In accordance with Florida law, it is mandatory for any pet being sold within the state or traveling outside of Florida to possess a valid health certificate, officially known as an Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (OCVI).
As a leading veterinary clinic in Florida, Critter Care is proud to offer Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspections to meet the necessary requirements for interstate and international travel, health certification, and other official purposes.
Our veterinarians have undergone USDA-accredited training and hold licenses in the state of Florida, enabling them to complete these essential documents. It is important to note that health certificates have a validity period of 30 days from the date of issuance. Requirements for pet travel may differ from those pertaining to the sale of pets.
CALL TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT
When calling to make the appointment, please alert the staff that the purpose is to obtain a health certificate (OCVI) for sale of dog(s) and cat(s).
If a pet is being sold to someone that lives outside the state of Florida, only the health certificate for travel is needed. If you have a litter of animals, it is required that each individual animal have their own health certificate that will go with them to the purchaser. It is required by law that the veterinarian retains 1 copy of the form for 1 year, the seller will also get a copy, and the original should be given to the purchaser at the time of sale.
To comply with Florida law and complete the OCVI, the following requirements must be met:
Pets must be a minimum of 8 weeks old at the time of sale.
Pets must exhibit no signs of contagious or infectious diseases during the physical examination.
Pets must show no signs of parasites, including intestinal worms and ear mites (excluding fleas and ticks). A negative fecal test is required before the OCVI can be issued. If possible, please provide a stool sample from each pet for testing before the examination. Please note, even with a negative result, deworming is still required at the time of the exam.
Pets must have been dewormed, vaccinated, and undergone other necessary blood tests by an accredited veterinarian within 21 days prior to sale if they are under 4 months old, or within 1 year prior to sale if they are over 4 months old.
Cats for sale must be tested for feline leukemia (FeLV), dogs for sale over 6 months of age must undergo a heartworm test.
Required vaccinations for cats include FVRCP (feline distemper, feline viral rhinotracheitis, and calicivirus) and Rabies (if older than 3 months).
Required vaccinations for dogs include DAPP (canine distemper, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and adenovirus 2), *Leptospirosis, Bordetella, and Rabies (if older than 3 months).
*Exceptions may be made in cases where a pet has a documented history of vaccine reaction or if a veterinarian determines that administering the vaccine is not in the best medical interest of the pet.
SALE OF DOG(S) OR CAT(S)
INTERSTATE/INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
When calling to make the appointment, please alert the staff that the purpose is to obtain a health certificate (OCVI) for interstate or international travel.
INTERSTATE: While the majority of states in the US typically require a basic interstate form for pet travel, it's important to note that Hawaii has more stringent and specific restrictions in place.
INTERNATIONAL: For guidance on traveling internationally with your pet, we recommend reaching out to the USDA/APHIS Veterinary Services Area office in Gainesville at (352) 313-3060 or contacting the National Import Export Services (NIES) Call Center at (301) 851-3300 (Press Option 2 – Live Animals). The NIES call center offers centralized support for all inquiries related to animal health import and export.
Please note that contacting the airlines or the authorities of the state or country you are traveling to is essential to determine any additional forms or specific requirements for your pet's travel. We advise doing this before scheduling your appointment, allowing our staff to ensure that we can meet the requirements of your travel destination.