Flying with a pet to and from Mexico.

Yes — and Mexico asks for less than almost anywhere

For a personal pet from the US or Canada, there is barely any paperwork at all.

Mexico lets dogs and cats fly in the cabin, and the import rules are the gentlest of any major destination. There is no quarantine, no rabies blood-titer test, and no import permit for a personal pet. Since December 2019, Mexico no longer even requires a health certificate for dogs and cats arriving from the US or Canada — your pet is simply inspected by a SENASICA officer at the airport.

The core requirements are a current rabies vaccination, documented parasite treatment, and a clean carrier. Everything else is logistical: choosing your airline and entry airport. This guide walks through each piece — and the one real catch, which is bringing a dog back into the US afterwards.

Rabies, parasite treatment, and a clean carrier — that's the core

What you need depends on whether you're coming from the US/Canada or elsewhere.

For a dog or cat entering Mexico, SENASICA's requirements are:

• Rabies vaccination — current and valid. Pets under three months of age are exempt. Carry the vaccination record showing the date given and the validity period.
• Parasite treatment — your pet must have been treated against internal and external parasites within the six months before arrival, and must be free of ectoparasites (fleas, ticks) at inspection.
• A clean carrier — the crate or carrier must be clean and free of bedding. No hay, straw, cloth, newspaper or wood shavings; SENASICA may ask you to remove them.

From the US or Canada: no health certificate is required. Mexico dropped that requirement in December 2019 — your pet is inspected physically at the airport instead. It is still worth carrying vaccination records and a recent vet summary, because airlines often check paperwork at boarding regardless.

From any other country: a certificate of good health is required, issued by a licensed veterinarian no more than 15 days before arrival, and presented in original plus a copy. It must identify the pet, confirm it is clinically healthy, and state the rabies and parasite-treatment details.

Mexico does not require a microchip — but if you are travelling with a dog, get one anyway, because bringing the dog back into the US later does require one. And note that most airlines have their own rules: many require a health certificate or a minimum pet age regardless of what Mexico asks, so always confirm with your carrier.

US carriers and Aeroméxico cover most routes

Mexico is well served for cabin pets from North America and beyond.

Mexico City, Cancún and Guadalajara are the main gateways

Short cabin hops from the US dominate; Europe connects through the hubs.

From the US: these are short, frequent cabin flights — Miami to Mexico City is about 3h 30m on American or Aeroméxico, and there are plentiful cabin routes from Texas, California and the southern US into all three Mexican gateways. Mexico is one of the easiest cabin destinations from the US precisely because the flights are short and the import rules light.

From Europe: Air France flies cabin pets Paris to Mexico, and KLM connects via Amsterdam. Aeroméxico's own example page does mention Mexico City–Paris as a pet-friendly route, but their published 6-hour cabin pet rule technically excludes transatlantic — written confirmation before booking is essential. Expect a long-haul flight of 11 hours or more — worth planning a calm routing and confirming the cabin pet space well ahead.

Within Mexico: Aeroméxico carries cabin pets on domestic routes between Mexico City, Cancún, Guadalajara and other cities. For your exact city pair, the journey planner below maps the specific cabin airline, any connection, and a checklist matched to the route.

A physical inspection at the airport — usually quick

SENASICA replaces the paperwork with a hands-on check on arrival.

On arrival, you take your pet to the Mexican animal-health inspection office — the OISA — inside the airport, and present yourself to the SENASICA officer. They carry out a documentary and physical check: confirming the rabies vaccination, that the pet shows no signs of infectious disease, has no fresh or healing wounds, and is free of external parasites.

If everything is in order, the inspection is brief. If ectoparasites are found, you will be asked to have a vet treat the pet before release; if your pet is under treatment for a skin condition, bring a vet's letter on official letterhead with the diagnosis, treatment and the vet's professional registration number. Missing or incomplete paperwork can mean a local vet is called in — adding an hour or two and a service fee.

The standard process allows up to two pets per person. Bringing three or more is treated as a commercial shipment, which carries an additional SENASICA fee and extra rules — so if you are moving a larger group of animals, plan for that in advance.

Bringing a dog back into the US is now the harder half

Since late 2024, the return trip needs more paperwork than the outbound.

This is the one genuine catch with Mexico, and it is easy to overlook because the outbound trip is so simple. As of 22 November 2024, Mexico is considered affected with New World screwworm. That means every dog entering — or re-entering — the US after time in Mexico must meet USDA APHIS requirements for screwworm-freedom certification.

On top of that, a dog entering the US must satisfy the CDC's rules that have applied since August 2024: the dog must be microchipped, at least six months old, and the traveller must complete the CDC Dog Import Form before arrival. So a dog that left the US with almost no paperwork needs a screwworm-freedom certificate, a CDC Dog Import Form and a microchip to come home.

Cats have it far easier on the return — no CDC import form, no screwworm certificate, no microchip requirement. If you are travelling with a dog, build the return paperwork into your plan from the start: arrange the screwworm-freedom certification with a vet in Mexico before you fly home, and check the current APHIS and CDC requirements close to your travel date.