Exporting Pets from Colombia: ICA Sanitary Inspection Certificate (CIS) and Airport Protocol

Quick answer: to fly a dog or cat out of Colombia you need an ICA Certificado de Inspección Sanitaria (CIS), issued at the airport after an ICA-registered vet files your request. The vet's health certificate and your SISPAP request both have a 5-calendar-day window, so the calendar matters more than the paperwork.

Most owners I hear from panic about the wrong thing. They worry about the form, then book the vet visit a week early and have to repeat it. Read the destination's rules and book the airline first. The CIS is only Colombia's exit inspection, and it expires fast.

What the CIS is, and what it is not

The CIS is the ICA certificate for dogs and cats entering or leaving the country. For an international departure, ICA inspects the animal at the port, airport or border crossing chosen on your Pre-CIS, and issues the certificate only if the document and physical checks pass. The sanitary norm ICA still names as current is Resolución 100164 de 2021 (ICA, accessed October 2026).

Two limits to know. First, a private clinic letter is not a substitute; only ICA at the exit point issues the CIS. Second, ICA certifies health, vaccination and zoosanitary transport conditions only. It does not certify a pet as a service, emotional-support or assistance animal.

Moving within Colombia is a different trip. El Dorado says domestic dog and cat travel needs no ICA certificate, though the airline's rules still apply. For that, see our domestic pet travel guide.

The 5-day clock

Everything hangs on 5 calendar days:

• The private health certificate must be issued no more than 5 calendar days before departure.
• The SISPAP request and its uploaded supports are usable for 5 calendar days from creation.
• The issued CIS is valid for up to 5 calendar days from the date ICA issues it.

Practical rhythm: see the vet two to three days before the flight, not seven. That leaves room to correct a document without blowing the window.

Who signs, and what the certificate must say

The signer must be an ICA-registered médico veterinario or médico veterinario zootecnista, and the certificate must show their COMVEZCOL professional-license number. The list of registered vets changes, so check ICA's own list rather than trusting a clinic's word.

The certificate covers species, breed, sex, weight, coat color, chronological age, a clinical exam, absence of infectious signs, and no recent wounds, sutures or acute lesions. For a pregnant female it adds approximate gestation and whether travel is advisable.

Vaccines should follow the destination's plan and waiting periods, with product name, lot, administration date and booster or validity date recorded. The animal also needs an internal and an external antiparasitic, using products authorized in Colombia. The certificate records product name, lot, active ingredient and date, and the timing is whatever the destination requires. ICA does not set its own "deworm on day X" rule.

On microchips, ICA's export page requires a 15-digit chip readable with HDX or FDX-B technology for every dog under 12 months, and that number is written on the CIS. That is the ICA rule only. The EU and many other destinations require a chip for dogs and cats of any age, so check the destination.

SISPAP registration and payment

You register as traveler in SISPAP, ICA's online system, before the vet files anything. The vet then creates the Pre-CIS and uploads the supports, including a rabies antibody report only when the destination requires one. Registration steps are described by ICA (as of October 2026).

File one request per species. Up to 10 animals of the same species can share one request, but the household tariff covers only up to 5 per species. Bigger or commercial shipments fall under a different annex line.

Fee: for normal public hours, ICA service code 03039 is COP 78,200 for the inspection certificate for household dogs and cats, up to 5 animals per species, under Resolución 00034487 de 2025, in force since 1 January 2026 (ICA tariff annex). Out-of-hours attention uses code 03116 and needs a written request to the exit office at least 48 hours ahead; confirm that amount with ICA.

Honest downside: ICA does not take cash. Accepted channels are PSE, Mastercard, Visa, American Express or Diners at the office, Baloto convenio 950698, or a bank deposit in the passenger's name and ID. Sort the payment before the airport, not at the counter. Vet-clinic fees, crates and airline pet fares are separate and vary.

The two airport desks

El Dorado (Bogotá): the ICA pet office is at the Centro Administrativo de Carga, Av. Calle 26 N.º 106-39, piso 3, with the pet email veterinarios.dorado@ica.gov.co. The yellow-fever desk for humans is a different thing; see the yellow fever vaccine guide.

José María Córdova (Rionegro): pet-exit processing is in the cargo terminal. Airplan lists offices O20–O22, second floor, in the restricted international-arrivals area, and the airport is in vereda Sajonia, Rionegro (Airplan).

Hours are where I would not trust a single page. ICA's own schedule, the El Dorado operator page and the Airplan page publish different hours, and an older ICA schedule even describes the El Dorado pet desk on a different floor. Email the office that week and confirm the desk and that day's hours. Any other exit airport is the PAPF named on your Pre-CIS, listed in the ICA directory.

Bring the animal, since inspection needs it present, plus the original certificates and payment proof. If only documents fail, you can correct them with the same registered vet inside the existing window. If the physical exam fails, the inspector decides whether a new request is possible, and you may miss the flight. An animal that looks unwell should see a vet first; our emergency vet guide helps.

Destination add-ons are not ICA rules

ICA's page lists extra papers you may need in original form, such as the EU Annex IV, the Great Britain veterinary certificate, the Brazil dog-and-cat format, and entry permits. Get those from the destination authority. For the opposite direction, see bringing pets to Colombia.

• EU: for non-commercial entry from a country not on the waiver lists, the animal needs a microchip, a rabies vaccine at 12 weeks or older and after identification, and a neutralizing-antibody result of at least 0.5 IU/ml from a designated lab. The sample must be taken at least 30 days after primary vaccination, and the test dated at least 90 days before the EU health certificate. Colombia is not on the waiver lists (European Commission). The EU certificate is not the ICA CIS.
• United States: Colombia is on the CDC high-risk list for dog rabies. A dog there in the prior 6 months must be rabies-vaccinated and meet extra CDC requirements, and an unvaccinated dog with that history cannot enter. Use the CDC dog importation pages to find your pathway.

Since the EU titer wait is months, start destination research well before the flight.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Do I need an ICA certificate to fly my dog or cat out of Colombia?

Yes, for an international departure you need the ICA CIS, issued by ICA at the exit airport after your registered vet files the Pre-CIS. A clinic letter alone is not the exit document. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ How many days before the flight must the vet visit and CIS happen?

The health certificate and SISPAP request must fall within 5 calendar days before departure. The issued CIS is then valid for up to 5 calendar days from its issue date, so plan the vet visit two or three days out. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Does any vet's signature work?

No. The signer must be an ICA-registered veterinarian or veterinary zootecnista, and the health certificate must show their COMVEZCOL license number. Ask the clinic to confirm registration before you pay for the exam. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Is a rabies blood test always required to leave Colombia?

No, ICA asks for the antibody report only when the destination requires it. EU entry from Colombia needs a titer of at least 0.5 IU/ml, while US dog rules depend on the CDC pathway and where the dog was vaccinated. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Where do I go at El Dorado or José María Córdova, and can I pay cash?

El Dorado's pet office is at Av. Calle 26 N.º 106-39, piso 3, Centro Administrativo de Carga; José María Córdova's is in the cargo terminal, offices O20–O22. ICA takes no cash, and published hours disagree, so confirm that day's hours. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ What if the inspector rejects the papers or the animal?

If only the documents fail, you can correct them with the same registered vet inside the existing time window. If the physical inspection fails, the inspector decides whether a new request is possible, and you may miss your flight. (verify with the official source, as accessed)