Lake Como, Italy has all the ingredients to make for the perfect holiday.

If you cannot obtain a health certificate for the country that you are visiting (due to there possibly not being one), then you need to fill in the International Health Certificate USDA-APHIS 7001 form. It is officially known as "United States Interstate and International Certificate of Health Examination for Small Animals.”  Some countries require that it be certified by the USDA – (see info on USDA certification).

USDA Certification

All EU countries, as well as many other countries, now require that a veterinarian certificate issued in the United States have an official USDA Certification stamp.  This certification is issued by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) VS (Veterinary Services) Area Office in the State in which your accredited veterinarian resides.

You must have an accredited veterinarian complete and sign the health certificate for the Country you are visiting, which, if you are travelling to an EU country, is the new EU FORM 998.  The accredited veterinarian will complete and sign the form as well as writing down the following; vaccination information, whether your pet is parasite free and in good health. Thereafter, you must take (or post) the original

form(s) to the USDA/APHIS/VS Area Office in your state and they will endorse and stamp them. The fee is approximately $24 per form, but you can list more than one animal on the form.  If your vet uses separate forms for each animal, then it will cost you $24 per form! 

Please note, if you are posting your forms to the Area Office, remember to include an SAE (stamped self-addressed envelope) so that the forms can be returned to you.