You've booked your ferry, packed your bags, and your dog or cat is coming with you — but at the port, the first thing the crew will ask for isn't your pet's cage, it's a stack of papers. Philippine ports follow a Department of Agriculture rule that every dog or cat moving between provinces or islands needs government paperwork, and ferry lines will turn pets away at the gangway if a single document is missing or expired. This guide is a document-by-document checklist: what each paper is called, who issues it, how much it costs, how long it stays valid, and the order you should get them in so nothing expires before you sail.
Pack five things in one folder: a printed BAI Shipping Permit, a fresh Veterinary Health Certificate, your pet's rabies and deworming vaccination card, the ferry line's own pet form or waiver, and your pet ticket or official receipt.
- The core document is a free BAI Local Shipping Permit, applied for online at nvqsd.bai.gov.ph and processed within up to 3 working days
- A Veterinary Health Certificate (VHC) signed by a PRC-licensed vet is required for the permit — get it 2-4 days before sailing, since ferries and the permit check its validity date
- Bring the original vaccination card showing a rabies shot from the past 12 months plus the latest deworming
- 2GO also asks for its own Pet Travel Form and a signed Consent and Waiver Form, and charges ₱900-₱4,500 per cage on Manila routes
- Print two copies of everything — the port inspector, the ferry crew and BAI quarantine checkpoints may each want to see the papers
The Complete Ferry Document Checklist at a Glance
Before going into each document, here is the full list most Philippine ferry lines will check before your pet is allowed on board. Not every operator asks for every item, but if you carry all of them you will never be turned away for paperwork.
- BAI Local Shipping Permit (SP) — issued free by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) through its online portal
- Veterinary Health Certificate (VHC) — signed by a licensed veterinarian, with their PRC (Professional Regulation Commission) license number
- Vaccination card or pet passport — showing an anti-rabies shot within the last 12 months and the latest deworming
- Ferry line pet form and waiver — for example, 2GO's Pet Travel Form and Consent and Waiver Form for Accompanied Pet
- Pet ticket or official receipt — proof you paid the pet or cage fee
- Your own valid ID and passenger ticket — the pet travels under your booking
Put the originals in a waterproof folder and keep two photocopies of each. Sea travel means wet decks and humid terminals, and a soggy, unreadable permit causes the same problem as no permit at all.
Document 1: The BAI Local Shipping Permit — What It Is and Why Ports Require It
The Shipping Permit (SP) is the main government document for moving a live animal within the Philippines. It is issued by the National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division (NVQSD) of the Bureau of Animal Industry, an agency under the Department of Agriculture (DA). The rule behind it is DA Administrative Order No. 5, series of 2019, the "Guidelines on the Local Transport/Shipment of Live Animals, Animal Products and By-Products."
The permit is meant to stop animal diseases — especially rabies — from spreading from one island to another. That is why the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) reminds passengers before every big travel season, such as Holy Week and Christmas, to secure a shipping permit before bringing a pet to the port. BAI quarantine officers can inspect permits at checkpoints, and the permit itself warns that any erasure or alteration makes it automatically void.
Good news on cost: the BAI Local Shipping Permit is free of charge. You only pay for the supporting documents, mainly the vet visit.
One common mix-up: some ferry companies' notices tell passengers to get a permit from the "Bureau of Quarantine." That office is under the Department of Health and handles human health. For dogs and cats, the correct office is the BAI's NVQSD.
Document 1, Step by Step: How to Apply for the Shipping Permit Online
The whole application is done on the BAI NVQSD online portal. For a one-time trip with your pet, follow these steps:
- Register: Click Register, then choose One-Time Client Registration. Your password needs lowercase and uppercase letters, a special character, and at least 8 characters.
- Confirm your email: Open the confirmation link sent from [email protected] — check your Spam folder if it is not in your Inbox.
- Start the application: Log in, go to E-Services, click Apply Now under Issuance of Local Shipping Permit, then choose One-Time Shipping Permit.
- Choose the transaction type: Pick Inter-island if you are sailing to another island province, or Inter-regional/Intra-regional as it applies.
- Fill in shipment details: Category is "Live," purpose is "Pet Animal for Companionship," and mode of transportation is "Water" — type in your voyage number if you already have it.
- Describe your pet: Breed, age, sex ("Mixed" or "Undetermined" is not allowed for dogs and cats), ID tag type such as collar tag or microchip, color, estimated weight in kilograms, and a recent photo (JPG, GIF or PNG, maximum 4MB).
- Attach requirements: Upload a photo of your Veterinary Health Certificate, with the document number, issue date, valid-until date, the vet's name and PRC license number.
- Submit and wait: Status changes from For Review to For Endorsement to For Approval. Once approved, click Print to get your permit.
