Division of Environmental Health Office of the State Veterinarian

Bringing Animals to Alaska

Animal import requirements are in place to protect animal health, environmental health, and public health. Animal import requirements help the Alaska Office of the State Veterinarian (OSV) prevent, detect, manage and respond to existing and emerging animal diseases.

The Alaska OSV is not the only government agency involved when importing animals. There are multiple state and federal agencies, airlines, and ground transportation companies involved that may have additional requirements. Depending on the species, age, state or country of origin, and route of travel, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and others may be involved. Plan and make arrangements well in advance of bringing animals to Alaska.

Certificate of Veterinary Inspection

All animals must be examined by a licensed and accredited veterinarian in their state or country of origin and must be issued a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI or health certificate). To be valid, the CVI must be a traceable, trackable form obtained through a government agency or an approved vendor. Many states offer paper or digital CVIs directly to accredited veterinarians. The APHIS 7001 Form is not accepted by the State of Alaska. Several third-party vendors also provide electronic CVIs (eCVIs) that are approved by the National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials. The United States Animal Health Association (USAHA) maintains a list of approved third party eCVI vendors for use by veterinarians.

No animal may be imported that is affected with an infectious, contagious, or communicable disease, or is known to have been exposed to one in the last 30 days.

No animal may be imported that originates from a disease quarantine area as designated by another state, federal government, or foreign country.

All CVIs must contain the following information:

1. A unique, traceable certificate number.
2. Name, address, and contact information of the person importing the animal(s).
3. Name, address, and contact information of the person responsible for the animal(s) while in Alaska (may be the same as importer).
4. Name, address, and contact information of the person shipping the animal(s), if different than above.
5. Physical address at point of origin of the animal(s) - no PO Boxes accepted.
6. Physical address of the destination of the animal(s) - no PO Boxes accepted.
7. Statement that each animal is free from clinical evidence of infectious, contagious, or communicable diseases, and there is no known recent exposure such disease.
8. Description of each animal, including breed, sex, age (or date of birth), color, and any other identifying information such as a microchip or Official ID.
9. Dates and records of any required tests or vaccinations.
10. Date of exam, and location of exam if done in a place other than the listed veterinary clinic.
11. Name, signature, license number, and accreditation number of the licensed veterinarian who examined the animal(s). (Non-U.S. veterinarians do not need to list an accreditation number.)
12. Veterinarian or Veterinary Clinic contact information (name, address, phone).

Veterinarians must submit a copy of the CVI to OSV within 30 days of issue. CVIs can be emailed in PDF format to akcvi@alaska.gov, or mailed to Alaska Office of the State Veterinarian 5251 Dr. MLK Jr. Ave. Anchorage, AK 99507

Other Requirements

Some animals also require certain health tests, vaccinations, official identification, and/or an import permit which is issued by OSV. Please select the animals you plan to import below for more information.

If import requirements are not met, or it is determined to serve the interests of animal or public health, the Alaska State Veterinarian may order an animal quarantined at the owner’s expense until such time as it is released from quarantine, euthanized, slaughtered, or destroyed.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) regulates which animal species may be kept as livestock and pets in Alaska. Some animals are not legal to own or possess. To determine if the animal you intend to bring to Alaska is legally allowed, see the ADFG Legal Pets and Livestock webpage. If the animal you intend to import to Alaska is not listed, please contact ADFG for further information.

Resources

• Alaska Animal Health Regulations

For additional support, please email akcvi@alaska.gov. Please note this email is not monitored for urgent correspondence. If you have an urgent matter related to animal imports, please contact the Alaska Office of the State Veterinarian at 907-375-8215.