A.- Introduction
The National Service of Agrifood Health and Quality (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria, Senasa) of the Argentine Republic has created this Procedure keeping in mind the requirements of the Competent Authorities of the destination countries for authorizing entry into their territory of cats and dogs.
The countries that have similar admission requirements (e.g. Chile, Paraguay, USA, Brazil, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Colombia, etc.) have been grouped together in this Procedure.
It is not applicable to (amongst others): Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and Switzerland.
Countries of the European Union: Germany – Austria – Belgium – Bulgaria – Cyprus – Denmark – Slovakia – Slovenia – Spain – Estonia– Finland – France –Greece –Holland –Hungary – Ireland – Italy– Latvia – Lithuania– Luxembourg – Malta – Poland – Portugal – United Kingdom – Czech Republic – Rumania and Sweden.
B.- Data from the Quarantine Station “Lazareto Capital”
The Quarantine Station “Lazareto Capital”, is located in the Port of Buenos Aires, Dársena Sur, on street Elvira Rawson de Dellepiane s/n and Av. Calabria, (500 meters from the Casino Flotante Buenos Aires).
The telephone number is 4362–5755.
The email is: lazareto@senasa.gov.ar
C.- Customer Service Hours
Customer Service Hours to request an International Veterinary Certificate for cats and dogs that accompanies and vouches for the animal until it reaches the country of destination are:
Working days from 10.30 to 15.30 hours.
The methodology foreseen is the following:
Personnel from the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station receive all the necessary documents on working days from 10.30 to 15.30 hours. The International Veterinary Certificate is issued from 12.00 to 15.30 hours of the next subsequent working day. This procedure is valid for those persons who must send abroad a maximum of two (4) cats and/or dogs.
In the case of those interested parties carrying out procedures to obtain five (5) or more International Veterinary Certificates, time to issuance of these aforementioned documents is forty-eight (48) working hours immediately subsequent to reception of the corresponding request documents. This is due to the complexity of the procedure and the responsibility for Senasa of certifying all the guarantees requested by the Competent Authorities of the destination countries of the animals. These include, for the acting personnel of this National Service involved, verification of the different documents, handling of multilingual documents, consultation of Private Veterinarian Professional Registers and verification of treatments and identification of the drugs and vaccines used.
D.- Fees for the interested party
According to the fees detailed in Resolution CASENASA # 005/1994 the fee that must be paid by the interested party for each animal is $ 15.84.
E.- Additional cost for a same day International Veterinary Certificate
According to the regulations in Decree # 6610/1956 and complementary regulations, the interested party may pay for extraordinary services the sums detailed, which will make it possible to obtain a same day International Veterinary Certificate, within the customer service hours detailed.
Additional amount that must be paid by the interested party for one (1) same day International Veterinary Certificate. $ 36,31 (Urgent Procedure)
When an interested party carries out procedures to obtain more than one (1) International Veterinary Certificate, they must pay a fee according to the number of certificates requested.
In all cases personnel from the Senasa Treasury present at the Quarantine Station “Lazareto Capital” will issue the interested party with an official receipt of payment.
F.- Requirements for Obtaining an International Veterinary Certificate
1 – FOR ANIMALS OVER THREE (3) MONTHS OF AGE
a) Original and one photocopy of a valid rabies vaccine certificate issued by a Private Veterinarian. The original rabies vaccine certificate will be returned to the interested party after due verification. When this vaccination was carried out abroad, the corresponding original certificate must be presented.
b) Presentation of an original Health Certificate issued by a Private Veterinarian, which will be considered valid for TEN (10) subsequent days from the date of issue until the date of exit from the Republic of Argentina, to be exchanged for an International Veterinary Certificate. The time period during which this International Veterinary Certificate is valid will depend on the validity of the aforementioned Health Certificate.
