Good news to start with. Canada doesn't quarantine pet dogs and cats, so your companion goes straight to your new home. For a dog or cat over three months, the main thing you need is a valid rabies vaccination certificate. Pets fly to Canada, separate from your household shipment, usually with a specialist pet shipper. We'll connect you with one FIDI-certified mover. They arrange the pet move alongside your goods, and that part is free.
Written by Darren Benjamin, founder of International Removals Companies, who has arranged international moves for over 15 years. The service has handled 850,000+ enquiries since 2010. Reviewed August 2026.
Canada keeps the rules for personal pets refreshingly simple. For a dog or cat over three months old, the core document is a valid rabies vaccination certificate.
The certificate has to be in English or French, signed by a licensed vet. It must clearly identify your pet and the vaccine, with the dates. Crucially, it must still be valid on the day you land. If it's a first vaccination, allow about 28 days before you travel.
Pets under three months don't need the rabies jab. A microchip is standard for identification and a good idea. There's no quarantine, no blood test and, for a normal pet dog or cat, no import permit to chase.
Assistance dogs that accompany their handler are exempt from the rabies requirement. For anything that isn't a routine pet, check the CFIA's current rules first.
Your furniture sails. Your pet flies. The two move separately, on their own timelines.
Most pets travel as cargo, in a climate-controlled hold. The airline-approved crate is sized so they can stand and turn. Small pets can sometimes go in the cabin, but that's down to the airline. A specialist pet shipper sorts the crate, books the flight, and handles the airport paperwork at both ends.
Two practical notes. Snub-nosed breeds, like bulldogs and Persian cats, face airline restrictions and warm-weather embargoes, so plan around them. And direct flights are kinder on a nervous animal, with less time in transit.
Whoever you use, look for a pet shipper that belongs to a recognised body. The best ones treat your animal as more than freight.
On arrival, your pet is shown to a Canada Border Services Agency officer. They do a document check and a quick look over. A small CFIA inspection fee applies, in the region of 30 Canadian dollars for the first animal. With the rabies certificate in order, it's usually quick.
One thing worth being clear on. Your pet and your belongings are two separate jobs, with different rules. Your household goods are declared on form BSF186 to the CBSA. Items owned and used for at least six months come in as settler effects, free of duty. New items can carry GST or HST. Your pet doesn't touch any of that. It travels on its own rabies paperwork.
For the customs on your belongings, see our Removals UK to Canada guide.
Canada has no nationwide breed ban. But provinces and cities set their own rules, and they vary.
Ontario, for instance, has long restricted pit bull-type dogs. Other places have their own by-laws on certain breeds, leads and muzzles. None of this affects most pets. Still, it's worth a quick check for the exact province and city you're heading to. That way there are no surprises on arrival.
If you're bringing a rabbit, bird, reptile or anything more unusual, the rules differ again. Some need permits, some aren't allowed, and CITES may apply. Look into those well ahead of the move.
Moving home and pet at once is a lot to juggle. It helps to have one mover coordinating both. Every firm we connect you with holds FIDI FAIM, the global standard for international moving. An independent Ernst and Young audit stands behind it. BAR Overseas is the British member body. They work with trusted pet shippers, so your animal is in safe hands.
To be clear on our role: International Removals Companies is not a pet shipper or a removal company. We're a free service. We tie your enquiry to a single vetted partner. They arrange the move and the pet relocation through specialists. We've offered this service since November 2010. Need Canadian dollars for vet bills or deposits? We've changed money for customers in any currency through trusted partners over many years. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743, Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
No. Canada doesn't quarantine pet dogs or cats. Your pet goes straight to your new home once it clears the border.
For dogs and cats over three months, a valid rabies certificate. In English or French, signed by a vet, valid on arrival.
Usually not for a personal dog or cat. The rabies certificate and border check are normally all it takes.
By air, usually as cargo in a climate-controlled hold, in an approved crate. Small pets can sometimes fly cabin.
Often £1,500 to £4,000 or more, door to door, depending on the pet's size and the route.
No national ban, but some provinces restrict certain breeds. Ontario restricts pit bull-type dogs. Check locally.
Rules differ. Some need permits, reptiles and amphibians are largely not allowed, and CITES may apply. Check early.
No. We link you with one vetted, FIDI-certified mover, who arranges pet relocation through specialist partners.
Tell us your pet, your UK postcode and your Canadian address, with the rough date. One FIDI-certified mover arranges the move and the pet relocation, and comes back with a plan and a price. No cost, no obligation.
Plan My Pet Move to CanadaFree. One FIDI-certified partner mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, operating since 2010.
We connect moves to Canada, pets included, with one vetted, FIDI-certified partner mover. We don't ship pets or run removals ourselves. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Pet rules can change. Always confirm the current CFIA requirements, which the mover and pet shipper check before you travel.