Regulations & documentation

Requirements for compliant and secure live animal transport

Transport regulations and operational requirements

Customers are responsible for ensuring full compliance with all applicable policies and restrictions.

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Adherence to international and local laws and regulations

Shipments must comply with SWISS WorldCargo regulations, the IATA Live Animal Regulations (LAR), and any destination- or country-specific rules.

Authority to replan or deny shipments

SWISS WorldCargo reserves the right to deny or delay shipments if regulatory requirements are not fulfilled or pending further review. Shipments may be rebooked to a different date or time if necessary to comply with animal welfare and transportation standards.

Direct routing requirement

According to IATA LAR 4.2 and SWISS Animal Welfare Law, live animals are only accepted on the most direct route in terms of both distance and total travel time. This helps reduce stress and ensures animal well-being.

Restrictions on ground transport

As a rule, live animals must not be transported via trucking services. Exceptions are only made in special circumstances.

Sedation and tranquilization

According to Live Animals Regulations (LAR) chapter 5.4, we strongly advise not to sedate or tranquillize any animal. In case tranquilization is inevitable, it should only be administered in consultation with a veterinarian and SWISS WorldCargo needs to be informed. In all cases when tranquillizers are used, a note must be attached to the container stating the animal(s) individual weight, generic name of the drug used, the dose, method of administration and the time given.
SWISS WorldCargo keeps the right to refuse an animal from travelling if sedation is clearly visible without having any information on hand.

Required documents

To ensure full compliance and safe transport, several documents are required depending on the animal type and destination. Below is an overview of the key documents needed when booking live animal shipments with SWISS WorldCargo.

Shipper’s certification

Must be completed in English and issued by the shipper (not the forwarder) in two signed copies. The certification must include proper identification to ensure handling accuracy.

Key requirements:

  1. Common and scientific name of the species to ensure identification during handling
  2. Common name alone is sufficient only for domestic pets and lab animals (e.g. dogs, cats, mice, rats)
  3. Must be completed and signed by the shipper in duplicate
Download Shipper’s Certification Document

Health certificate

SWISS WorldCargo and SWISS require a health certificate for all live animal shipments, even if the destination country does not. It certifies the animal’s fitness for travel and absence of contagious diseases.

Requirements:

  1. Issued by an authorized veterinarian
  2. Must certify that the animal is fit for air travel, free of infectious diseases, and not expected to suffer from transport stress
  3. Must be no older than 10 days (exception: non-commercially shipped pets – valid for up to 1 month)
  4. May be fulfilled by the EU Pet Passport for domestic pets

Special format health certificate (EU/CH)

Some live animal shipments into Switzerland or the EU require a harmonized format of health certificate as defined under EU regulation.

Key details:

  1. Applies to regulated species under EU law (“harmonized species”
  2. Must use the standard format recognized by all EU countries and Switzerland
  3. Required for customs clearance and legal entry

Contact our live animals experts for more information.

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