For example: Senasa will replace the Health Certificate issued by a Private Veterinarian on December 10 by an International Veterinary Certificate that will be valid until the animal leaves the Republic of Argentina on December 20 the same year. This certificate will be filed in the archives of the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station.
c) Complete all pertinent details requested by Senasa in the corresponding form. The interested party may download this form from Internet and present it completed or, they can withdraw the form when initiating the application. The original signed form must be presented.
d) Presentation of a photocopy of the Identity Document of the person who is taking the animal to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay or if the animal is traveling “unaccompanied”, a photocopy of the Identity Document of the Owner/Person Responsible for the animal in the Republic of Argentina in whose name the International Veterinary Certificate will be issued.
e) Payment of fees in accordance with paragraphs D) and E) of this Procedure.
f) It is not necessary for the owner of the animal to do this personally.
g) Neither is it necessary for the animal to be at the Quarantine Station to pay the fees.
h) There is no requirement that the animal be identified with a microchip or other method.
2 – FOR ANIMALS UNDER THREE (3) MONTHS OF AGE
a) Presentation of an original Health Certificate issued by a Private Veterinarian, which will be considered valid for TEN (10) subsequent days from the date of issue until the date of exit from the Republic of Argentina, to be exchanged for an International Veterinary Certificate. The time period during which this International Veterinary Certificate is valid will depend on the validity of the aforementioned Health Certificate.
For example: Senasa will replace the Health Certificate issued by a Private Veterinarian on December 10 by an International Veterinary Certificate that will be valid until the animal leaves the Republic of Argentina on December 20 the same year.
This certificate will be filed in the archives of the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station.
b) Complete all pertinent details requested by Senasa in the corresponding form. The interested party may download this form from Internet and present it completed or, they can withdraw the form when initiating the application. The original signed form must be presented.
c) Presentation of a photocopy of the Identity Document of the person who is taking the animal to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay or if the animal is traveling “unaccompanied”, a photocopy of the Identity Document of the Owner/Person Responsible for the animal in the Republic of Argentina in whose name the International Veterinary Certificate will be issued.
d) Payment of fees in accordance with paragraphs D) and E) of this Procedure.
i) It is not necessary for the owner of the animal to do this personally.
j) Neither is it necessary for the animal to be at the Quarantine Station to pay the fees.
k) There is no requirement that the animal be identified with a microchip or other method.
l) When the interested party must travel by air with cats and/or dogs under sixty (60) days of age, they must consult the transport company about the possibilities of carrying out this shipment for animal welfare reasons, these are contemplated in the regulations of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
G.- Additional Requirement ONLY FOR DOGS with destination Oriental Republic of Uruguay
In the case of dogs with destination Oriental Republic of Uruguay, the Competent Authorities of said country require (within the framework of the Hydatidosis Control and Eradication Program) that the dog enter with a certificate of antiparasite treatment with the drug praziquantel at a dose of five (5) mg/kg of live bodyweight applied during the period of three (3) to thirty (30) days prior to the planned date of entry to Uruguay. There are commercial products indicated for use in pups.
This parasite medication must be certified by a Private Veterinarian, and the original of this certificate must be attached to the Senasa International Veterinary Certificate.
H.-International Veterinary Certificate
Once all the steps detailed in this Procedure have been complied with satisfactorily, personnel at the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station will issue the interested party with an original International Veterinary Certificate signed by an Official Veterinarian of Senasa.
I.- Clarification Notes:
The International Veterinary Certificate issued by Senasa at the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station according to this Procedure, is written on numbered printed forms especially for this purpose that only allow details of one animal per certificate.
Likewise, the Health Certificate issued by the Private Veterinarian can only be for one animal.
The requirements detailed in this Procedure for international certification for cats and dogs are due, amongst other things, to the need and difficulty entailed in identifying the persons responsible for the animals, the problems communicated by the Competent Authorities of the destination countries and Senasa regulations that must be complied with in commercial operations.
The validity before Senasa of the International Veterinary Certificate to accompany and vouch for cats and dogs shipped abroad is ten (10) days from the date on which the Health Certificate is issued by the Private Veterinarian.
The detailed Procedure for the issue of an International Veterinary Certificate is necessary to accompany and vouch for cats and dogs dispatched temporarily or permanently abroad.
