Pet Transport in San Francisco, CA
We provide international pet transport to and from San Francisco, planned around the weather, the season and your destination’s entry rules. A move to or from another state goes by road with a partner driver or on a domestic flight.
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- Export and import paperwork
- Check-in at SFO
- Door-to-door relocation
- Meeting your pet at the arrival airport
California asks for proof of a current rabies vaccination with any dog four months or older coming into the state.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 1-877-540-0555
San Francisco at a glance
How a move from San Francisco works- Flights from
- San Francisco International (SFO)
- Door-to-door pickup
- Roughly one to two hours’ drive of San Francisco
- Airline guides
- Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines
- Export paperwork
- USDA endorsement through VEHCS
- Service area
- West Coast and Alaska
Pet Relocation from San Francisco
Bay Area flights leave from San Francisco International (SFO), and the route is chosen for each move on the weather, the season and airline availability.
How a Move from San Francisco Works
Book as much of our pet relocation services as a San Francisco move needs, from one flight out of SFO to a pickup from your front door.
Flights and check-in
We book your pet’s flights from San Francisco International (SFO), set the dates around the weather, the season and each airline’s rules for pets, and handle the check-in with the airline on travel day.
Door to door, when you book it
Door-to-door pet transport adds the road legs. A partner driver collects your pet from home, anywhere within roughly one to two hours’ drive of San Francisco, and handles the check-in personally, and we meet your pet at the arrival airport. We do not run local rides to the vet, groomer or daycare.
Paperwork for a move abroad
For a move abroad, the paperwork starts with the destination. APHIS’s export page, read September 16, 2026, says to verify your destination country’s entry requirements every time you plan to travel, and that a USDA-accredited veterinarian submits the health certificate for USDA endorsement on your behalf. APHIS calls VEHCS the fastest route to endorsement, says processing there is staffed Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time outside federal holidays, and says there is no in-person or drop-off service. We prepare the file with you, including an import permit where the destination country asks for one, and check each document against its rules before your pet flies. Our destination guides cover the rules country by country.
Arriving
Moving a Pet to San Francisco
Coming from another state? The CDFA’s importation FAQ, read September 23, 2026, says a cat entering California needs neither a health certificate nor a rabies vaccination, only to be healthy. It sets extra requirements, among them an electronic certificate of veterinary inspection and an entry permit, for a pet coming from Mexico or from a state where New World screwworm is active. A dog coming from another country also has to meet CDC’s entry rules, which our guide to the CDC dog import form sets out.
How the service works from start to finish is on our pet transport services page.
Flying a Pet Out of San Francisco
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Location: San Francisco, California, approximately 13 miles south of downtown San Francisco.
SFO is the primary hub in the region and supports both domestic and international routes.
Airlines that fly pets from San Francisco
Each airline named on this page publishes its own rules for animals. Our guides set out what each one says:
Alaska Airlines: cabin fees, carrier rules and its seasonal embargoes.
American Airlines: cabin, cargo and PetEmbark.
Delta: cabin rules, fees and who it ships pets for.
United Airlines: what it publishes for dogs and cats.
How Our Pet Transport Process Works
Consultation
A consultation reviews your destination, timeline, and your pet’s travel needs.
Travel Plan and Timeline
You receive a detailed itinerary and transparent cost estimate.
Pre-Travel Preparation
Pre-travel preparation confirms crates, carriers, airline rules, and paperwork readiness.
Transportation Coordination
Transportation coordination aligns ground services, flights, and airport procedures.
Arrival Support
Arrival support focuses on post-flight steps and next-stage arrangements.
Our Pet Transport Services
Air Pet Shipping
We plan air pet shipping through major San Francisco–area airports with attention to routing, seasonal conditions, documentation, and airline check-in procedures.
Ground Pet Transport
Ground pet transportation is arranged for regional moves within California or nearby states. Routes and timing are planned to reduce travel stress.
International Pet Transport
International pet transport from San Francisco includes import permits, health certificates, airline coordination, and destination compliance.
