BRINGING A DOG FROMThailand →to Canada

Valid rabies vaccination certificate for dogs 3 months or older. No permit, no microchip, no titer test, no waiting period after vaccination, no quarantine. Puppies under 8 months flying without their owner also need a vet health certificate issued within 72 hours of arrival. CBSA fee about CAD 37 for the first pet.

• No microchip or tattoo is required for personal pet dogs (a chip number, if any, goes on the certificates). — Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• The EU pet passport can replace the rabies vaccination certificate if it has every required element; it cannot replace the Veterinary Certificate of Health. — Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• CFIA's tool allows a rabies certificate in another language with an official translation (AIRS says only "English or French"). Rules for the translation. — Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Who counts as "unaccompanied" — anyone other than the owner. — Canadian Food Inspection Agency — Automated Import Reference System
• Assistance dogs (trained and certified by an ADI- or IGDF-accredited organisation, travelling with their designated handler, 8 months or older per CFIA's tool) are exempt from the rabies requirement; they need the certification document and must look healthy. Emotional-support, therapy and in-training dogs are not assistance dogs. See the rules for assistance dogs. — Canadian Food Inspection Agency — Automated Import Reference System
• Notice to Vaccinate for a pet that arrives without a valid rabies certificate — at most 14 days to show proof of vaccination. — Canadian Food Inspection Agency — Automated Import Reference System
• If the pet is not admissible, the CFIA usually orders it removed from Canada (Health of Animals Act s. 18); penalties are possible. — Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Medical exemption: a dog that cannot be vaccinated for a documented medical reason (not just old age) needs an import permit from the CFIA National Centre for Permissions, a vet letter, a FAVN titer of at least 0.5 IU/ml taken within 6 months before entry and at least 30 days after an earlier rabies vaccination, and a CFIA veterinary inspection at the first port of entry booked in advance. Only possible for dogs vaccinated at least once before. — Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Official sources differ — the Import Reference Document itself lists a titer test (≥0.5 IU/ml) as an alternative to the vaccination certificate, without a permit, "three to four weeks" after vaccination for dogs from non-rabies-free countries (30 days elsewhere in the same document). CFIA's tool and AIRS offer the titer only inside the permit-based medical exemption. We do not show the titer as a normal route until the CFIA confirms. — Canadian Food Inspection Agency (incorporated by reference into the Health of Animals Regulations)
  !Sources disagree — confirm with the authority

  • “the dog has a Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre Test (RNATT) resulting in a titre of at least 0.5 IU/ml, taken at least three to four weeks after any prior rabies vaccination. The animal must be properly identified on the laboratory report and the lab report must accompany the animal; or” — Canadian Food Inspection Agency (incorporated by reference into the Health of Animals Regulations), checked 04 Oct 2026
• Provinces may require rabies vaccination of resident dogs; the CFIA recommends it for dogs 3 months or older. — Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Personal pet dogs from CFIA's high-risk list (e.g. Thailand, Türkiye, Brazil, India) are NOT covered by the 2022 ban on commercial dogs — the orders exclude personal pet dogs and assistance dogs. The CFIA said in 2022 it would "explore options" to tighten rules for them; nothing further was found in force on 2026-09-24. — Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Ontario bans importing pit bulls (see the breed bans).