Pet to Uruguay: chip, rabies, deworming and an NVWA stamp

Taking a dog or cat to Uruguay is possible, with a fixed set of papers. The ministry of livestock, agriculture and fisheries, the MGAP, wants to see an international health certificate on arrival from the official authority of the country of departure. The EU pet passport may be used instead, but only if an official vet has signed and stamped it before departure. In the Netherlands the NVWA does that, by appointment in Utrecht. Without that stamp Uruguay does not accept the passport.

What	Dog	Cat	Timing
Microchip	required
Rabies vaccination	valid according to the manufacturer	same	first vaccination at least 21 days before arrival
Clinical examination by a vet	required	required	within 10 days before the certificate is issued
Deworming, internal and external	required, internal with praziquantel	required	within 15 days before the certificate is issued
Leishmaniasis test	negative, from a country not declared free; always with the EU passport		at most 60 days before arrival
Notice when travelling as cargo	72 working hours in advance to the MGAP	same
NVWA appointment for legalisation			request at least 14 working days in advance

Certificate or EU passport?

The MGAP accepts two forms. The first is a Certificado Veterinario Internacional (CVI), issued by the official authority of the country of origin on a Mercosur model. The second is an official passport, such as the EU pet passport. It must be valid, contain all the data Uruguay asks for (chip, rabies, deworming, health examination and for a dog the leishmaniasis test), and be signed and stamped by an official vet of the country of departure.

An EU pet passport without the NVWA stamp is not accepted in Uruguay. Email the NVWA at least 14 working days in advance for an appointment in Utrecht. Your vet must already have filled in everything, and your animal does not come to the appointment.

How do you plan the timing?

Work back from the day of arrival. The short periods depend on the issue of the certificate or the stamp in the passport:

• the clinical examination by your vet within ten days before;
• the deworming, internal and external, within fifteen days before; for a dog with a product containing praziquantel;
• the NVWA stamp, at an appointment you request at least fourteen working days in advance.

The long periods depend on arrival. A rabies vaccination given for the first time must have been given at least 21 days before arrival. A leishmaniasis test for a dog may not be older than 60 days on the day it enters Uruguay.

This gives a narrow window: the examination and the deworming come just before the stamp, and the stamp just before the flight. Plan the NVWA appointment first, and the vet around it.

Must you register your animal in advance?

If your animal travels with you in the cabin or as baggage, you need no prior permission from the MGAP. If your animal arrives as cargo at Carrasco airport, the airline, the cargo agent or you yourself notify the MGAP of the arrival at least 72 working hours in advance, and you send the scanned documents by email beforehand.

Animals other than dogs and cats, such as rabbits or birds, need separate permission from the Dirección de Sanidad Animal. It costs 165 pesos.