Bringing your pet to Brazil? We’ve handled hundreds of pet exports to BR — let us help with yours.
Bringing a pet to Brazil is a relatively straightforward process, with fewer vaccination and testing requirements and no mandatory quarantines for entry. Depending on your pet and ideal flight itinerary, though, you may encounter a few obstacles before your trip to South America.
This guide covers everything you need to know about traveling with a cat or dog to Brazil, including when to seek the advice of a professional pet shipper for their journey.
Eligible Pets and Country Restrictions
Brazil does not have a countrywide breed ban, but there may be restrictions on certain breeds depending on where you’re going within Brazil. The airline you use to fly your pet to Brazil may have additional breed restrictions in place.
Eligible Pets
While there is no federal ban on specific dog or cat breeds entering Brazil, there may be restrictions on the state and/or municipal level.
Rio de Janeiro, for example, bans the import, sale, and breeding of pit bulls and related breeds. This includes cross-breeds of pit bull-type dogs. Pit bulls already in Rio de Janeiro must carry proof of sterilization and vaccination.
Airlines can add extra limitations. For example, American Airlines’ cargo option, American PetEmbark, won’t fly dogs defined as “dangerous” or snub-nosed breeds of cats and dogs. These are pets that come with a higher risk of travel due to potential respiratory issues in the air.
Restricted dogs on their list include the following breeds:
- Affenpinscher
- American Bully
- American Staffordshire Terrier
- Boston Terrier
- Boxer
- Brussels Griffon
- Bulldog
- Cane Corso
- Chow Chow
- Dogue De Bordeaux
- English Toy Spaniel
- Japanese Chin
- Lhasa Apso
- Mastiff
- Pekingese
- Pit Bull
- Presa Canario
- Pug
- Shar Pei
- Shih Tzu
- Staffordshire Terrier
- Tibetan Spaniel
Restricted cats on their list include the following breeds:
- Burmese
- Exotic Shorthair
- Himalayan
- Persian
Service animals with the appropriate documentation are exempt from airline restrictions. You may be able to fly with a snub-nosed breed if they’re small enough to travel in-cabin as a carry-on pet, but some airlines won’t fly pets to Brazil unless they do so as cargo. (This includes American Airlines.)
Shipping a pet as cargo is generally our preferred mode of transport for pet owners traveling with or relocating pets abroad. It’s safe and often more efficient, as more direct routes may be available for pet shipping on cargo arms of airlines.
If you’re traveling with live animals that aren’t dogs or cats, you may need to apply for MAPA Import Authorization from Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture.
Approved Countries
Brazil does not restrict pet travel based on country of origin, and pet import requirements are the same regardless of the pet’s origin point.
Planning an international flight for your pet? We can help.
Microchip and Vaccinations
Brazil requires valid rabies vaccinations before your pet’s journey, but pet microchips are optional.
Microchip
Brazil is unique in that it doesn’t require traveling cats and dogs to be microchipped before travel. That said, we always recommend getting your pet an ISO-compliant microchip, especially if they’re traveling outside of Brazil.
Microchipping your pet makes it much easier to identify them if they ever get lost, whether that happens near home or while you’re traveling or moving abroad. An ISO-compliant version means it’s easily readable by universal scanners.
Vaccinations
All cats and dogs over 3 months of age must be vaccinated for rabies. You must wait at least 21 days after a primary vaccination before traveling to Brazil.
The only exception is if your pet is coming to Brazil from a rabies-free country as defined by the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH). Those pets aren’t required to provide proof of rabies vaccines. (That doesn’t include North American countries like the United States or Canada, so pets must be up-to-date on their shots if they’re coming from either of those.)
That said, Brazil itself is considered at higher risk for rabies, so vaccination is still recommended for pets coming from countries like Australia, Japan, and New Zealand on rabies-free lists.
Brazil does not require additional vaccinations, but your vet may have recommendations depending on your travel plans. Those may include the following vaccinations for dogs:
- Canine distemper
- Infectious canine hepatitis
- Canine parvovirus
- Canine parainfluenza
- Bordetella bronchiseptica
- Leptospirosis
The following vaccines are recommended by most vets for cats traveling abroad:
- Feline rhinotracheitis
- Feline calicivirus
- Feline panleukopenia (enteritis)
Blood Tests and Treatments
Cats and dogs traveling to Brazil need a broad-spectrum deworming treatment for internal parasites and a flea and tick treatment for external parasites within 15 days of their flight. Treatments should be documented on your pet’s international health certificate by an accredited vet. You’ll need to provide the date of application of each treatment, manufacturer information, and active ingredients.
Import Documents
Import permits aren’t required to ship pets to Brazil, so you won’t need to contact Brazilian authorities about your pet ahead of your flight. The only document you’ll need is a veterinary health certificate completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian. Official forms are available online from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Your vet can also issue health certificates electronically and submit them to the USDA digitally for USDA endorsement. This speeds up the process for getting what you need for customs clearance in Brazil.Health certificates are valid for 60 days after they’re issued. As parasite treatments must be done within 15 days of travel to Brazil, we recommend that your vet completes the form within that window.
Airline Options
This is where your trip planning can get more complicated. You have a few options for flying your pet to Brazil, but which option you choose depends on your pet’s breed and origin point.