Door to Door Relocation
Door-to-door relocation coordinates ground pickup, air travel, and arrival logistics under one structured plan.
Types of Pets We Transport
Every pet has unique needs, and we specialize in providing safe, individualized transportation for a wide variety of animals. Our team is experienced in transporting pets of all types and sizes.
Dog Transportation
Dogs are the moves we plan most often. We match the crate to your dog’s size, book around airline rules and seasonal limits, and plan the routing through San Francisco (SFO) so nothing turns into a last-minute scramble on travel day.
Cat Transportation
Cats travel best when the day stays calm and the waiting is short. We choose airline-approved carriers, sort out the cabin-or-cargo question early, and plan the schedule so your cat spends as little time at the airport as possible.
Bird Transportation
Birds need a little more care: species-specific paperwork, airline approval, and travel that holds a steady temperature. We walk you through the health certificates and routing so nothing slips through the cracks.
Small Mammals
Rabbits, guinea pigs, and other small pets travel in approved carriers on carefully timed routes. We confirm that the airline will accept your pet well before the date, so there are no surprises.
Reptiles and Exotic Pets
Reptiles and exotic pets each come with their own rules. We review the airline policies and temperature requirements one by one and build a route that genuinely suits your animal, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Our Service Areas Near San Francisco
We provide pet transportation services throughout San Francisco and nearby areas such as Oakland, Berkeley, Daly City, San Mateo, Palo Alto, and the greater Bay Area.
In addition, Pet Travel Advisors coordinates pet relocation nationwide across the United States.
Beyond the city, our West Coast and Alaska service area runs from San Jose to Sacramento.
Helpful reads by Pet Travel Advisors
Ready to start?
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
What to Expect When Shipping a Pet Through San Francisco Airport (SFO)
Who actually handles your pet at SFO
Mercury runs the cargo warehouse at 944 North Field Road, and that is where a pet booked on Alaska Air Cargo Pet Connect is dropped off and collected. Drop-off and collection run daily, 4:00am to 10:30pm, weekends included. American Airlines Cargo is the other option here, through its PetEmbark service. Delta ships pets only for active US military and State Department Foreign Service personnel with permanent change of station orders. United publishes its own policy on its pets page.
Animal Quarantine and Inspection Services
SFO works with customs officials to inspect pets arriving from international destinations under U.S. animal health and safety regulations.
Temperature limits and ground handling
Airlines decide whether a pet flies, not the airport. American transports warm-blooded animals when ground temperatures are between 45F and 85F. Below that it requires a letter of acclimation signed and dated by a licensed veterinarian, which covers 20F to 44F, and it will not carry an animal at all below 20F. Alaska Air Cargo says many of its stations have seasonal temperature embargoes for animal shipments over a summer season that generally runs from May 1 to October 16. Between drop-off and loading your pet waits in the cargo handler building rather than a dedicated animal terminal, so the acceptance window and the handler opening hours are what a travel date has to be built around.
Questions about moving a pet to or from San Francisco
Request a QuoteFAQ: Pet Transport Services
Does San Francisco’s mild weather make pet travel easier?
San Francisco’s departures are timed for each move on the weather, the season and airline availability, and we watch the forecast at both ends of the route.
What kinds of pets do you relocate from San Francisco?
We coordinate travel for dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, and select reptiles or exotics from San Francisco, whenever airline and destination rules allow. Each species has its own requirements, and snub-nosed breeds and older pets get extra planning around routing and the season.
What paperwork does a pet need to fly from San Francisco?
Pet travel runs on health paperwork, and the timing is strict; a health certificate from a USDA-accredited vet is usually valid only for a short window before travel, and many destinations add their own steps. We map the vet visits and paperwork for your San Francisco move so nothing expires at the wrong moment.
What does pet transportation from San Francisco cost?
Every San Francisco move is priced on its own, because the route, airline fees, your pet’s size and crate, the season, and the destination’s rules all change the total. Tell us where and when, and we’ll put together an estimate: request a quote. For a closer look at what drives the price, see our guide to pet shipping costs.