If the exit of the animal is temporary, said certificate will continue to be valid for the animal to reenter the Republic of Argentina for a period of thirty (30) days subsequent to its date of issue, if it is accompanied by a Health Certificate issued by an Official Veterinarian of the country of temporary entry that certifies that the animal is in a satisfactory state of health and is fit to travel,
When this temporary exit had as its destination a place where animals of the species were concentrated (e.g. an international show) the Health Certificate must also state that, furthermore, in said location there were no animals with notifiable diseases.
When the animal dispatched is going to stopover in or travel through a third country before the country of destination, this must be mentioned in the corresponding place in the form.
Some countries require that, before the animal leaves the Republic of Argentina, a procedure related to the International Veterinary Certificate issued by Senasa be carried out in the Consulate or Diplomatic Dependency of said countries in the Republic of Argentina, or that it be approved by the Foreign Ministry. This procedure is not a Senasa requirement or responsibility, however, the personnel of the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station possess the necessary information for those that require it.
The interested parties in the interior of the country who find it expensive and impractical to come in to the “Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station can consult the feasibility of carrying out the necessary procedures at the Local Senasa Office in their region.
The Private Veterinarian and/or the transport company must be consulted on the conditions and devices necessary for transporting the animal.
J.- Meaning of the Terms and Expressions Used in this Procedure
Below is the meaning of the terms and expressions used in this Procedure.
Competent Authorities: These are the Official Veterinary Services of the destination countries, that are natural interlocutors of Senasa when agreeing and guaranteeing current requirements for the exchange of cats and dogs.
Health Certificate: This is the original issued by a Private Veterinarian in which they certify the health status of the animal and that it is in condition to travel abroad.
Sanitary Certificate: This is the original issued by an authorized Veterinarian in a country in which a cat or a dog from the Argentine Republic is making a temporary stopover, that certifies that the sanitary condition of the animal is satisfactory and that it can continue its journey.
International Veterinary Certificate: This is the certificate issued by an Official Senasa Veterinarian in the Argentine Republic that certifies the existence of the certificates and guarantees required by the Competent Authorities. This certificate must accompany and vouch for the animal until admission and entry in the destination country.
Rabies Vaccine Certificate: This is the original certificate issued on application of a rabies vaccine to a cat or a dog by a Private Veterinarian on the form of mandatory use determined by the Professional College where the veterinarian is registered.
Dispatch: This is the intention of the interested party of sending cats or dogs abroad for any reason (affection, commercial, etc.) and leaving by any exit point in the Argentine Republic (by air, sea or land).
“Lazareto Capital” Quarantine Station: This is the name of the Senasa office where an interested party can obtain information on sending a cat or dog abroad, and its details are above.
Form: Document that must be filled in by the interested party in duplicate to be handed in to Senasa Personnel and which must contain all requested data and must have all required documents attached.
Official Veterinarian: This is the Senasa Veterinarian that is internationally recognized as being able to sign an International Veterinary Certificate.
Private Veterinarian: This is the private veterinarian who has a current registration number in the corresponding Professional College of their geographical area and who is therefore authorized to carry out the activities mentioned in this Procedure.
Procedure: Is the operative method used by Senasa in accordance with regulations determined by the Competent Authorities for the authorization of the dispatch of cats and dogs abroad.
Interested Party: This is the person authorized to carry out all arrangements and transactions with Senasa with a view to obtaining an International Veterinary Certificate.
K.- Annexes
Attached as annexes of this Procedure are the model proposed by Senasa for the Health Certificate that must be issued by a Private Veterinarian and the model of the Form that must be filled in by the interested party.
As has been already mentioned above, the Private Veterinarian can only include details of one (1) animal in this certificate. Furthermore, until Professional Veterinary Colleges print and distribute amongst their registered members a model of a Health Certificate for mandatory use, Senasa will consider as valid either the model included in this Procedure or the non-mandatory model printed by the Veterinary Professional Colleges or the Private Veterinarian’s prescription pad with a letterhead that includes all mandatory data.
There is also a model of a form that must be filled in by the interested party that can be downloaded from Internet and completed at home before coming in to the "Lazareto Capital" Quarantine Station to avoid delays.
