Traveling to Colombia With a Dog or Cat: Planning Guide
Explore Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena with your pet. This is an editorial planning guide, not an entry clearance. Rules depend on your origin, pet, route and travel dates.
Source review status for this destination
Editorial source review: P3 — review candidate source
Next editorial check: Check candidate publisher, page relevance, current rules, and dog/cat differences.
Official pet-entry requirements remain NOT VERIFIED. This priority describes missing research, not permission to travel or a statement of current law.
Source evidence to review
Research leads below are not verified pet-entry rules. Confirm the responsible authority, publication date, applicability to your pet and route, and current requirements before relying on any source.
Candidate research link (unverified): www.ica.gov.co
This link is a starting point only. It may lead to a general government homepage rather than current pet import instructions.
- Identify the competent veterinary or animal-import authority for this destination and arrival point.
- Find the current dog and cat entry instructions, including origin-country and transit conditions.
- Record the official page URL, publication or update date, and the date you checked it.
- Cross-check the return journey and carrier requirements separately.
Record findings in the pet-entry worksheet
Colombia — official ICA pet entry procedure (2026 review)
Official-authority research reviewed 1 November 2026. This is a planning summary, not a complete legal clearance for every origin, age, route, breed or transport method.
Apply for an inspection certificate
Colombia’s agricultural authority ICA instructs travelers to register and request the sanitary inspection certificate (CIS) through SISPAP before arrival. Print the request and payment evidence. The ICA border office inspects the animal and documents before issuing the CIS.
Official health certificate
Bring an original health certificate issued or endorsed by the official veterinary authority in the country of origin, dated no more than 10 calendar days before entry. It should identify the pet, certify health and fitness for transport, and document internal and external parasite treatment within 60 days before travel.
Vaccinations and minimum age
ICA publishes separate vaccination lists for dogs and cats, including rabies. For a first rabies vaccination, ICA specifies at least 21 days before shipment. ICA lists a minimum entry age of 15 weeks. Confirm the complete species-specific vaccination schedule on its official page.
Arrival and onward travel
An ICA officer checks documents and physically examines the pet. Missing or unsatisfactory evidence can lead to official sanitary measures. Check airline rules, local handling requirements, and any rabies antibody test needed for return to the EU before leaving.
Primary government sources
Status: OFFICIAL SOURCES REVIEWED — FULL ROUTE-SPECIFIC RULES NOT VERIFIED. Reconfirm with the authority shortly before booking and departure.
1. Confirm entry, transit and return requirements
Start with the official website of Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA). Locate the current pet import rules and confirm identification, vaccination, health certification, import permission, inspections, quarantine and timing as applicable to your exact case. This homepage is not a verified route-specific checklist.
Also check every transit country and the requirements for returning home. A return journey may have different requirements from the outward journey.
2. Design a pet-friendly route
Possible starting areas include Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena. Account for altitude changes and regional climate differences.
Choose one or two bases rather than rushing between cities. Check walking surfaces, weather, access to shade and water, emergency veterinary options and pet access at each planned stop.
Tropical heat, rainfall and parasite planning
Plan for humidity, heavy rain and hot surfaces. Ask your veterinarian about destination-appropriate parasite prevention, and verify pet access to shaded transport, lodging and emergency veterinary care.
Route-specific verification worksheet
Before committing to travel, record the answers for your exact pet and itinerary. Do not assume rules for dogs also apply to cats, or that entry rules cover transit.
- Origin and pet: country of departure, species, age, identification details and vaccination history.
- Destination authority: official veterinary or biosecurity contact, required documents, application process, lead times and the date you verified them.
- Connections: each transit country, border crossing and transport operator, including rules for layovers or changing airports.
- Return journey: re-entry requirements for your home country and any additional documents needed before departure.
- Practical backup: written carrier approval, accommodation pet policy, local veterinary contact and a contingency plan if transport changes.
Open a printable pet-entry verification worksheet for Colombia — record official answers before booking; no entry permission is implied.
3. Transport and accommodation
Ask every airline, rail operator, ferry or road carrier on your route whether pets are accepted, and request written confirmation of carrier rules, fees and any seasonal restrictions.
Before paying, obtain written confirmation of the property’s pet policy, species and size limits, additional fees, unattended-pet rules, and nearby relief areas. Ask airlines and other carriers about reservation limits, carrier dimensions, breed restrictions and weather embargoes.