Processing only happens Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, excluding weekends and holidays, and can take up to 3 working days. If you sail on a Monday, submitting on Friday afternoon is cutting it very close.
Document 2: The Veterinary Health Certificate (VHC) — Timing Matters Most
The Veterinary Health Certificate is a signed statement from a licensed veterinarian saying your pet was examined and is healthy enough to travel. You need it before you can even finish the Shipping Permit application, because the portal asks you to upload it.
What a valid VHC should show:
- Your pet's name, breed, age, sex and color, matching what you type into the BAI portal
- The date of examination and the vet's signature
- The vet's PRC license number — the portal has a dedicated field for this, so a certificate without it can stall your application
- The pet's rabies vaccination date
The biggest trap is timing. The VHC has a short validity window — commonly cited as 5 days — and 2GO's own advisory has asked for a certificate issued within 3 days before travel. The safest plan is to have your vet examine your pet 2 to 3 days before sailing, then submit the permit application the same day. One certificate covers one animal, so two dogs means two certificates.
Clinic fees for a check-up and certificate vary by city and clinic, so call ahead and ask for the "travel health certificate" price specifically. Some city and municipal veterinary offices also issue health certificates, which can be cheaper than private clinics.
Document 3: The Vaccination Card — Rabies Within 12 Months, Plus Deworming
Your vet will not sign a health certificate without seeing proof of a rabies shot, and ferry staff may ask to see the card again at the port. Under Republic Act 9482, the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007, pet owners are required to have their dogs vaccinated against rabies regularly, and travel rules generally expect a rabies shot given within the past 12 months.
Watch out for these three issues:
- Brand-new vaccinations: If this is your pet's first-ever rabies shot, travel guides commonly note a 14-day waiting period before a health certificate can be issued. A puppy vaccinated last week cannot sail this weekend.
- Deworming: 2GO specifically asks for a vaccination card or pet passport showing the latest deworming as well as rabies.
- Lost cards: Ask the clinic that gave the shot to reissue the record with stamps and signature before you travel — a handwritten note from you will not be accepted.
If money is tight, check your city or municipal veterinary office. Many local government units run free anti-rabies vaccination drives, especially in March, which is Rabies Awareness Month in the Philippines.
Document 4: The Ferry Line's Own Pet Forms and Waivers
On top of government papers, each shipping company has its own paperwork. These forms are not optional — they are how the operator records which pets are on board and who takes responsibility for them.
On 2GO Travel, the documents for an accompanied pet are:
- Veterinary Health Certificate
- Pet Vaccination Card or Pet Passport with latest deworming and rabies shots
- Shipping Permit and/or Local Transport Permit
- A signed Consent and Waiver Form for Accompanied Pet
- A Pet Travel Form, filled out at the 2GO Corporate Ticketing Office at your departure port
The waiver matters because the operator is generally not liable if a pet gets sick, injured or dies during the trip unless the company itself was at fault. Read it before signing.
Starlite Ferries' passenger guidelines ask for a travel permit presented together with the vaccine record, a certificate to travel from a licensed veterinarian, and the official receipt for the pet, shown to Starlite personnel when boarding. Cokaliong and Lite Ferries also accept caged pets with a permit. Fast craft operators like OceanJet may refuse live animals, so confirm before booking a fast boat.
Document 5: Your Pet Ticket or Official Receipt — and What It Costs
Your pet does not ride for free, and the receipt is part of your boarding documents. On 2GO's Manila routes, the pet fee is charged per cage based on cage size (one pet per cage, VAT-inclusive, per passenger):
- Small (20 x 13 x 16 inches): ₱900
- Medium (24 x 17 x 19 inches): ₱1,350
- Large (30 x 18 x 20 inches): ₱1,800
- X-Large (36 x 22 x 25 inches): ₱2,700
- XX-Large (42 x 27 x 30 inches): ₱3,600
- XXX-Large (48 x 29 x 32 inches): ₱4,500
If one passenger brings 3 or more pets, the first two cages use the rates above and every additional cage uses a higher rate, from ₱2,000 for small up to ₱5,600 for XXX-Large. Note that 2GO only accepts pets on vessels to and from Manila.
Starlite Ferries' published fare table lists pet fees by size and route length — around ₱150 for a cat on short-haul trips up to ₱700 for a medium-to-large dog on long-haul trips. Keep the official receipt with your other papers.
The Right Order: A Day-by-Day Document Timeline Before Sailing
Because the vet certificate expires quickly and the permit takes up to 3 working days, the order you do things in decides whether your papers are valid on sailing day. Use this timeline:
- 3-4 weeks before: Check the vaccination card. If the rabies shot is more than 11 months old, or your pet has never been vaccinated, get it done now so the 14-day waiting period for a first shot is covered.
