Taking a Pet Bird from Canada to the Philippines

Yes, you can bring a pet bird from Canada to the Philippines, and Canada is not currently on the Philippine government’s list of countries banned for avian influenza. But the paperwork runs backwards from what most Canadian owners expect: you start with the Philippine side, not the Canadian side, and the guidance most people find first — the Bureau of Animal Industry’s pet page — is written for dogs and cats, not birds.

The good news: Canada isn’t on the current avian-influenza ban list

The Philippine Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) maintains a “Summary of Banned Countries” workbook, and its “AI Banned Countries” sheet — the one governing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) — is dated as of June 2026. Canada appears on that sheet twice, and neither entry is a nationwide ban:

Entry	Detail
Canada — Nova Scotia	H5N1 HPAI ban imposed 2022-03-07 under DA Memorandum Order 24, Series 2022; lifted 2023-11-23 under Memorandum Order 73, Series 2023
Canada (note)	“Canada has existing HPAI Regionalization arrangement with Philippines” — a ban attaches to an affected region, not the whole country

Regionalization is the key idea: if avian influenza turns up in one Canadian province, BAI can restrict that province without shutting the whole country out. As of the June 2026 list, no part of Canada carries an active HPAI ban.

That said, these bans are temporary and the workbook is revised monthly. Don’t travel on our summary of a list dated June 2026 — pull the current version from BAI yourself before you book anything, and re-check it again close to your departure date.

Start in Manila, not Mississauga: the order of operations

The instinct is to book a Canadian vet appointment first. That’s backwards for this route. BAI’s own guidance is to first secure an approved Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC) from the Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Animal Industry — applied for online — and only then, in BAI’s words, “present the approved SPSIC to the veterinary authority of the exporting country to obtain an export permit (EP)/international veterinary health certificate (IVHC).”

In plain terms: the Philippine clearance is what unlocks the Canadian paperwork, not the other way around. An owner who books the CFIA-accredited vet first hasn’t skipped a step — they’ve just started at the wrong end, and may end up doing the veterinary side twice once the SPSIC conditions are known.

On arrival, the consignor or consignee presents the documents to the BAI Veterinary Quarantine Officer at the airport or port of entry, and payment of the applicable fees can be made there. BAI states that with complete documents, animals can be released the same day.

The BAI “Pet (Dog/Cat)” page is not a bird page — and this is the trap

Search “bringing a pet to the Philippines” and you’ll land on BAI’s guidance titled “Procedures and requirements in bringing a dog or cat to the Philippines.” Its own navigation entry reads “Pet (Dog/Cat).” Every condition on that page is species-specific to dogs and cats:

• Minimum age of 120 days at the time of application
• No pregnant animals accepted
• Rabies vaccination at least 14 days before application, with dogs vaccinated no earlier than 84 days of age
• Canine (e.g. distemper) and feline vaccination schedules

None of that is a bird rule, and applying it to a parrot or budgie would be a mistake. BAI runs a separate “Live Animal” import track for species outside the dog/cat pet route, and what conditions BAI applies to a companion bird specifically are not published on the dog/cat page. Treat that as an open question and confirm it directly with BAI before you rely on anything you read elsewhere about “the same rules as dogs and cats.” Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, what health, vaccination, testing or isolation conditions BAI applies to an imported pet bird under its Live Animal track — Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Philippines. Please confirm with the relevant agency listed at the bottom of this page before you rely on it for your own bird.

What it costs — and whose figures these actually are

BAI’s dog/cat page publishes these fees:

Fee	Amount
SPS Import Clearance (SPSIC)	Php 100.00
Inspection fee — first two pets	Php 250.00 per head
Inspection fee — each additional pet	Php 300.00 per head

Those are the published dog and cat figures. We haven’t found a separate published fee schedule for birds, so don’t assume it’s the same number. Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, whether the SPSIC and inspection fees for a pet bird match the published dog/cat figures, or whether a different fee schedule applies — BAI. Please confirm with the relevant agency listed at the bottom of this page before you rely on it for your own bird.

A workbook trap worth knowing about before you quote it yourself

If you go looking at BAI’s country-list workbook, the sheet most people click first is “Allowed Countries — Handcarried.” Its actual header is “LIST OF COUNTRIES ALLOWED FOR IMPORT OF MEAT INTENDED FOR PERSONAL OR NON-COMMERCIAL USE.” That sheet governs meat carried in luggage — not live animals — and Canada’s presence on it has nothing to do with pet birds. The same workbook holds separate sheets for HPAI, African swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, BSE, classical swine fever, lumpy skin disease and African horse sickness, each with its own “as of” date, plus general “All Import Ban” and “All Lifted Ban” sheets. Read the title row of whichever sheet you open before you read a country status out of it — it’s an easy way to end up quoting the wrong rule confidently.

