Moving to Argentina with Pets from the UK: Paperwork, Flights, Costs

Your dog or cat can enter Argentina from the UK without quarantine or a rabies blood test. The paperwork is manageable: an ISO microchip, rabies vaccination valid on arrival, recent parasite treatment and a UK export health certificate. The awkward part is matching the veterinary appointments to a flight with space for the animal.

For most pets departing Heathrow, that flight means cargo, often on the British Airways direct service to Ezeiza. In September 2026 a door-to-door shipper costs roughly £1,500-3,500 for a medium-sized dog. Allow about 12 weeks to secure the space, get the animal used to its crate and organise the certificate; book your own seats once the pet's place is confirmed.

The paperwork SENASA will inspect

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) issues the UK export health certificate, also called the international veterinary certificate or CVI. On arrival, Argentina's animal health agency, SENASA, checks it against the animal and its chip. The certificate can be in English or Spanish and remains valid for entry for 60 days, although the health examination that underpins it has a much shorter window.

• An ISO 11784/11785 microchip must have been implanted before or on the day of the rabies vaccination. This is the standard UK chip; microchipping is compulsory for dogs throughout the UK and for cats in England since June 2024.
• Rabies vaccination must use a UK-authorised vaccine and remain valid on arrival under the manufacturer's period of cover. After a first vaccination, wait at least 21 days before entry; a booster given while cover is current needs no new wait. For a pet under three months, the vet instead certifies its age and absence of urban rabies exposure in the preceding 90 days.
• The vet records treatment against internal and external parasites within 15 days before the certificate is issued. An authorised vet must also certify the pet clinically healthy and fit to travel within 10 days before the international certificate; an Official Veterinarian can handle both documents at one visit.

There is no advance import permit or antibody titre test for a dog or cat whose papers are in order. A UK pet passport or EU Animal Health Certificate does not serve as the Argentine entry document. Accompanied pets are checked free; for cargo, the carrier gives SENASA's border post at least 24 working hours' notice and SENASA charges a permiso de internación fee.

Fix the flight date before the final vet visit

Cargo places are limited. Around 12 weeks before departure, a vet can scan the chip and check when rabies cover expires while you seek two or three quotes from IPATA (International Pet and Animal Transportation Association) shippers. This is also the time to find a practice with an Official Veterinarian experienced in exports outside the EU.

About 10 weeks out, the crate gives the pet time to settle into its travel space. Cargo requires a rigid crate meeting IATA Live Animals Regulations: enough room to stand, turn and lie down, with metal fastenings, side ventilation and an outside-fill water bowl, but no wheels. Around eight weeks out, shippers can seek cargo space through IAG Cargo, British Airways' cargo arm.

Three to four weeks before flying, the APHA export certificate application names the Official Veterinarian and travel date; APHA sends the document to the practice, which may submit the application for you. The appointment usually falls five to seven days before departure. The vet reads the chip, checks the rabies record, administers the parasite treatments and signs and stamps the certificate, leaving some room for a one-day flight shift. A cancellation beyond the certificate window means another visit, a reissued document and another fee.

On travel day, a light meal about four hours before handover and water until then are customary. Airlines refuse sedated animals; copies of the paperwork and an Argentine contact number travel on the crate. At Ezeiza, SENASA reads the chip, checks the papers and examines the pet. Cargo clearance takes place at TCA (Terminal de Cargas Argentina) through the shipper's despachante de aduana, or customs broker; a late or weekend landing may push collection into the next day.

Choosing a route that suits the animal

UK airport departures leave little scope for an ordinary pet to travel beside its owner. British Airways permits assistance dogs, rather than pets, in the cabin on the Heathrow to Buenos Aires route. For dogs and cats leaving Heathrow, cargo is the usual arrangement.

Pugs, French bulldogs, boxers and Persian cats face the strictest snub-nosed breed policies; some airlines refuse them in the hold. At Ezeiza, temperatures regularly exceed 30°C from December to February and may trigger heat embargoes. April to May and September to October tend to make arrival easier.

What the move costs in September 2026

The crate affects more than the purchase price. Airlines charge on the greater of actual and volumetric weight, calculated as length × width × height in centimetres divided by 6,000. A 91 × 61 × 68 cm crate counts as roughly 63 kg even for a 20 kg springer spaniel, so a correctly fitting crate can materially affect the quote.

A quote excluding Ezeiza clearance adds US$250-600 (about ARS 380,000-910,000). For a concrete budget, consider a couple taking a 20 kg springer and a 5 kg cat to Belgrano on 4 May. Their shipper secures both BA cargo places in February, before they buy their own seats. The cat's booster is due in June, so the vet gives it in March; both certificates are signed seven days before departure.

Their dog costs £3,030: £220 for certification, £30 for treatment, £180 for a crate and £2,600 for shipping. The cat costs £1,865: £220 for certification, £65 for a booster, £20 for treatment, £60 for a crate and £1,500 for shipping. That is about £4,900 altogether, with Ezeiza clearance included in the quote.

Once the pet reaches Argentina

A local vet can open a libreta sanitaria, the vaccination booklet, using the UK records and entry certificate. Registering within the first two weeks also gives the household somewhere to turn for ongoing care. A Buenos Aires consultation costs about ARS 25,000-50,000 (roughly US$16-32, September 2026).

Argentina requires an annual rabies jab for dogs and cats, even if the UK vaccine was licensed for three years. Keeping the booster record continuous also simplifies a later return. Buenos Aires City's Instituto de Zoonosis Luis Pasteur at Av. Díaz Vélez 4821, Caballito, offers vaccination and neutering free by appointment. Tick and flea protection matters year-round: the brown dog tick, which spreads ehrlichiosis, is common in Buenos Aires, while leishmaniasis is present in Misiones and Corrientes. City dogs go on a lead outside fenced dog runs, or caniles, and owners clear up after them.

Housing may take more planning than veterinary registration. Furnished short lets (alquiler temporario) often refuse pets; an 'apto mascotas' listing and the owner's agreement in the booking give a firmer basis for arrival. On a longer lease, DNU 70/2023 freed up lease terms, so the contract can specify species and numbers; the reglamento de copropiedad contains the building's rules. Short-term furnished rentals and renting an apartment in Buenos Aires explain the housing options.

Medicines travel in their original packaging with a vet's letter, alongside a PDF clinical history using generic active-ingredient names. SENASA restricts products of animal origin, so large sacks of pet food are best left behind; Buenos Aires vets and pet shops sell Royal Canin and Purina Pro Plan.

Returning to Great Britain later

Argentina is a listed country for pet entry to Great Britain, which means no rabies blood test on the return. An official veterinarian authorised by their government signs, stamps and dates a Great Britain pet health certificate, and the pet enters within 10 days of its issue. Entry is on an approved route, normally as cargo, with a non-commercial movement declaration when the pet is neither sold nor transferred.

For the first rabies vaccination, or the last jab in an initial course, there is a wait of at least 21 full days before travel to Great Britain. An in-date booster has no wait; a lapse in cover starts the course again. Dogs also receive vet-administered tapeworm treatment no less than 24 hours and no more than five days before arrival. A breach can result in up to four months' rabies quarantine, or refused entry after travel by sea, at the owner's cost.

Five or more pets, or an animal arriving more than five days before or after its owner, bring additional Balai import rules into play. For one or two pets, keeping the annual Argentine rabies record current leaves the return journey considerably simpler.