Your Complete Guide to Bringing a Dog to Trinidad (2025)
- Telicia
- Jun 6
- 7 min read
Part of the process of heading to Trinidad for the hurricane season was making sure we had everything we needed to import our Aussie Shepherd, Rose, as authorities can be very strict.
Having gone through the pet importation process in 2023 and again in 2025, here's a breakdown of our experience importing a dog into Trinidad, including what we needed to do, what allowances there were for people coming by sea and who had to be involved.
Staring the process
​The first thing I needed to do was complete the Application for an Import Permit to Import Cats and Dogs into Trinidad and Tobago and email it to the government vet at aphmalmr@gmail.com. While in 2023 I could use the forms that are published online, for my 2025 application they asked me to fill out an updated form, which at this time isn't online.
The form says the application should be submitted at least 6 weeks before entering Trinidad and given there may be disease testing requirements, I agree with the time frame. In fact, I'd suggest that the earlier you start the process, the better.
For most countries a rabies titer test is required, and as per the updated form, the original laboratory results have to be directly emailed by the laboratory to the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer (aphmalmr@gmail.com). Rose's last test was done through the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, who service most of the Caribbean. I emailed asking for them to forward the test, and they responded that they'd done it within an hour of my request, which was great.
Receiving the Trinidad & Tobago pet permit
​​Once the permit application is submitted it should only take a few days for it to be issued. The only problem is the permit needs to be collected and paid for in person at their office in Port of Spain, Trinidad. This means you'll need to find someone local to collect it for you and pay the 100 TTD fee, which is about 15 USD.
In 2023, on the recommendation of others, we used Jesse James. He operates a business targeted at cruiser assistance from the MSATT office in Power Boats. He collected our permit paperwork for me and sent pictures of it via Whatsapp.
As of 2025, I have heard he is charging $180-$200 USD for his assistance which is SIGNIFICANTLY higher. Since we'd spent time in Trinidad before, a local friend helped by picking up the permit for us, and I did the rest of the process myself which was easy enough.
Another person in Trinidad who may be able to help is June Tompack from Jet Set Pets. I wasn't aware of June before we arrived but was put in contact with her by Sunnyview Vet Clinic. During our conversation she was quite knowledgeable about pet import and export and I've since learned she's been used by a few cruisers and expats who've flown their pet in.
The other alternative is to reach out to someone in the yard you intend to stay at and ask them for assistance, or post on the Trinidad Cruisers FB page.
Once the person has collected the permit they need to send you a photo so you can check the conditions, and you need to have it on hand when meeting the vet in Trinidad. To do this, we had our friend drop it at Peake Yachting Services where our haul out was booked for, so I could collect it on arrival.
Meeting the pet permit conditions
The permit contains a list of conditions that you need to meet and provide evidence of before you can proceed to Trinidad. In 2023 we were coming from Gibraltar which is considered a Category 2 country. Here's what our permit asked us to provide:
Our 2023 Trinidad Permit Requirements:
The dog must be accompanied by an Official Veterinary Health Certificate issued within 10 days of export and endorsed by the Competent Authority (stamp/seal and signature) as defined by the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health), written or translated in English. Pet Passport and other relevant documents should accompany the pet.
Microchip number, brand and location in animal
Animal must be microchipped before given rabies vaccination
Country of origin of the animal
Name and address of owner of the animal
Description of the animal including Species, Breed, Sex, Age and Coat Colour/Markings
Country/countries in which the animal was resident continuously for 6 months prior to travel
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After microchipping the animal must be vaccinated against rabies with an inactivated or recombinant vaccine conforming to a potency recognised by the World Health Organisation or approved for use in the exporting country. The dog must be at least 12 weeks old before the primary rabies vaccine is given. The name of the vaccine, its manufacturer, batch number and period of validity must be stated.
The blood titer test (FAVN) must be done at least 30 days after completion of the vaccination booster/protocol. The titer reading must be equal to or greater than 0.5lU/ml. The test must be performed at a laboratory approved by the Competent Authority of Trinidad and Tobago. The date of sampling for the titer test must be stated, as well as the original test results and the Name and Address of the testing laboratory. Once the blood sample shows an acceptable titer, pets may be considered for entry from 6 months after vaccination/booster to 3 months prior to the date of expiration of the immunity of the vaccine, as stated by the manufacturer.
