How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Pet from Canada to Portugal?
Portugal is one of the more popular destinations from Canada and one of the easier ones. No import permit, no government entry fee, no quarantine for a compliant pet, and no rabies titre test, because Canada is a listed country under the EU scheme.
The rest is the flight, the crate and your vet.
What it costs, line by line
| Cost | Amount | Who charges it |
|---|---|---|
| CFIA export certification | Set by the CFIA at the endorsement appointment | CFIA |
| EU Animal Health Certificate | Set by your clinic | Your vet |
| Microchip and rabies vaccination | Set by your clinic | Your vet |
| Airline freight | Quoted per route | Airline |
| IATA crate | CAD $80 to $340 at retail depending on size. We size the crate at your pet’s fitting and confirm the cost before anything is booked | Retailer |
| Import permit | None | Not applicable |
| Quarantine | None for a compliant pet | Not applicable |
| Rabies titre test | Not required from Canada | Not applicable |
The equivalent US endorsement runs from USD $101 to $275. Exporting from Canada is dramatically cheaper on the government side.
No titre test means no US laboratory and no cross-border courier, which removes both a cost and several weeks from the timeline compared with Australia or Japan.
CFIA endorsement appointments must be booked and paid at least three days ahead, are non-refundable once booked, and do not accept debit cards. Appointment availability is usually the tightest constraint in a Canadian export timeline.
How flight pricing works on this route
Live animal freight from Canada is priced per booking, not from a rate card. Air Canada Cargo, WestJet, Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, Emirates and Qatar all quote each shipment individually, based on crate size, route, and dates.
No US carrier publishes a pet freight rate out of Canada. American Airlines Cargo, which does publish a transborder cargo tariff, states that it does not transport any animals outbound from Canada at all, so it is not an option on this lane unless the pet is driven to a US gateway and flown from there. The exact figure for this route is set once the crate size and dates are known, which is why we price it per booking instead of printing a number that will not match your itinerary.
What we can tell you is what drives it. Airlines charge on chargeable weight, which is whichever is greater: actual weight, or a volume figure from the crate dimensions. For pets the volume figure almost always wins. Air Canada publishes the divisor at 166 cubic inches per pound. A size 400 crate works out to roughly 66 kg of chargeable weight no matter what is inside it, which is why crate size moves the price more than the dog does.
What is not included here
Your vet sets their own fees. The examination, the certificate paperwork and any blood draw are priced by your clinic and vary between practices. Ask for a quote when you book the visit; we handle the timing so every piece lands inside its validity window. The lab fee covers the test itself, and the draw is always the clinic’s charge.
Ground transport at either end is quoted per route. Our coordination fee is included in the total we quote you and itemised on your invoice.
What moves the price
Crate size drives the flight cost.
The EU Animal Health Certificate is issued close to travel and is valid for entry within ten days of signing, so the vet appointment has to be timed against the flight.
Summer heat can restrict routings through southern European airports.
Once inside the EU your pet can travel onward for four months on the same certificate, which matters if Portugal is not the final stop.
Figures and sources
Figures verified July 2026. CFIA fees are re-indexed for inflation every 31 March, so check the source if you are reading this later.
Terms used here are defined in our pet relocation glossary.
Want this priced for your pet and dates?
Send us the route, the breed and roughly when you want to travel. Request a quote and we will reply with an itemised plan, a timeline and clear next steps.
For entry rules and the full paperwork timeline, see our guide to pet shipping requirements for Portugal.
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