The Canadian side: your export certificate and the flight itself

A captive pet bird counts as poultry for export purposes, so leaving Canada is governed by section 69(1) of the Health of Animals Regulations. It requires evidence that the bird meets the importing country’s sanitary requirements, a certificate from a veterinary inspector (or an accredited veterinarian, endorsed by a veterinary inspector) confirming inspection, freedom from communicable disease, and any required test results, plus information showing how the transport requirements will be met. The certificate must carry the official CFIA export stamp, applied only by a veterinary inspector or someone they authorise.

Section 69(1.1) only ever waived part of that requirement for exports to the United States. Because the Philippines is not the United States and requests its own certification, the full section 69(1) process applies here — there’s no shortcut version for this route.

Section 148.1 and section 150(5) of the same Regulations make the IATA Live Animals Regulations Canadian law for air transport, not just an airline preference: the container has to meet the IATA design and construction standard and the IATA stocking-density guideline. The Regulations reference the 44th edition “as amended from time to time,” so which edition actually applies on your travel date isn’t something you can settle by reading the Regulations alone — ask CFIA which edition governs your date of travel. If you’re still working out which airline will carry a bird at all on a route like this, our carrier-by-carrier table is a useful starting point before you book.

What this article doesn’t cover: CITES

If your bird is a CITES-listed species — most parrots kept as pets fall somewhere on the CITES appendices, though which one depends on the exact species — the CITES side of this move is handled separately from everything above. In the Philippines, CITES import permits are administered by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), not by BAI, and we haven’t reviewed that process for this article. Don’t assume the SPSIC covers it. Check your species against our species-by-species CITES lookup and confirm the Philippine side directly with DENR before you rely on anything else you read about it.

Isolation or testing before departure? We don’t know yet — and neither should you assume

For the UK and EU routes, the published certificates spell out exactly what pre-export isolation or vaccination is required. We have not found an equivalent published isolation or testing requirement specific to a pet bird leaving for the Philippines, so we’re not going to guess one — and we’re not going to invent a reason you’d need boarding here either. Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, whether any pre-export isolation, quarantine or testing period applies to a pet bird bound for the Philippines, and for how long — BAI. Please confirm with the relevant agency listed at the bottom of this page before you rely on it for your own bird. What we can say is that the SPSIC has to be approved before your bird travels, and BAI doesn’t publish a processing time for that approval, so build in whatever margin you can rather than booking a fixed departure date around it. Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, typical SPSIC processing time — BAI. Please confirm with the relevant agency listed at the bottom of this page before you rely on it for your own bird.

Where boarding fits while the clearance is pending

If your Philippine clearance is taking longer than your travel plans allow, or you’re moving ahead of your bird, that gap has to be filled by somewhere your bird can actually live — not by rushing the paperwork. That’s what boarding is for, and it’s worth being direct about what we do and don’t do: Bird Sitting Toronto boards birds and, if a bird genuinely can’t make the move at all, helps rehome them. We don’t file the SPSIC, complete any BAI application, liaise with BAI or DENR, act as a customs broker, or advise on Philippine immigration or import law — the border information in this article is exactly that, information, not a service we provide.

An owner waiting on a clearance is typically boarding for weeks or months, not days, so the monthly rate is the relevant one to compare:

Bird size	Examples	Monthly rate
Small	Budgie, canary, finch	$360
Medium	Conure, cockatiel, Quaker	$480
Large	Caique, ringneck, pionus	$600
Extra large	Eclectus, African grey, cockatoo	$720

Rates current at time of writing — check /pricing/ for today’s. Every plan includes daily photos and videos, food and water, fresh fruit and vegetables, and interaction, with discounts for housing multiple birds together. If you’re weighing boarding against other options for a relocation more broadly, our guide to moving abroad when your bird can’t come with you and our long-term boarding guide cover the decision in more depth.

Frequently asked questions

Is Canada currently banned from sending pet birds to the Philippines because of bird flu?

Not on the June 2026 version of BAI’s avian-influenza ban list. The only Canadian entry on it is a regional ban on Nova Scotia that was lifted in November 2023, plus a note that Canada has a regionalization arrangement with the Philippines, meaning bans attach to affected regions rather than the whole country. Because this list is revised monthly, pull the current version from BAI yourself before you rely on it.

Do I need Philippine approval before I can get my Canadian export paperwork?

Yes. BAI’s process starts with an approved Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC), which you then present to the Canadian veterinary authority to obtain your export permit and international veterinary health certificate. Getting a CFIA-accredited vet appointment before the SPSIC is approved risks doing that step twice.

Can I follow BAI’s “Pet (Dog/Cat)” page for my bird?

