🇵🇦Taking a dog or cat to Panama: entry rules and flights

✓ Rules checked: September 15, 2026Official sources only

Preparing from scratch takes about 3 weeks, wherever you fly from.

Panama sets its own requirements for bringing in dogs and cats. From any departure country your pet needs veterinary health certificate, rabies vaccination, additional vaccination, import declaration, parasite treatment and import permit. The rules are the same for dogs and cats.

Pets may not enter through just any airport: there is only one designated point. Order matters more than the list: the microchip goes in before the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination does not count. 4 carriers in our directory fly direct to Panama, and their pet conditions differ.

Check your own route

Free, no signup: timings, documents and airlines for your pet

🐕 🐈 Same rules for dogs and cats

Airlines with direct flights

4 airlines in our directory fly direct to and from Panama. Their conditions differ — the cabin weight limit, whether they carry pets in the hold, the fee and breed restrictions — so it is worth choosing the carrier before buying the ticket.

Airline	Cabin	Hold	Cabin fee	Direct flights
Copa Airlines	✓ up to 10 kg	✓	—	from 83 cities in 31 countries
Aero República S.A., trading as Wingo	✓ up to 10 kg	no pets	70000 COP per flight	from 6 cities in 2 countries
Avianca no snub-nosed breeds in the hold	✓ up to 10 kg	✓	—	from 3 cities in 3 countries
Turkish Airlines no snub-nosed breeds in the hold	✓ up to 8 kg	✓ up to 50 kg	70 EUR per flight	from 2 cities in 2 countries

Showing the 4 carriers serving the most cities out of 4 with direct flights. Schedules: AeroDataBox, AirLabs, Travelpayouts; pet conditions come from our airline directory.

Restrictions

The limits people find out about last: how many animals one person may bring, the minimum age and which breeds are turned away at the border.

Quarantine Not stated in the rules

Banned breeds No bans +

These are the country's rules. Airlines refuse some breeds on their own — their limits are in the carrier table above.

Pets per person Not stated

Minimum age no limit; vaccination from 90 days

Points of entry 1 airports +

De no cumplir con la totalidad de los requisitos exigidos, el animal sera retenido y/o devuelto por la aerolinea utilizada en su arribo. (Ley 23, artc. 39 y Decreto 1132 de 20 de agosto de 1970, artc. 16)

What you need to enter Panama

The full list of documents and procedures for entering Panama. Every item carries its official source and last-checked date, and is marked as always required or required only from some departure countries.

Vaccination

Rabies vaccination+

La vacuna antirrabica para caninos, felinos y hurones ha sido aplicada a partir de los tres (3) meses de edad y con treinta (30) dias previos al viaje (cachorros). Y en los animales adultos las vacunas esten dentro del periodo de vigencia.

«La vacuna antirrabica para caninos, felinos y hurones ha sido aplicada a partir de los tres (3) meses de edad y con treinta (30) dias previos al viaje (cachorros). Y en los animales adultos las vacunas esten dentro del periodo de vigencia. (Decreto Ejecutivo N°305 de 3 de octubre de 2001).»

Source ↗Rules checked: May 31, 2026government

Additional vaccination+

Caninos: RABIA, DISTEMPER, HEPATITIS, LEPTOSPIROSIS, PARVOVIRUS.

«Caninos: RABIA, DISTEMPER, HEPATITIS, LEPTOSPIROSIS, PARVOVIRUS.»

Source ↗Rules checked: May 31, 2026government

Tests and treatments

Parasite treatment+

Indicar los tratamientos endo y ectoparasitarios realizados previos al embarque.

«Indicar los tratamientos endo y ectoparasitarios realizados previos al embarque.»

Source ↗Rules checked: September 15, 2026government

Documents

Veterinary health certificate+

Documento oficial 'Certificado Zoosanitario de Exportacion', expedido por la Autoridad Sanitaria del pais de procedencia, legalizados mediante 'Apostillado' por Cancilleria o Consularizado en oficinas diplomaticas panamenas con un maximo de

«Documento oficial 'Certificado Zoosanitario de Exportacion', expedido por la Autoridad Sanitaria del pais de procedencia, legalizados mediante 'Apostillado' por Cancilleria o Consularizado en oficinas diplomaticas panamenas con un maximo de treinta (30) dias de emision»

Source ↗Rules checked: May 31, 2026government

Import declaration+

Notificar de 3 a 5 dias habiles anticipadamente, la llegada de su mascota, enviando 'la Solicitud de Ingreso de Perros, Gatos y Hurones, el Certificado Zoosanitario de Exportacion del pais de procedencia y la cartilla de vacunacion'.

«Notificar de 3 a 5 dias habiles anticipadamente, la llegada de su mascota, enviando 'la Solicitud de Ingreso de Perros, Gatos y Hurones, el Certificado Zoosanitario de Exportacion del pais de procedencia y la cartilla de vacunacion'.»

Source ↗Rules checked: May 31, 2026government

Import permit+

B/. 10.00 (dolares) en efectivo por concepto de 'Licencia Fito-zoosanitaria de Importacion'; (1) una licencia por especie. B/. 15.00 (dolares) en efectivo por la Inspeccion Veterinaria por animal.

«B/. 10.00 (dolares) en efectivo por concepto de 'Licencia Fito-zoosanitaria de Importacion'; (1) una licencia por especie. B/. 15.00 (dolares) en efectivo por la Inspeccion Veterinaria por animal.»

Source ↗Rules checked: May 31, 2026government

The order of preparation

The order matters more than the list: a step done too early has to be repeated. The intervals come from the same rule fields the engine uses for the earliest departure date.

Rabies vaccination

pet at least 90 days oldvalid after 21 days
Parasite treatment
Additional vaccination
Import permit
Veterinary health certificate

no earlier than 30 days before entry
Import declaration

Steps marked “depends on origin” are not needed by everyone — see the table above or check your own route.

Compared by departure country

The requirements are the same whichever country you fly from — this country draws no distinction between departure countries. Below is the same engine answer on six examples, counted from zero: no microchip and no vaccination yet, preparation starting today.

From	Rabies jab	Other vaccines	Treatment	Health certificate	Declaration	Import permit	Earliest departurepreparing from scratch
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	October 15, 2026	Plan →
🇫🇷 France	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	October 15, 2026	Plan →
🇹🇷 Turkey	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	October 15, 2026	Plan →
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	October 15, 2026	Plan →
🇨🇳 China	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	October 15, 2026	Plan →
🇺🇸 United States	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	October 15, 2026	Plan →

If the microchip and vaccination are already done, the wait is shorter: the clock runs from the vaccination date, not from today. Breed, weight and connections change the answer too — check your own route with the form above.

Arrival airports

Pets may not enter through just any airport. Below: where direct flights go and whether animals are accepted.

On the list of entry points1

PTYTocumen

Not on the list of entry points2

BLBPanamá City SICSan Jose Island

FAQ

What documents do I need to enter Panama?+

From any country: rabies vaccination, additional vaccination, parasite treatment, veterinary health certificate, import declaration, import permit.

Is a rabies titre test required for Panama?+

No, a titre test is not required for entry.

Which breeds are banned from entry?+

The country's rules list no breed bans. Individual airlines have their own restrictions — see the carrier table.

Which airlines take pets in the cabin?+

For example: Copa Airlines, Aero República S.A., trading as Wingo, Avianca, Turkish Airlines. The full list with conditions is in the table above.

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