Pet Transport to Mexico: Complete Cross-Border Guide for 2026

If you have spent any time reading expat forums about moving a dog or cat across the southern border, you have probably waded through a swamp of out-of-date advice. Half of it tells you to get a USDA-endorsed health certificate within ten days of travel. The other half mentions rabies titers, microchip rules, and import permits that do not actually exist.

Here is the short version. Since December 2019, Mexico no longer requires a Certificate of Good Health for pets entering the country. SENASICA, the agriculture-inspection agency that handles animal imports, dropped the paperwork requirement and replaced it with a simple visual inspection on arrival. That is the entire bureaucratic friction on the Mexico side for dogs and cats coming from the US.

Which means the real questions are operational. Should you drive your pet across at Laredo, or fly cargo into Mexico City? Is Tijuana actually a faster crossing than Nogales? What does it cost in 2026 to move a 60-pound retriever from Phoenix to Guadalajara? And what happens, two years later, when you want to bring the same dog back to the US?

This guide answers all of that, with real cost ranges from operators currently quoting routes, the six border crossings most pet owners use, and the part nobody tells you about: getting back into the US is more paperwork than getting into Mexico.

Related reading: Amtrak Pet Policy.

What Mexico Actually Requires in 2026

SENASICA, formally the Servicio Nacional de Sanidad, Inocuidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria, runs animal inspection at every Mexican port of entry. Their current rule set for dogs and cats arriving from any country, including the US, is published at gob.mx/senasica under "Importación de mascotas."

The requirements:

A visual inspection on arrival. A SENASICA officer at the airport or land crossing checks that the animal looks healthy, is free of external parasites, and is being transported in a clean carrier with no food residue. Bedding can be present but should be clean.

No health certificate. This changed December 16, 2019. Mexico stopped requiring the APHIS Form 7001 or any international veterinary certificate for pet imports. You do not need a USDA-endorsed certificate. You do not need a vet visit within ten days of travel for Mexico's sake. (You may still want one for your airline. More on that below.)

No rabies vaccine documentation required. Mexico does not check rabies records on entry. The CDC and your airline almost certainly will, so vaccinate anyway, but SENASICA itself does not inspect the certificate.

No microchip requirement. Mexico does not mandate microchips for pet imports, though chipping is strongly recommended for any cross-border move.

No quarantine. Pets walk or fly straight through after inspection.

No breed bans. Brachycephalic breeds, pit-bull-type dogs, and other restricted breeds in many countries face no Mexican import ban.

The one thing that triggers a problem at SENASICA inspection is visible parasites, open wounds, or signs of acute illness. If an officer sees ticks crawling on your dog, the animal can be held for treatment at your expense. Bathe your pet within 24 hours of travel and inspect for fleas and ticks before you leave.

For the official source, USDA APHIS maintains a clean summary at aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/by-country/mexico that confirms the no-certificate rule and lists the SENASICA inspection points.

The 4 Route Options for Moving a Pet to Mexico

There are four practical ways to get a US pet into Mexico in 2026. Each has a different cost profile, transit time, and stress level for the animal.

Route method | Typical cost | Transit time | Best for
Ground transport via SW border (professional operator) | $800 to $1,800 | 1 to 4 days | Mid-sized to large dogs, multiple pets, owners already west of the Mississippi
Air cargo into Mexico City (MEX), Guadalajara (GDL), or Cancun (CUN) | $1,200 to $2,800 | 4 to 12 hours airport-to-airport | Long-distance moves, single pets under 100 lbs, time-sensitive moves
In-cabin with you on a commercial flight | $125 to $200 (airline pet fee) | One flight segment | Small dogs and cats under 17 to 20 lbs combined with carrier
Drive yourself across the border | $500 to $1,500 (fuel, lodging, vet) | 1 to 5 days depending on distance | Owners with time, a road-trip-tolerant pet, and a destination within 1,500 miles of the border

The cheapest method is always driving the pet yourself if your destination is within a day or two of a border crossing. The most expensive is air cargo, especially to secondary airports like Cancun. The middle ground, professional ground transport, is what most relocating expats end up using for dogs over 25 pounds.

Independent operator quotes for these routes are tracked in our pet transport cost guide, which has 2026 figures from 17 carriers.

Ground Border Crossings Ranked

Six US-Mexico crossings handle the vast majority of pet imports. They differ in wait times, SENASICA staffing hours, and how pet-friendly the immediate Mexican side is for an overnight stop.