- 1-2 weeks before: Book your ferry, confirm the operator accepts pets on your specific vessel, and register your account on the BAI NVQSD portal.
- 2-3 working days before: Vet visit for the Veterinary Health Certificate. Upload it and submit the Shipping Permit application the same day.
- 1 day before: Print the approved permit (two copies) and prepare food, water and any medicine for the whole voyage.
- Sailing day: Arrive early — 2GO asks for pets at the port 6 hours before departure for inspection.
If your sailing is delayed or rebooked, check whether your VHC and permit dates still cover the new date. If not, you will need a new health certificate and an updated permit.
Coming Home: Do You Need New Documents for the Return Trip?
Yes, in most cases. The Shipping Permit covers one shipment from a single origin to a single destination, so the return voyage is a separate shipment that needs its own permit. Since your first Veterinary Health Certificate will have expired by then, you will also need a fresh VHC from a licensed vet at your destination.
Plan ahead before you leave home:
- Look up a vet clinic or the city veterinary office near your destination and ask if they issue travel health certificates
- Keep your BAI portal login details so you can apply for the return permit from your phone
- Bring the original vaccination card with you — you will need it again for the return health certificate
For long stays, simply schedule the vet visit 2-3 days before your return sailing, the same way you did on the trip out.
Common Paperwork Mistakes That Get Pets Refused at the Port
Most pets refused at Philippine ports are turned away for paperwork, not for the animal itself. Avoid these mistakes:
- An expired VHC — getting the health certificate a week early "to be safe" actually makes it invalid
- Details that don't match — if the VHC says "brown, 8kg" and the permit says "black, 12kg," an inspector can question both documents
- No PRC license number on the health certificate
- Edited documents — any erasure or alteration automatically voids a Shipping Permit
- Wrong agency — getting a "Bureau of Quarantine" paper instead of the BAI Shipping Permit
- Phone screenshots only — bring printed copies; port signal and phone batteries are unreliable
This checklist focuses on the papers. For cage sizes, onboard pet areas, and how ferry travel compares with domestic airline options like PAL's FurPAL, see our full guide to traveling with pets between islands: ferry and shipping line rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
The BAI Local Shipping Permit itself is free of charge. Your real costs are the supporting documents, mainly the vet visit for the Veterinary Health Certificate and any rabies vaccination your pet still needs, plus the ferry's own pet or cage fee, which on 2GO Manila routes runs from ₱900 to ₱4,500 per cage.
Processing can take up to 3 working days from the time BAI receives your online application. Applications can be submitted anytime, but they are only processed Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, excluding weekends and holidays. Apply right after your vet visit, at least 3 working days before sailing.
It is risky. The health certificate has a short validity window, commonly cited as 5 days, and 2GO's advisory has asked for one issued within 3 days of travel. A certificate from a week earlier will likely be expired by sailing day. Schedule your vet visit 2 to 3 days before departure instead.
Yes. The BAI Local Shipping Permit covers both dogs and cats, and the same supporting documents apply: a Veterinary Health Certificate, a vaccination record with an up-to-date rabies shot, and the ferry line's own pet forms. Ferry fees for cats are sometimes lower, such as Starlite's ₱150 short-haul cat fee.
Probably not. Travel guides commonly note a 14-day waiting period after a pet's first-ever rabies vaccination before a vet can issue a health certificate for travel. Plan the trip at least two to three weeks after the first shot, and check with your vet about the earliest date they can sign the certificate.
No. Some ferry notices mention the Bureau of Quarantine, but that is a Department of Health agency that handles human health. The permit for dogs and cats comes from the Bureau of Animal Industry's National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division, under the Department of Agriculture, through the nvqsd.bai.gov.ph portal.
Yes, in most cases. Each Shipping Permit covers one shipment from a single origin to a single destination, so the trip home counts as a new shipment. You will also need a new Veterinary Health Certificate, since the first one will have expired. Find a vet near your destination before you leave.
Bring printed copies. Port inspectors and ferry crew usually want paper documents they can check and keep, and weak signal or a dead phone battery at the terminal can leave you with nothing to show. Print the approved Shipping Permit twice and keep the originals in a waterproof folder.
Conclusion
Bringing your dog or cat on a ferry in the Philippines is very doable once you treat the paperwork as part of packing. Get the rabies shot early, see the vet 2 to 3 days before sailing, submit your free Shipping Permit on the BAI NVQSD portal the same day, and fill in your ferry line's pet forms at the terminal. With two printed copies of every document in a waterproof folder, the only thing left to worry about at the port is keeping your pet calm until you reunite on board.