No. That page’s conditions — minimum age, no pregnant animals, rabies vaccination timing — are written specifically for dogs and cats. Birds fall under BAI’s separate Live Animal import track, and the specific conditions BAI applies to a companion bird aren’t published on the pet page. Confirm directly with BAI.

What does it cost to bring a bird into the Philippines?

BAI publishes an SPS Import Clearance fee of Php 100 and inspection fees of Php 250 per head for the first two pets, Php 300 for each additional pet — but those are the dog/cat figures. Confirm with BAI whether the same schedule applies to a pet bird.

Does my bird need to be isolated or tested before it leaves Canada?

We haven’t found a published pre-export isolation or testing requirement specific to a pet bird headed to the Philippines, and we’re not going to guess one. Confirm directly with BAI what, if anything, is required before departure.

My parrot is a CITES-listed species — does the SPSIC cover that too?

No. In the Philippines, CITES import permits are handled by DENR, separately from BAI’s animal-health clearance. Check your species against a CITES lookup and confirm the Philippine import side with DENR directly.

What kind of crate does my bird need for the flight?

Canadian law requires a container that meets the IATA Live Animals Regulations’ design, construction and stocking-density standards for any bird travelling by air — this isn’t optional or airline-specific. Confirm with CFIA which edition of the IATA standard applies on your travel date.

Can Bird Sitting Toronto handle the SPSIC or export permit for me?

No. We board birds, and we help rehome a bird that genuinely can’t make the move. We don’t file permits, complete BAI or CFIA applications, or act as a customs broker — the information in this article is for planning purposes only.

If your bird needs somewhere stable to stay while your Philippine clearance is pending, get a boarding quote here.

Related guides in this series

• Moving Abroad and You Can’t Take Your Bird: Board, Rehome, or Wait
• Importing a Pet Bird to Canada: The Complete CFIA Guide (2026)
• Long-Term Bird Boarding While You Relocate: 30, 60 and 90+ Days
• Taking Your Bird from Canada to the United States: Driving vs Flying
• Bringing a Pet Bird to Canada From Outside the US: Why You Need a Permit
• Can I Fly Inside Canada With My Parrot? Domestic Rules by Carrier

Who to call before you travel

Confirm every requirement below with the agency itself. These are the people who
can actually authorise your bird’s movement — we cannot.

Every number below was checked against the agency’s own website on
27 July 2026. Government phone numbers and web pages still change without notice.
If one does not connect, find the agency through its own official site rather than trusting
what is printed here.

• Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) — import and export of live
  birds, health certificates, permits: 1-800-442-2342 from
  Canada and the US, or 1-613-773-2342 local and
  international, 8 am to 7 pm EST Monday to Friday except holidays. CFIA names
  services related to travelling with pets as something its area offices handle —
  for the GTA that is the Mississauga animal health office,
  289-247-4100, 8 am to 4 pm
  · inspection.canada.ca
• Environment and Climate Change Canada — CITES permitting — export and
  import permits for CITES-listed species, and what documents exist for repeat crossings:
  1-855-869-8670
  · cites@ec.gc.ca
• Canada Border Services Agency — what happens at the border itself,
  declarations and inspection fees: 1-800-461-9999, Monday to
  Friday 8 am to 4 pm local time. Press 0 to reach an agent; CBSA’s published
  service standard is to answer within 20 minutes
• USDA APHIS — the US pet-travel hub, with separate paths for import,
  export and interstate movement, and the list of which birds count as pets at all:
  aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel
• US Fish & Wildlife Service — CITES and Wild Bird Conservation Act
  permits, applied for through the ePermits portal at
  fws.gov/permits. The agency
  contact centre is 1-800-344-9453
  · info@fws.gov
• Philippine Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Department of Agriculture — issues the SPS Import Clearance that has to be approved before your bird leaves Canada, and its Veterinary Quarantine Officers clear animals at the port of entry: bai.gov.ph pet import · the temporary disease-ban list, revised monthly, is published at BAI’s banned-countries folder

What we can and cannot help with

We cannot help with paperwork. Bird Sitting Toronto is a bird
boarding and care business. We are not a customs broker, an immigration consultant, a
veterinary practice or a legal adviser. We do not file permits, complete applications or
deal with any agency on your behalf, and we cannot guarantee any outcome at any border.
Everything on this page is information only.

There are two things we can do. If your bird cannot travel with you
— because the paperwork is still in progress, the airline will not carry it, or the
timing simply does not work — we can board
your bird in the GTA for as long as you need, including by the month. And if it
becomes clear the bird genuinely cannot come with you, we can help you
rehome it to a good home rather
than leaving you to sort that out alone.

We publish this guide because our boarding clients ask us about it constantly, and
because the answer is genuinely hard to assemble from the primary sources.