Pet relocation to Paraguay: importing dogs & cats (2026)

TL;DR

What it actually takes

• Only dogs and cats count as companion animals, and a maximum of 5 per person — 6 or more is a commercial consignment with its own SENACSA process.
• Your pet needs an ISO 11784/11785 microchip a universal scanner can read, a rabies vaccine (animal at least 3 months old, dose currently valid and not over 1 year), and a government-endorsed international veterinary certificate (CVI) on the MERCOSUR companion-animal model.
• From the US, the certificate must be issued by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by USDA-APHIS; other countries endorse via their own national veterinary authority.
• Implant the chip first, vaccinate after, and wait 21 days after a first rabies dose before flying.
• Entry is through Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Asunción, where SENACSA inspects the animal and papers. No quarantine, no import permit for an owner's pets when the file is clean.

Do this in order

The SENACSA import checklist

The order is not optional — a chip implanted after the rabies shot, or a certificate issued too early, can get your pet turned back at the counter. Work through this sequence with a vet who has done international exports before, and treat SENACSA's own published rule as the authority for every date.

• Implant an ISO 11784/11785 microchip that a universal scanner can read. Do this before the rabies vaccination so the chip number is on the rabies record.
• Vaccinate against rabies. The animal must be at least 3 months old, the vaccine must be currently valid (not over 1 year old at travel), and after a first dose SENACSA requires you to wait 21 days before shipment.
• Core vaccines. For dogs: distemper (CDV), parvovirus, and infectious canine hepatitis. For cats: feline panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, and calicivirus. Have these documented and confirm the current list with SENACSA.
• Internal and external antiparasitic treatment, recorded on the certificate — SENACSA's standard window is within 15 days of travel (some destinations/routes differ, so confirm with your vet and SENACSA).
• Clinical inspection and the international veterinary certificate (CVI) issued within 10 days before travel by a licensed/accredited vet. The chip number on it must match the implanted chip exactly.
• Government endorsement of the CVI by your origin country's veterinary authority — USDA-APHIS for the US, or the equivalent (CFIA in Canada, APHA/DEFRA route in the UK, etc.).
• Notify SENACSA / the airport veterinary office in advance so an inspector is on hand when you land, and present everything at Silvio Pettirossi.

SENACSA inaugurated a dedicated entry-point and surveillance station at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport on 30 April 2026, strengthening live-animal inspection — but advance notice still avoids waiting for an officer.

Origin-country endorsement

Who signs your certificate

Paraguay follows the MERCOSUR companion-animal certificate model and requires the health certificate to be endorsed by the competent veterinary authority of the exporting country — not just signed by your local vet. Where you fly from determines whose stamp you need.

Endorsement turnaround varies — USDA-APHIS now accepts digital endorsement via VEHCS, but issuance windows can still be tight against the 10-day clinical-inspection clock, so book the vet visit and the endorsement appointment together.

Arrival

Entry point, inspection, and quarantine

Pets travelling with owners enter through Silvio Pettirossi International Airport (ASU) in Luque, just outside Asunción. There are no direct flights from most origins, so you will typically connect through Panama City (Copa), São Paulo, Lima, or Buenos Aires — plan the routing so your pet is not in transit longer than the airline and the heat allow. On landing, SENACSA inspectors verify the animal against the documents and scan the microchip. If the chip reads, the number matches the certificate, and the rabies and health paperwork are in order, there is no mandatory quarantine and no import permit is required for an owner's accompanying pets. If something is off — an unreadable chip, an expired certificate, a missing endorsement — the animal can be held, returned to origin, or worse at your cost, so the file has to be right before you board.

• Entry airport: Silvio Pettirossi International (ASU), Asunción/Luque.
• Quarantine: none when documents are complete and consistent.
• Import permit: not required for up to 5 owner-accompanied pets; 6+ animals are a commercial consignment with prior SENACSA authorisation.
• Advance notice: alert the airport veterinary office to your arrival so an inspector is available (SENACSA asks for several days' notice for cargo/unaccompanied animals).

Honest caveats

Where people actually get caught

Pet import is one of the few parts of a Paraguay move where a single small mistake has hard consequences for a living animal. The blunt truths:

• Sequence beats everything. The most common failure is a microchip implanted *after* the rabies shot, which makes the rabies record unverifiable against the animal. Chip first, always.
• The 10-day clock is unforgiving. Your clinical inspection and CVI must be issued within 10 days of travel, then often endorsed by a government office — that compresses an already busy window. Do not leave the vet visit to the last day.
• Specific vaccine lists and parasite windows can change. SENACSA's published requirements are the authority; older third-party blogs drift (you will see other sites quote a 30-day rabies wait, but SENACSA's own rule is 21 days after a first dose). Treat any day-count here as a planning figure and confirm the current rule directly with SENACSA (or your origin-country authority) before you commit dates.
• Breed and airline rules are separate. SENACSA governs health; your airline governs crate size, snub-nosed-breed embargoes, and cargo-vs-cabin. Clear both.

When a detail is unverifiable from outside Paraguay, default to SENACSA's own guidance rather than a forwarder's summary — they are the body that can refuse entry.

After you land

Settling in with a pet

Once your pet is through, the practical side of life in Paraguay is straightforward. Veterinary care and pet supplies are widely available in Asunción and the other cities movers choose between — Encarnación in the south and Ciudad del Este in the east. If you are still deciding where to base yourself, the cost-of-living guide and the regions overview compare them. Bringing a pet does not change your own immigration path: the standard residency route under Ley 6984/2022 is administrative, has no investment minimum, and ends in a cédula — your dog or cat is simply accompanied baggage alongside it.

Pet import FAQ

Common questions about bringing pets to Paraguay