We are moving into our new house in Roatan in August and need to bring our small dog with us. I’ve read that we need to get a copy of our dogs medical record and vaccinations no more than 10 days prior to our arrival. Is there anything else we need to do to bring our dog onto the island? Thanks so much for your guidance
Hello, you first stop is with the airlines. They will ensure you have all that is needed to transport a pet. It is always advisable to get all your shots in the US before you transport your dog.
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There is a list of vaccinations required to bring your pet to the island PLUS you must obtain a USDA pet certificate no more than 10 days prior to arrival. You can obtain the list online under requirements for pets traveling to Honduras. Be sure the airline has your pet reservation as well. Is the dog able to fit under the passenger seat inside the cabin? If not be careful of regulations for cargo carry especially in summer months. The airline usually charges you as well for the travel. All that said, once you get to the airport there is a customs agent who will inspect your papers and the dog to be sure all is in order. They may charge a small fee for that as well.
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We landed two weeks ago with our cat. We called the airlines to find out their requirements and then we went online to find the Honduran requirements. We traveled from Seattle to Roatan on two different airlines with no problem at all and when we landed in Roatan the Dept of Agriculture agent told us that we only had one of the five shots necessary. He told us that the vaccine information had not been updated online.
They did not care that we paid to have the USDA notarize our documents. From what we were told that is not a requirement. All that is needed is the vaccine paperwork and a letter from your US vet saying that the pet is healthy.
They will charge you a fee of $23 per pet. When the Ag agent saw we didn’t have the proper vaccines he called a local vet who showed up immediately and gave our cat the shot right in the airport. We paid the vet $140 for the vaccines. His name is Dr. Soto and you can find him on Facebook by searching Animal Kingdom Roatan. I would highly recommend getting in touch with him to find out what the required vaccines are.
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Thanks all for the advice and guidance. I set everything up with American when I book our flight so all good there. Also connected with Dr. Soto so I think we should be good. Appreciate your help.
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Thank you for this. Any contact info for the local vet would be appreciated. Did you already own your own home? I’d like to come for 3 months while scouting out the island and wonder if finding a rental would be too hard with our little dog.
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I’m attaching his contact info from his Facebook page.
I don’t think you’ll have any problems finding a rental with a dog. There are places on the island that are geared towards expats that might say no, but we looked into houses owned by expats and locals and no one had a problem with a cat. Almost no one has carpet here or carpeted furniture so I don’t think pets are as much as an issue here.
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Just seeing your post. Dr Soto is on Facebook, the name of his practice is Animal Kingdom. We arrive a few weeks ago with our little dog and had no issues with the airline (American) or with custom/immigration once in Roatán. We went to our local vet in the US about 7 days before our flight and got the international medical certificate. Make sure your vet has the correct license to issue the certificate. No need to get it apostilled or anything. We just showed it to the AA Agent and again to the Honduran officer once on the island. It was way easier than we anticipated. We had already purchased a home so I can’t speak about rentals and pets. Hope this is helpful
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Sounds like it wasn’t too difficult, even with some additional hoops to jump through. Interesting they didn’t care about USDA notarization. I’d probably still do it just to be safe.
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We had planned to get our pet’s medical certificate apostilled, thinking it was a Honduran requirement. However, when our vet called the State board (Texas), the State indicated that Honduras was not on their list of countries that require the medical certificate to be notarized or apostilled. We experienced no issues when we arrived.
FYI, the Honduran official that reviews your pet’s documentation will give you a Honduran document that you should keep in a safe place. The officer explained to us that it would be needed if we ever needed to travel outside of Honduras with our pet.
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Anyone know if it is still possible to bring a pet to Roatan under the new covid travel restrictions?
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There are no new restrictions. Airlines may have additional requirements. You should contact your airline to determine the pet travel requirements they may have.
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