If you’re starting in the U.S. and aren’t flying with a snub-nosed or “dangerous” dog breed, our preferred partner for pet travel or moves to Brazil is American Airlines.
Pets are not allowed in-cabin for travel to Brazil, but their cargo arm has direct flights from Miami, New York, and Dallas to São Paulo. Your pet can also catch a direct flight on American to Rio de Janeiro via Miami. Travel outside of those main U.S. hubs requires at least one connection.
Flights from U.S. cities on American that require connections along the way will include comfort stops for dogs. Comfort stops are provided at kennel facilities and include well-being checks, time outside of their crate for a bathroom break, and, depending on your pet’s itinerary, water and food.
Cats are only given mandatory comfort stops if their flight itinerary is over 24 hours. (You can request one if you’d like, though, especially in the case of a long layover.)
Flights originating in Los Angeles can choose to fly via Avianca or Copa Airlines, but both options will include stops in South American cities along the way. That means your pet may also need to meet requirements in those countries, complicating their journey.
LATAM Airlines is another option if you’re not flying during periods of extreme cold or heat. Pets may travel in the hold or via LATAM Cargo if they are over 99 pounds, including their kennel. (Brachycephalic cats, dogs, and dangerous breeds are not accepted in the hold.)
Note that this only covers flights solely run by LATAM. If your flight includes a connection on Delta Air Lines, for example, your cargo pet won’t be allowed to fly, as Delta has an embargo on pets in cargo.
If you have a snub-nosed dog or a dog on the dangerous breeds list, your options are very limited. Lufthansa Cargo allows pet transport in both situations to Brazil, with some limitations.
Snub-nosed dogs may need additional pre-flight wellness assessments, and are more limited by strict temperature constraints to and from Brazil. (Assume that you’re going to rule out travel in Brazil’s summer months for all pets in cargo.)
Dogs on the dangerous breeds list may need a reinforced crate for travel. CR82-compliant crates are made of more durable materials to prevent escape attempts. We can provide custom-built CR82 crates if you need one for your dog.
An added wrinkle is that flights through Lufthansa will route your pet through Europe, dramatically increasing their travel time. If that’s your only option, working with a professional pet shipper is the best way to make sure your itinerary is as efficient as possible.The cost of your pet’s flight will vary widely depending on what you choose to go with, as more complex itineraries will be more costly. Again, professional pet transportation services can help you figure that out.
Quarantine
There is no quarantine requirement for pets traveling to Brazil as long as they meet all of the other entry requirements before their arrival.
Returning to the USA
As Brazil is considered a high-risk country for rabies, pets arriving from Brazil back to the U.S. must comply with CDC requirements upon arrival.
If you’re dog has a history of rabies vaccines in the U.S., you’ll need a CDC Dog Import Form receipt and a Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form. Without these documents, you’ll need to plan for a rabies titer test before your dog leaves Brazil. If you’re traveling to Brazil for less than 3 years, ensure you have a U.S.-certified, updated rabies vaccine before you leave that won’t expire while you’re away.
How Tailwind Can Help
Even when pet travel looks easy enough, there is enough that could go wrong to complicate things for even the most well-prepared travelers. No matter where you’re going, our experts at Tailwind can get you and your pet there safely and as stress-free as possible.
At Tailwind, we work with clients across the globe, including those with snub-nosed pets or dogs on banned breed lists. If there’s a way to get your pet abroad, we’ll find it.
Ready to get started? Each pet relocation situation is different, so to get an idea of the costs involved, fill out a quote request.
See What Our Clients Have to Say
“We recently moved from Los Angeles to Brazil with our two cats. Our vet stopped doing international health certificates and recommended Tailwind Global Pet. Everyone there was friendly and helpful. We opted to take our cats to their office near LAX; however, they can come to you (for an additional fee).
Everything went like clockwork. Appointments were on time and we received the necessary paperwork a few days before departure. We thought the pricing was a bit steep, but in the long run worth not having to navigate the labyrinth of government red tape.
Of note: When we arrived in São Paulo the immigration officer didn’t even look at the paperwork. She said, “I don’t need to see that.” Oh well!”
– Jason R.
“Flew our 9 year old Vizsla, Whisky, from LAX to LHR last summer. Great service from the veterinary requirements to the actual moving of the the dog. literally door to door service and a happy boy at the other end.
Fast forward to March 2024 and need to take him to South America.
Had the complete run around from the airline and UK providers trying to work out how best to do it; crate dimensions allowable; excess baggage or cargo? Called Brady who gave me chapter and verse. Great customer service!”
– Dr. W
“I cannot recommend Tailwind’s/Kennel Club LAX’s team enough! We had a long and complex process ahead of us when I approached Brady for the first time, and I was very afraid of how things could turn out. I had just received a job offer in Australia, and being from Brazil, I knew that my cats could not be exported directly from Brazil to Australia, and needed a long-term boarding in an approved country. Both of my cats were boarded in Kennel Club LAX for 8 months, they were happy and healthy – and even managed to gain a bit of weight! Christina, from Tailwind, updated me twice a week on the girls status with photos, and we scheduled video calls every now and then for me to see them. Not only have a had ZERO problems with the entire process/documents, but also they always answered my questions. Thank you Tailwind/Kennel Club LAX for all the support you have given us these past months! It is much appreciated!!”
– Carolina Q.