Paperwork for pets from the USA

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Paperwork for pets from the USA

by Jake
(Chicago)

I am in the process of bringing my dog to Bolivia and Bella has been super helpful. Unfortunately after spending many hours on the phone with various consulates I have found that the information on the site is incorrect. Here is what you need to do in order to import a dog.

Bring your dog to a USDA certified vet no more than 10 days before your flight. I would recommend being as close to the 10th day as possible to give yourself enough time to have the paperwork returned. Call ahead to make sure the vet has the USDA APHIS-7001 form, otherwise known simply as the 7001. They need to fill this out, with the parts about rabies and the dogs identification being particularly important.

Once this form is filled out you need to bring it to a notary and have them notarize it. I asked the consulate if I needed to have the notary come to the vets office and they assured me I did not.

You may or may not need to bring the form to a USDA APHIS office to have them stamp it. I am going to do this just to be safe since there is an office not too far from my house. I do not believe this is necessary however.

Once you have this form notarized, you need to send it to

4420 Connecticut Ave NW Suite #2
Washington DC
20008
ATTN: Departamento Legalization

You need to include an $85 dollar money order made out to the Bolivian Consulate. Personal checks are not accepted. You also need to include a prepaid return envelope. I am going to send it via Fedex both ways since with the short amount of time available I do not trust the mail service.

Theoretically, that is it. I will make another post once I have either made it in or failed miserably. Now all I have to do is obtain a residency visa for myself which should be fun :) It takes a lot of work to travel down there in order to donate your time and money!

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Paperwork for pets from the USA

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Oct 16, 2009

Success!!!!
by: Jake

Well, Tus made it here at least. Now I just have to get her home in May. But basically everything I said in the above post is correct. There are a few amendments though.

-I did not go to the USDA APHIS office and get their stamp. The consulate told me it wasn´t necessary and I had no trouble without it.

-DO BRING THE COPY OF THE RABIES VACCINE! I was not told I needed this but I brought it anyway and it was a good thing I did. They definitely wanted to see it. This was simply the one from my U.S. vet and did not have any special stamps or anything.

-As far as the 10 day thing, when I talked to the consulate this is what they told me. Maybe you could get around it but I would just plan on overnighting the envelopes.

So the dog was fine, I´m a different story. They have changed the rules on Americans getting residency visas and have made it much more difficult. I´m looking at $1000 and four months without my passport if I go the legal route. Unless you plan on living here permanently get yourself the number of a tramitadore and have them work their magic. I would prefer to get the visa, but I am a poor volunteer and I don´t have a spare grand. Good luck everybody.

Aug 09, 2009

bring my cats to Bolivia
by: Anonymous

I just found your comments about bringing pets to Bolivia and I was relieved to come across someone doing this too. My husband and I are moving to Cochabamba for 2 years in November and we're bringing our 2 cats. So, any advice you can give us would be really helpful.

I'm having the same problem of getting different information depending on who I talk to...it'd be nice if there was some sort of official document that spelled out pet immigration procedures!

I was under the impression that the APHIS certificate or state health certificate could be sent to the embassy within 3 months of our departure...can you tell me where you heard 10 days?

Also, just a general question, how long did it take you to get your "Specific Visa?" Did you mail it in or go to the embassy yourself?

Thanks so much!

Aug 06, 2009

Thanks
by: Jake

Thanks guys. Bella, I already have fallen in love with Bolivia. I spent three months volunteering at Inti Wara Yassi in 2005 and have planned a return ever since. This trip is planned for 8 months but there is a possibility that this may end up being home.

And Caren, thanks for the advice. I will make sure to ask the vet for the 3 year vaccine when I bring her in. She is a small dog, around 35 lbs, so I am not concerned about her crate size. I believe she is mostly Australian shepherd. She came from the streets of Guatemala though so it's hard to be sure!

Take care.

Aug 06, 2009

for Jake and Paperwork for pets
by: Caren

Hi Jake we entered Bolivia last year with two dogs and a cat with absolutely no problems. I had no clear information at all as to what was needed because it changed with whomever you spoke to prior to our leaving. I did get the State vet certificates certified but did not send them to the Bolivian embassy. I was told that was not necessary but yes i do agree, do what you need to make it easier if you feel it is correct.

One thing i would suggest is try and have someone waiting for you who can help you with clearance at the airport. We had someone from the company my husband worked with waiting for us. It is not a hard country to get into with animals truly. Also do have it specified if you have the 3 year rabies vaccine if at all possible. I found the local vets far too gregarious in wanting to vac the dogs every six months for rabies. That is shocking to me because it is one of the most destructive vaccines for our pets.

Another thing i would advise is keep a check on your kennel size, you did not mention what dog you had, i had two Aussies and the kennel size was the vari kennel extra large they barely fit in the conveyor at the El Alto - La Paz airport.

I think your own residence visa will give you a bigger headache believe me. Now exiting the country was easy for all the info needed, staright forward and simple the USA consul will be able to give you names of Vets that are recognised as State vets in your area, we had a battle getting out because AA had cut all flights last year in September because of political unrest so it was a bit hairy for us. I loved Bolivia and it is one of those countries that is firmly in my heart, depending on where you are living there is a lot to do with your dog too. In La Paz we had plenty of trails to get out on and in Potosi we got out every weekend hiking and trout fishing with our heathens. ENJOY!

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Aug 06, 2009
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Submitted by: Caren

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Hi Jake we entered Bolivia last year with two dogs and a cat with absolutely no problems. I had no clear information at all as to what was needed because it changed with whomever you spoke to prior to our leaving. I did get the State vet certificates certified but did not send them to the Bolivian embassy. I was told that was not necessary but yes i do agree, do what you need to make it easier if you feel it is correct. One thing i would suggest is try and have someone waiting for you who can help you with clearance at the airport. We had someone from the company my husband worked with waiting for us. It is not a hard country to get into with animals truly. Also do have it specified if you have the 3 year rabies vaccine if at all possible. I found the local vets far too gregarious in wanting to vac the dogs every six months for rabies. That is shocking to me because it is one of the most destructive vaccines for our pets. Another thing i would advise is keep a check on your kennel size, you did not mention what dog you had, i had two Aussies and the kennel size was the vari kennel extra large they barely fit in the conveyor at the El Alto - La Paz airport. I think your own residence visa will give you a bigger headache believe me. Now exiting the country was easy for all the info needed, staright forward and simple the USA consul will be able to give you names of Vets that are recognised as State vets in your area, we had a battle getting out because AA had cut all flights last year in September because of political unrest so it was a bit hairy for us. I loved Bolivia and it is one of those countries that is firmly in my heart, depending on where you are living there is a lot to do with your dog too. In La Paz we had plenty of trails to get out on and in Potosi we got out every weekend hiking and trout fishing with our heathens. ENJOY!

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Aug 05, 2009

shipping animals to bolivia
by: Bella

Hi Jake! Thank you so much for sharing this. Take a look at the Pet Travel page again - we've made changes and added a link to your comments here:

www.boliviabella.com/travel-with-pets.html

Sounds like you're coming to Bolivia as a volunteer? Don't let the documentation headaches discourage you. Things seem to change every time there are changes in officials or employees at government offices here and it does get tedious, but you'll forget about it when you get to Bolivia and fall in love with this country and its people. Really.

Bella

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Paperwork for pets from the USA

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