Until now, the US did not require an export health certificate for pet dogs to Mexico. Most travelers only needed one if their airline asked for it.
As of August 3, 2026, an NWS (New World screwworm) inspection certificate is a requirement for pet dogs travelling from the United States to Mexico. The certificate is the two page bilingual USDA form attached to this article, and it must be signed by hand by a USDA-accredited veterinarian.
Washington State prohibits pets arriving from Mexico
Under a Washington State Department of Agriculture emergency rule effective 17 June 2026, animals originating or travelling from countries with confirmed active screwworm cases are prohibited from entering Washington. Mexico is one of those countries, along with Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
This is a flat prohibition. There is no certificate, treatment or inspection that permits entry while the rule stands, and it applies to any pet arriving from an affected country, not only to pets that live in Washington. If your journey home ends in Washington, your dog cannot enter. If it routes through Washington, check before you book.
Emergency rules can expire or change. Confirm the current position with the Washington State Department of Agriculture on 360-902-1878, and ask for flyer AGR3-2606-16.
Check that your veterinarian is USDA accredited before you book
Not every veterinarian holds USDA accreditation, and the form asks for the veterinarian's USDA accreditation number. Ask your clinic before booking. If nobody there is accredited you will need to find a clinic that is, and the inspection is a requirement to fall within the five days before you enter Mexico, so there is very little room to change plans late.
What you need to do
Print the certificate attached to this article. You can type into the fields first, but the signature is a requirement to be handwritten, so it has to be printed.
Book an appointment with a USDA-accredited veterinarian, timed so the date of issue and inspection falls within the five days before you enter Mexico. The form uses DD/MM/YYYY.
At the appointment the veterinarian inspects your dog for screwworm, covering skin including interdigital areas and folds, ear canal, and oral, nasal, conjunctival, vulvar and preputial mucous membranes.
The veterinarian completes the clinic details, the city and state of issue, your details, and your dog's breed, identification, age in months, sex and microchip number where applicable.
The form carries two certification statements and the veterinarian lines out the one that does not apply. The first is that your dog was inspected and found free of screwworm. The second applies only if your dog was found infested with screwworm, held in isolation and treated until free with all wounds fully healed, and it asks for the treatment date, product brand name, active ingredients and lot number. A form with neither statement lined out is not complete.
The veterinarian adds their full name, USDA accreditation number and handwritten signature, in ink of a color other than black, because the form is printed in black.
One certificate covers up to five dogs.
Coming back from Mexico
The certificate you complete before you travel covers the journey into Mexico only. To bring your dog back into the United States, a separate screwworm certification is a requirement, and it must be completed in Mexico by a veterinarian approved by SENASICA, Mexico's animal health authority.
Plan this before you leave home. The inspection is a requirement to take place within the five days before your dog travels to the United States, so you will need to find and book an approved veterinarian while you are in Mexico. SENASICA publishes a directory of approved veterinarians.
A veterinarian in the United States cannot complete this certification, and the certificate you travelled out with does not cover the return.
What this certificate does not cover
This form covers screwworm only. It does not ask for rabies vaccination or parasite treatment details. Keep your dog's rabies record with you, as your airline may ask to see it.
It also covers dogs only. The species column is pre-printed as "Canine" on every line, so it cannot be used for a cat.
Travelling with a cat? Mexico does not require a health certificate for cats, so nothing is needed on the way out. Coming home is different: several US states apply their screwworm rules to cats exactly as they do to dogs. See our article on US states with extra screwworm requirements before you book.
Before you book: complete your dog's profile in the PadsPass app so the microchip number and identification details are ready for the appointment.