Bringing Your Pet to the Philippines: What the Import Process Actually Requires

Moving to the Philippines with a dog or cat means clearing one government gate before your pet’s paws touch the ground: the Bureau of Animal Industry’s import process. It’s paperwork-heavy rather than complicated, but every step has to line up within the right timing windows.

Start With the SPS Import Clearance

Before your pet leaves its country of origin, you need an approved Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC) from the Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI). It’s a permit you apply for online, and it has to be approved before your pet ever boards a flight — not something you sort out on arrival.

To get it approved, you’ll submit vaccination and antiparasitic treatment records, proof of microchip, a photo of your actual pet, and a pet passport if you have one, all as PDF or JPG files under 5MB. Once approved, the SPSIC is valid for 60 days and covers up to 3 pets per application.

Vaccinations Have to Line Up With the Timeline

Dogs need rabies plus distemper, infectious hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and leptospirosis. Cats need rabies plus panleukopenia, viral rhinotracheitis, and calicivirus. All of it — including the rabies shot — has to be administered at least 14 days before you apply for the SPSIC, and pets must be at least 84 days old when vaccinated against rabies.

If your pet is coming from a country recognized as rabies-free by the World Organisation for Animal Health, the rabies vaccine requirement can be waived — but only if the exporting country’s veterinary authority notes that explicitly on the export health certificate. Deworming and external parasite treatment has its own window too: administered by a licensed vet no more than 91 days and no less than 7 days before the SPSIC application.

Age and Health Rules You Can’t Work Around

Pets need to be at least 120 days old (about 4 months) at the time of SPSIC application, and pregnant pets aren’t accepted at all. If your pet has recently given birth, she needs to be at least 12 weeks postpartum, with a vet certifying that she and the litter are healthy and fit to travel.

The Export Permit Comes From the Other End

Once your SPSIC is approved, take it to the veterinary authority in your pet’s country of origin — that’s who issues the export permit and international veterinary health certificate (EP/IVHC), the document your pet actually travels with. It has to be dated within 10 calendar days of departure, and every detail on it needs to match your SPSIC and vaccination records exactly. Mismatches are one of the most common reasons pets get held up at the airport.

What Happens When You Land

At the airport, a BAI Veterinary Quarantine Officer will ask for your printed SPSIC and the original EP/IVHC, plus an airway bill if your pet arrived as cargo rather than accompanied baggage. Once your pet clears inspection, BAI issues a Notice of Quarantine along with your pet’s release — and Philippine rules require a 30-day home quarantine period after arrival, even when every document is in perfect order. Keep your pet on your property, away from other animals, for the full 30 days.

Fees are paid on the spot: ₱100 for the SPS Import Clearance, a ₱55 lodgement fee, and a ₱250 per-head inspection fee for the first two pets (₱300 for each additional pet).

Give Yourself More Time Than You Think You Need

Between the 14-day vaccination window, the 10-day export certificate window, and getting appointments for the actual vet visits, most owners need 4 to 6 weeks minimum to get everything lined up — longer if your pet needs its first rabies vaccination from scratch.

Bringing a pet into the Philippines? PetTransPRO handles your SPSIC import clearance and gives you clear guidance every step of the way, meeting you at arrival to walk you through the paperwork, fees, and quarantine requirements for a smooth landing. Get in touch and we’ll map out your pet’s timeline.