Crossing | US state | Typical wait (POV) | Pet-friendly score
San Ysidro / Tijuana | California | 45 to 90 min | 3 / 5 (busy, loud, hot)
Nogales (Mariposa) | Arizona | 20 to 45 min | 4 / 5 (calm, good staging)
El Paso (Bridge of the Americas) | Texas | 30 to 60 min | 4 / 5 (24-hour SENASICA)
Laredo (World Trade Bridge) | Texas | 30 to 75 min | 5 / 5 (most pet-import experience)
McAllen / Hidalgo | Texas | 20 to 50 min | 4 / 5 (quiet, well-staffed)
Brownsville / Matamoros | Texas | 15 to 40 min | 3 / 5 (small SENASICA office)

Wait times come from CBP's published border crossing data at bwt.cbp.gov, averaged for weekday mid-day passenger vehicle traffic.

A few practical notes by crossing:

San Ysidro (Tijuana) is the busiest land crossing on earth by passenger volume. SENASICA inspection is fast once you reach the booth, but the multi-hour idle in heat is the bigger risk for pets. Cross before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. in summer.

Nogales is the sweet spot for pets coming from Phoenix, Tucson, or anywhere in the Mountain West. Less traffic, dedicated SENASICA staffing during business hours, and a short drive to Hermosillo if you need an overnight stop.

Laredo has the most institutional knowledge of pet imports. Professional pet-transport operators run dozens of crossings here weekly, and the SENASICA office is staffed by people who have seen every breed and paperwork edge case. If you have any complication (multiple pets, exotic breed, unusual paperwork), use Laredo.

El Paso is the only crossing with 24-hour SENASICA inspection at the Bridge of the Americas. Useful if you are driving late and want to clear before stopping for the night.

McAllen and Brownsville are quieter Texas options. Brownsville's SENASICA office is small, so if you arrive at lunch you may wait.

Avoid southern crossings (especially McAllen, Laredo, Brownsville) in July and August midday. Surface temperatures at the inspection booth can exceed 110 F, and a pet sitting in a crate in a stalled vehicle is in real danger. Heat is one of the most underappreciated risks in pet ground transport, especially for senior dogs and brachycephalic breeds.

Air Cargo to Mexico: Airlines and Cargo Programs

For pets too large to fly in-cabin and for destinations far from the border, air cargo is the working option. Three Mexican airports handle the bulk of pet imports.

Mexico City (MEX) is the default. Almost every major US carrier with cargo capacity flies pets here. American Airlines Cargo runs its PetEmbark program into MEX from DFW, Miami, LAX, and JFK. United Cargo's PetSafe program covers MEX from IAH, EWR, and ORD. Both publish their Mexico routes at aacargo.com and unitedcargo.com/petsafe respectively.

Guadalajara (GDL) is a smaller cargo facility but well-equipped. American and Aeromexico Cargo both handle pets into GDL. Useful if your final destination is anywhere on the Pacific coast or central-western Mexico.

Cancun (CUN) is the trickiest. CUN handles tourist pets in cargo all the time, but the airport's animal-receiving infrastructure is built around small-volume tourist arrivals, not relocations. Expect higher costs and longer clearance times.

A typical air cargo cost in 2026 for a 50-pound dog in a 500-series crate, JFK to MEX direct, runs $1,800 to $2,400 including airline fees, crate, customs handling on the Mexico side, and an IPATA-member pet shipper's coordination fee. The same dog from a secondary US city with a connection adds $300 to $600.

For broader operator comparisons on international moves, our best pet transport companies 2026 review breaks down which carriers actually have Mexico experience versus which just claim to.

Vet Visit Timing: What to Do 7-10 Days Before

Even though Mexico does not require a health certificate, you should still see your vet 7 to 10 days before travel. Reasons:

Your airline almost certainly requires a health certificate. Even though SENASICA does not check it, American, United, Delta, Aeromexico, and every cargo program require an APHIS Form 7001 or airline-specific health certificate within 10 days of flight. No certificate, no boarding.

Rabies vaccination needs to be current. Mexico does not check, but your airline does, and you will need it to bring the pet back to the US. Make sure the certificate shows a vaccination at least 30 days before travel and not expired.

Parasite check. External parasites trigger SENASICA holds. Your vet can spot what you cannot.

Travel-readiness assessment for older pets. Brachycephalic breeds and seniors should get a pre-flight check for cargo suitability.

If you are driving across the border yourself, the airline requirement disappears. But you still want the vet visit to confirm parasite-free and to update vaccinations.

