Dog or cat to Colombia: a ten-day health certificate and the inspection at the airport
A dog or cat may enter Colombia without quarantine if the papers are in order. The ICA, the Colombian agricultural inspectorate, asks for a health certificate at most ten days old, a valid rabies vaccination, a deworming and the inspection on arrival, which costs 78,200 pesos in 2026. If you ever want to return to the Netherlands, have the rabies blood test done before you leave.
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Your dog or cat may come to Colombia, and without quarantine if the papers are in order. The ICA, the Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario, inspects the animal on arrival at the airport and then issues a Certificado de Inspección Sanitaria (CIS). For this you need a health certificate that is at most ten days old on arrival, signed or endorsed by the official veterinary service of the country of departure.
| Requirement | Deadline or amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Health certificate | at most 10 calendar days old on entry | ICA |
| Deworming, internal and external | within 60 days before travel (the page and the resolution); an ICA news item says 30 days | ICA |
| First rabies vaccination | at least 21 days before departure | ICA |
| Minimum age | 15 weeks | ICA |
| Inspection and CIS, up to 5 animals per species | 78,200 pesos in 2026 | ICA, Resolución 34487 de 2025 |
| Supervision of home quarantine, if things go wrong | 606,450 pesos in 2026 | ICA, Resolución 34487 de 2025 |
| Apostille on the documents | not needed | ICA |
Which vaccinations does the ICA want to see?
A vaccination record with the name of the vaccine, the batch number, the date of administration and the validity. For a dog: rabies, distemper, infectious hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvo, corona and parainfluenza. For a cat: rabies, feline panleukopenia, cat flu (rhinotracheitis) and calicivirus.
If the animal gets its first rabies vaccination, it must have been given at least 21 days before departure. The animal must be at least 15 weeks old.
What is in the health certificate?
The certificate describes the animal, with species, breed, sex, age, coat colour and other features, and the microchip number if the animal has one. It states that the animal is free of contagious diseases and parasites, is fit to travel, and was dewormed, with the name, active substance and date of the product.
On that deworming the ICA is not consistent. The procedure page and the 2021 resolution say within 60 days before travel, an ICA news item says at most 30 days.
Have the deworming done within 30 days before departure. Then you meet both deadlines. If a document is wrong, the ICA can hold the animal, place it in home quarantine or send it back, at your expense.
What do you arrange in the Netherlands?
The NVWA points the way through its Export Assistant: choose Colombia and see whether there is a binding certificate with instructions. If there is not, you can request the requirements from the NVWA via dpp@nvwa.nl. If documents must be legalised, you make an appointment at the NVWA in Utrecht at least 14 working days in advance.
Make sure your animal is microchipped before the rabies vaccination. According to the NVWA the vaccination is otherwise not valid for the EU.
What do you do on arrival?
Before your trip you register as a user with the ICA and apply online for the CIS in the SISPAP system. You print the application and the proof of payment. On arrival you take the animal to the ICA office at the airport. There the inspector checks the papers and the animal. You can pay by debit or credit card; the ICA does not accept cash.
And if you ever want to return?
Colombia is not on the European list of countries for which no blood test is needed. According to the NVWA a dog or cat coming to the Netherlands from such a country must have had a rabies blood test. If you have it done outside the EU, the animal may only travel 90 days after a good result.
So have the blood test done in the Netherlands, at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination and before you leave. Then keep the vaccination valid. A vaccination that a vet outside the EU enters in the EU pet passport does not count according to the NVWA; for the return journey you then need an EU health certificate.
Where the animal fits in the planning of flight, household goods and first weeks is in the route to Colombia. For the rest of the move, see household goods to Colombia.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.4: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Colombia or go straight to step 4.4 in the open plan.
What is due when?
Enter your departure date and see day by day what your dog or cat needs for Colombia, from microchip to certificate.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- ICA — importing dogs and cats into Colombia, documents and procedure — ica.gov.co
- ICA — Resolución 100164 of 7 July 2021 on importing and exporting pets — ica.gov.co
- ICA — news item on the requirements, with deworming within 30 days and no apostille — ica.gov.co
- ICA — Resolución 34487 of 2025, the fees for 2026 — ica.gov.co
- NVWA — taking your dog or cat to a country outside the EU — nvwa.nl
- NVWA — the rabies blood test when returning from a high-risk country — nvwa.nl
- European Commission — the non-EU countries for which no blood test is needed (Colombia is not among them) — food.ec.europa.eu
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