4. Pre-departure checklist
- Confirm the official import process for your pet and country of origin.
- Check transit and return-home requirements, including any special tests or timing.
- Get veterinary advice well before departure and retain copies of records.
- Confirm every transport segment and accommodation booking accepts your pet.
- Prepare identification, carrier, water, food, medications and an emergency plan.
Official information and next steps
Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA) — official starting point; confirm the applicable page and current procedure directly with the authority.
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How to verify official entry information
Source status: This guide has not been independently checked against a current destination-specific government entry notice. It is a planning aid, not an approval to travel with an animal.
- Find the destination's competent government veterinary, agriculture or biosecurity authority and check its pet-import instructions for your species and country of departure.
- Confirm whether any transit jurisdiction, carrier or border crossing has separate conditions; also check the rules for returning home.
- Record the official page address, the date checked, the responsible authority and any required deadlines or permits in your pet-entry verification worksheet.
- If guidance is missing, ambiguous or conflicting, contact the authority directly before booking.
Dog and cat: separate checks before booking
Do not assume that dogs and cats have identical import, transit or carrier requirements. Use the following questions to check your exact route with the relevant authorities and transport providers; these are prompts, not confirmed destination rules.
- For dogs: Confirm identification and rabies documentation; ask whether dog-specific vaccinations, parasite treatments, breed restrictions, age limits or extra permits apply.
- For cats: Confirm identification and rabies documentation; ask whether cat-specific health certificates, vaccinations, age limits, permits or carrier restrictions apply.
- For both species: Confirm any required laboratory tests, official certificate wording, endorsement, pre-arrival notice, inspection booking, quarantine rules and permitted ports of entry.
- For your route: Check each transit stop, airline or ferry operator, accommodation policy and the rules for returning home. Obtain written confirmation when possible.
Keep separate notes for each pet. Rules can differ by species, country of origin, travel purpose and date, and may change before departure.
Final departure decision: verify before you go
Use these checkpoints for planning, not as universal legal deadlines. The responsible authorities and your carrier determine the actual timing, documentation and eligibility for your route.
- Before making non-refundable bookings — Identify the official veterinary or biosecurity authority for the destination, each transit point and your return country. Check species eligibility, entry points, permits, quarantine and carrier restrictions.
- When arranging veterinary appointments — Ask your veterinarian to work backward from the official validity windows for identification, vaccinations, tests, certificates and endorsements. Do not assume the same timing applies to every country.
- Before confirming transport and accommodation — Get the airline, ferry or rail operator’s pet acceptance conditions in writing where possible; confirm crate dimensions, reservations, temperature restrictions and any connections.
- Shortly before departure — Reopen the official government pages and carrier instructions, confirm no rule or schedule has changed, and check that names, microchip numbers and dates agree across documents.
- At the final go/no-go decision — Carry originals and accessible copies where required. If a permit, certificate, transit clearance or carrier approval is missing or unclear, seek confirmation from the responsible authority before traveling.
Keep official links, dates checked and outstanding questions in your pet-entry verification worksheet.
Return journey and transit: separate rule checks
A destination entry check is not enough for a round trip. Review each border and carrier separately, using the current official authority for that part of your journey.
- Origin and return country: Confirm re-entry rules for your pet, including identification, health records, vaccination evidence and any applicable timing or testing requirements.
- Transit countries and territories: Check whether your pet will remain airside or cross immigration, and whether transit, stopover or transfer creates separate animal-entry requirements.
- Every transport operator: Check each airline, ferry, rail or road carrier separately, including pet acceptance, booking limits, crate rules and connection handling.
- Document timing and contingency: Record which authority issued each requirement, when it was checked, relevant expiry dates, and a plan if travel dates or routing change.
These are research prompts, not confirmed legal requirements. Rules can differ by species, route, origin and travel date.
Compare destination research status
Share a research checklist for this destination
Copy a plain-text list of questions to send to the destination authority, your veterinarian or transport provider. It is a research request, not a statement of current entry rules.
Destination-specific entry update (November 2026)
ICA requires an official origin-country health certificate issued within 10 calendar days before entry, evidence of vaccinations and parasite treatment, and inspection at an ICA border office. The ICA CIS inspection request is normally made through SISPAP; first rabies vaccination must precede shipment by at least 21 days and minimum pet age is 15 weeks.
Route check: Confirm requirements for your pet species, origin, transit stops and return to the EU separately. Rules can change before travel.