Things That Go Wrong

Mexico is the easiest international destination on paper, but real problems still happen. The most common, in order:

Summer heat at southern crossings. July through September, midday surface temperatures at Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville crossings make crate transport genuinely dangerous. Many professional operators refuse to cross south Texas in afternoon heat and either delay or reroute through El Paso or Nogales. If your operator is willing to cross McAllen at 2 p.m. in August, ask why.

Kennel space at MEX cargo. Mexico City's cargo facility has limited animal-receiving space. If your flight arrives during another international pet shipment, your dog may sit in a cargo holding area for 4 to 8 hours before clearing. Have a ground contact ready in Mexico City who can collect the pet immediately on clearance.

Carrier rejected at airline check-in. Mexico does not specify crate standards. Your airline does. The crate must meet IATA Live Animals Regulations container requirements: ventilation on four sides for international flights, secure metal hardware, food and water dishes attached, absorbent bedding. A crate the airline rejects at check-in means a missed flight.

Returning across the border with a sick pet. If your pet becomes ill in Mexico and you need to return urgently to the US, US import rules are stricter than Mexico's export rules. See the next section.

Holiday-week crossings. Easter week, Christmas week, and the days around Mexican Independence Day (September 16) see border waits double or triple. If you can shift travel by a few days, do.

Returning Your Pet to the US

This is the part most people moving to Mexico do not think about until later. Bringing a dog or cat back into the US is more regulated than bringing one in.

As of August 2024, the CDC requires all dogs entering the US (regardless of origin country) to:

Be at least 6 months old

Be microchipped with an ISO-compatible chip

Have a current rabies vaccination

Have a completed CDC Dog Import Form, submitted online before arrival

Dogs vaccinated in the US returning from a low-risk country like Mexico can use a simpler USDA-endorsed export certificate or a US rabies vaccination certificate, but the import form is still required.

For cats, US re-entry is simpler: no CDC form, just standard inspection.

Full current rules are at cdc.gov/importation/dogs. If you are even considering moving back to the US within the next few years, microchip the pet before you leave, keep all original US rabies certificates, and download a copy of the CDC form so you know what is expected.

The asymmetry surprises people. Mexico is easy in, harder out. Compare this to relocations like moving a pet to Spain or the UK, where in-bound paperwork is the heavy lift and re-entry is comparatively simpler.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a health certificate to take my pet to Mexico in 2026?

No. Mexico dropped the health certificate requirement on December 16, 2019. SENASICA performs a visual inspection on arrival to check for parasites and obvious illness, but no USDA-endorsed certificate is required for entry. Your airline, however, may still require one to board.

Does Mexico require a rabies vaccination for dogs and cats?

SENASICA does not check rabies records on entry, but vaccination is strongly recommended. Your airline will require proof of current rabies vaccination, and you will need it to return your pet to the US under CDC rules.

What is the cheapest way to get my pet to Mexico?

Driving your pet across the border yourself, if your destination is within a day or two of a US-Mexico crossing. Fuel and a vet visit can keep total costs under $500. Professional ground transport runs $800 to $1,800, and air cargo starts around $1,200.

Which border crossing is best for pets?

Laredo, Texas has the most experience with pet imports and the best-staffed SENASICA office. Nogales, Arizona is the calmest option for pets coming from the western US. Avoid all southern Texas crossings midday in summer because of heat risk.

Can my pet fly in-cabin to Mexico?

Yes, on most US airlines, if the pet plus carrier weighs under 17 to 20 pounds (limits vary by carrier). American, Delta, United, and Aeromexico all permit in-cabin pets to Mexican destinations for fees of $125 to $200 per segment.

Are any dog breeds banned from entering Mexico?

No. Mexico does not enforce breed-specific import bans. Pit-bull-type dogs, brachycephalic breeds, and other breeds restricted in some European countries can all enter Mexico. Your airline may have separate breed restrictions for cargo travel.

How long does SENASICA inspection take at the airport or border?

Usually 15 to 45 minutes if staffing is available and there are no concerns. At busy crossings or airports during peak hours, plan for up to 90 minutes. If a parasite or health concern is flagged, processing can take several hours.

What happens if I want to bring my pet back to the US later?

US re-entry is stricter than Mexican entry. As of August 2024, the CDC requires dogs to be at least 6 months old, microchipped, currently vaccinated for rabies, and accompanied by a completed CDC Dog Import Form filed online before arrival. Cats face fewer requirements.