigiagro), an agency linked to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply.

The document can also be found at this link. With this, it must be filled out, stamped by the responsible veterinarian and then delivered to the Ministry of Agriculture for the issuance of the International Veterinary Certificate – CVI.

Ask for the International Veterinary Certificate

Finally, the last document required to travel with a dog to Chile is the International Veterinary Certificate (CVI).

The issuance is carried out in person by the pet’s tutor, at least 10 days in advance. This advance notice is a requirement made by Chile.

To request the CVI, you must schedule an appointment with the Ministry of Agriculture, at the VIGIAGRO Department, existing at 106 points in Brazil.

Adapting your PET to the cold climate of Chile

Traveling with your pet in the snow is totally possible, but requires much more preparation than elsewhere.

Although some animals are prepared to face lower temperatures, extreme cold can make them sick.

In other words, we recommend that read the article

Is traveling with a dog or cat to Chile a simple procedure?

Traveling with a dog to Chile can be much easier if you rely on the solutions provided by PETFriendly Turismo.

In addition to providing or providing guidance on the necessary documentation, there is a Travel Accompaniment Program, where all the steps are carried out together with the tutor, such as choosing the appropriate airline, route, booking the dog along with the tutor’s ticket, accompaniment full-time online directly with specialist veterinarian, procedures for boarding, immigration and disembarkation, among others.

Our specialists aim to ensure that you have a peaceful trip with your pets, avoiding any kind of headache. So talk to one of our dispatchers and be sure that your dream will come true alongside your partner.