Route guide
Houston → Mexico City
Houston to Mexico City stays near the easy end of this list: Mexico asks for a rabies vaccine and a health certificate but skips import permits, titer testing, and quarantine entirely. Aeroméxico offers cabin, checked-baggage, or cargo travel, giving mid-size dogs more options than United, which limits itself to a cabin allowance plus cargo. Forty days of lead time is generous for a route where the paperwork itself takes only a couple of weeks to assemble. Arrival at Mexico City airport is straightforward for a vaccinated, documented pet.
What this route involves
Flying from Houston to Mexico City means clearing Mexico entry rules on arrival and meeting your airline’s own conditions on departure. Below are both, plus the order to do them in.
Leaving United States
Requirements differ sharply depending on where your dog has been in the previous six months. Cats face no federal rabies requirement, though individual states may add their own.
See full entry rulesEntering Mexico
Mexico is one of the easier destinations in the Americas for a dog or cat. There is no import permit and no quarantine, and inspection on arrival centres on a health certificate from a licensed veterinarian plus proof of a current rabies vaccination. A microchip is not demanded but is worth having, since most onward destinations expect one. About a month of preparation is enough.
See full entry rulesAirlines on this route
Airline rules stack on top of the country rules above. Confirm both before you book.
Your chronological checklist
Work backwards from your travel date. Start the earliest step first — some cannot be rushed.
- 1 Implant an ISO 11784/11785 microchip22 days before travel
It has to come first: every later certificate references this number, and a rabies shot given before the chip usually does not count.
- 2 Rabies vaccination21 days before travel
Must be given after the microchip and be valid on the day you travel. Most destinations also require a minimum of 21 days between the shot and entry.
- 3 Book the flight and reserve the pet slot30 days before travel
Airlines cap how many animals travel per flight. The pet slot runs out well before the seats do.
- 4 Health certificate and official endorsement2 days before travel
Issued by an accredited vet close to departure, then endorsed by your government authority. This endorsement cannot be done at the airport.
- 5 Travel dayTravel day
Carry the originals plus copies of everything, arrive early, and keep the crate documents attached to the crate.