Pets must have been tested and found to be free of:
Brucella canis
Trypanosoma cruzi (for countries in Central and South America only)
Leishmania (North American countries, Greenland, Hungary, Caribbean countries and western, non-Mediterranean European countries are exempt from this test.
If the country is free of any pathogen, this must be stated and testing for the presence with respect to that pathogen is not required. The above listed tests must be conducted within 30 days of export.
Animal must be treated against Echinococcus multilocularis, which is to be administered by a veterinarian within a period of not more than 7 days and not less than 24 hours before the time of scheduled entry of the dogs. The treatment must consist of an approved medicinal product which contains the appropriate dose of praziquantel or pharmacologically active substances which alone or in combination have been proven to reduce the burden of mature and immature intestinal forms of Echinococcus multilocularis in the host species concerned.Â
Animal treated for internal and external parasites including Dirofilaira immitus by a veterinarian not more than 10 days before scheduled arrival in Trinidad & Tobago (the product used, date of treatment and dosage are to be provided).
Animal has been clinically examined by a veterinarian recognised by the Competent Authority within 10 days of export and were found to be free of contagious disease, in good heath and the animal is fit for travel.
When I read the 2023 permit I realised we wouldn't be able to meet some of the time constraints because we were sailing directly from Gibraltar. I emailed the government vet explaining the situation and we were able to organise some time period exemptions. After this I met with the vet in Gibraltar and we organised the required testing and paperwork. Luckily Rose already had a valid rabies titer test, as these can take at least a month to get results.
In 2025 we were coming from Martinique, and had no testing requirements on the permit, other than the rabies titer test. This made the process easier.
After the conditions are met
Once you've met all of the conditions on the permit you need to email evidence to the government vet using the email address on the permit. You'll then get a response permitting you to proceed to Trinidad.
Arriving in Trinidad
The government vet requires 2 business days warning of your arrival to Trinidad. Starlink has made this much easier (we didn't have it back in 2023), so this year I was able to email her once we confirmed our departure time from Martinique. She then sent me her Whatsapp, and after that we were able to communicate that way.
When we arrived at Chaguaramas to check in, I messaged the vet to let her know, and she told me where and what time we'd meet up.
We took Rose and her paperwork over and after a quick look at it, the vet issued the document which officially approved Rose for entry into Trinidad. The whole process took under 5 minutes and once it was done we were able to proceed to Immigration then Customs. The government vet visit is free within business hours, but outside of that there are surcharges. Customs and Immigration are the same so it's best to time your check in taking that into consideration.
At Customs we needed to give them a copy of the document the vet issued, and pay a 10 TTD cash fee for the import. Once that was done, the process was complete.
While in Trinidad
Rose is able to be in the yard off lead as she's well trained and we often take her to waterfalls and trail running. One of the easiest spots to get to from Chaguaramas is Covigne Gorge.
One of the most frustrating things to manage is transport; to drive the dog around you either need to hire someone you meet or hire a car, as public transport and rideshare generally don't allow pets. We found hiring a car was generally the more cost effective option, as the price Jesse asked for was more than a day of car hire.
For veterinarian care we use Sunnyview Vetcare Services, who do offer "house calls" to the yard, and her food was a mixture of fresh meat from the Port of Spain Central Market and dog food delivered by Paws and Whiskers Pet Boutique or bought from P&R Distribution & Shopping Centre Ltd in Diego Martin.
Something to be aware of is the potential for there to be poison baits in the shipyards, especially in Power Boats. These are not laid out by the yards themselves, but by some boat owners who are trying to harm cats and birds that go inside their vessels. It was good to know that this can happen, but we are very careful with Rose in shipyards anyway. No matter where you are, yards are filled with poisonous chemicals and materials that pet owners need to be careful of.
Official websites
​While this information was accurate in mid 2025, it's a good idea to double check what the current rules, regulations and restrictions are in case something has changed. Here's links to official sources.
Ministry of Agriculture, Land & Fisheries - Importation of dogs and cats
​Ministry of Agriculture, Land & Fisheries - Animal Production & Health Unit
