USA to South Africa
Pet Shipping from the USA to South Africa
We provide international pet transport from the USA to South Africa, planned around its import rules, the season and your move date.
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- The travel crate
- The export and import paperwork
- Check-in at your US airport
- Pickup in South Africa with delivery to your new address
South Africa at a glance
Full requirementsSouth Africa requires a veterinary import permit, obtained before the pet is shipped, and its embassy in Washington says to apply at least four weeks ahead.
- Microchip
- Required for every dog and cat, and a dog’s number is written on each of its lab reports
- Rabies vaccination
- Within 12 months before export, and more than 30 days before it for a first shot; a booster given before the previous one lapsed has no wait
- Parasite treatments
- Dogs only. Heartworm prevention given after the negative test result and before the certificate is signed, and a tick and fly treatment in the 30 days before departure
- Blood tests
- Dogs only. Brucella canis, surra, Babesia gibsoni, heartworm and leishmaniosis, each negative by the methods APHIS lists, on blood drawn no more than 30 days before import
- Import permit
- Issued by South Africa’s Director of Animal Health for one consignment only; the embassy suggests calling the permit office if nothing has come two weeks after applying
Pet Shipping from the USA to South Africa
Moving a pet to South Africa is a permit-based process, and the steps depend on your pet and on the conditions set by the national veterinary authority. The import permit and the dog disease testing drive the calendar, so we start early. If you would like a simple overview of international moves first, start with our guide to international pet shipping destinations. Bringing a pet the other way, into the United States? See our US import guide.
Which route does a pet take into South Africa?
Into the port or airport given on the permit application, which asks where in South Africa the animal will come in. There, the original permit and health certificate are handed to a veterinary import control officer. APHIS’s certificate for cats also has the vet attest that the crate conforms to IATA’s regulations and is new or disinfected, so the animal has no contact with any of lower health status on the way.
Route details: USA to South Africa
- Route
- USA to South Africa
- Import permit
- From South Africa’s Director: Animal Health, before shipping. Apply at least 4 weeks ahead; issued 3 to 5 working days after approval
- Health certificate
- Issued by a USDA-accredited vet, then ink-signed and embossed by APHIS; exam, issue and endorsement all within 10 days of travel
- Quarantine on arrival
- As the permit sets. APHIS relays that a dog with noncompliant test results is no longer quarantined and may be returned or euthanized
- Time to get ready
- At least 31 days for a dog: APHIS wants a first rabies shot more than 30 days before export. A cat: at least 30 days
From official sources, read October 29, 2026: South African Government, Import animals and animal products; South African Embassy, Washington DC, Importing Pets to South Africa; USDA APHIS, Pet Travel from the United States to South Africa; USDA APHIS, Guidance for the Veterinary Health Certificate in Respect of Dogs for Export to the Republic of South Africa; South Africa Department of Agriculture, Application Forms; USDA APHIS, Veterinary Health Certificate in Respect of Cats for Export to the Republic of South Africa.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to South Africa?
The short answer
The veterinary import permit comes first, and its conditions set the rest: the government’s import page says the original permit, the original health certificate, completed in English by an authorized veterinarian in the 10 days before the pet leaves, and any other documents the permit names go to the import control officer at the port of entry.
Which pets can enter South Africa?
Dogs and cats, on a veterinary import permit, under conditions that differ by species. A dog tests negative for five diseases, and for one of them, surra, APHIS names only two laboratories that may run the card agglutination test and the Giemsa smear: the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, and a research center in Obihiro, Japan. South Africa sends the dog’s health certificate with the permit, and that document sets out the rest.
The forms page of South Africa’s Department of Agriculture, read October 29, 2026, lists four applications for dogs and cats: dogs subject to quarantine, dogs not subject to quarantine, dogs imported for recreational purposes, and domestic cats. For a dog whose results fall short, APHIS passes on South Africa’s warning: such a dog “stands a very high chance of being returned to the country of origin or euthanized”, and is no longer taken into quarantine instead.
Birds and rabbits have certificates of their own on APHIS’s page. A bird, for example, spends 28 days in isolation before export, somewhere an APHIS inspector approved first, which can be a private home. For any other animal, APHIS says South Africa has not told it the requirements. Ready to start? Request a quote.
What vet work and documents does a pet need for South Africa?
A microchip, a rabies shot given in the 12 months before export, and a certificate that your USDA-accredited vet signs and APHIS then endorses in ink, both inside the last 10 days before travel. A dog adds the five tests and two parasite treatments. Read on September 25, 2026, APHIS’s guidance on the dog form and its cat certificate ask for no rabies antibody titer test.
| Requirement | South Africa, from the United States |
|---|---|
| Microchip | Required for every dog and cat, and a dog’s number is written on each of its lab reports |
| Rabies vaccination | Within 12 months before export, and more than 30 days before it for a first shot; a booster given before the previous one lapsed has no wait |
| Parasite treatments | Dogs only. Heartworm prevention given after the negative test result and before the certificate is signed, and a tick and fly treatment in the 30 days before departure |
| Blood tests | Dogs only. Brucella canis, surra, Babesia gibsoni, heartworm and leishmaniosis, each negative by the methods APHIS lists, on blood drawn no more than 30 days before import |
| Import permit | Issued by South Africa’s Director of Animal Health for one consignment only; the embassy suggests calling the permit office if nothing has come two weeks after applying |
| Health certificate | The final exam, the certificate and APHIS’s endorsement all within 10 days of travel, with the lab reports and a copy of the rabies vaccination record attached |
| Quarantine | Set by the permit; South Africa has one dog application for quarantine and another without it |
Read on September 23, 2026: APHIS’s South Africa page, last modified January 12, 2026. The same day: the government’s permit instructions and its Washington embassy’s notes for pet owners. Downloaded September 25, 2026: APHIS’s guidance for dogs, its cat certificate and its instructions for a surra sample sent to Antwerp, and the Department of Agriculture’s application forms.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to South Africa
Apply for the permit first. Once the national office approves an import, the government’s page gives three to five working days to issue it. A dog’s blood then has to be drawn within 30 days of arrival, and the Antwerp laboratory reads smears once a week and runs its card test on Monday afternoons, on samples in by 2:00 pm that day, so the draw is timed to that schedule. The tick and fly treatment is due within 30 days of departure, and the exam, certificate and endorsement within 10.
Planning the budget? See what shipping a pet from the USA to South Africa costs, fee by fee.
Every Pet Travels
Differently
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because timelines, airline rules, and South Africa’s entry requirements all affect each other, we build a plan that fits your pet and your move date.
Destination-Focused Planning
We use South Africa's official import protocol as the baseline, then turn it into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
Smart Routing and Logistics
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Personalized Support
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Questions about moving a pet to South Africa
Request a QuoteWhat does it cost to ship a pet from the USA to South Africa?
Costs depend on your pet’s size and crate, the route and airline, vet and testing fees, and whether the move is door to door. The fastest way to get a real number is a quote based on your origin city and travel date. Request a quote here.
How does Pet Travel Advisors help with a move to South Africa?
We prepare the import permit, coordinate the vet steps and the required tests, handle the paperwork, arrange a comfortable crate and cargo routing, and stay with the move through arrival.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.