It is the exporter's responsibility to ensure that the animal meets the importing country requirements.

An import permit is required.​

Information on exporting horses from Australia to the United States of America (US) is available from the US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS).

To officially enter the US, horses from Australia will require:

• An official health certificate, issued by the exporting country.
• An import permit, issued by the National Import Export Services.
• A reservation at an animal import centre and at an approved CEM quarantine facility, if applicable.

Information on how to obtain an import permit is available from the USDA APHIS website.

Note

Where an importing country issues an import permit, the exporter must ensure the animal meets any requirements in the permit.

Health certification

As importing country requirements may change without advice to the Department, you should check the import permit and/or the United States department’s website carefully at the time of preparation for export.

The US requires that the original Health Certificate issued by the competent veterinary authority of the exporting country must accompany the shipment with the import permit.​​

There is an agreed health certificate for the export of horses from Australia to the United States.

Further information about exporting horses from Australia to the United States can be found on the USDA APHIS website.

A horse silhouette [117 DOCX | 88 PDF​] is required to accompany the original signed health certificate to provide an accurate, unalterable visual backup for identification.

Health certificate

I, Dr ………………………………, a duly authorised government veterinary officer,³ hereby certify that:

1. CONSIGNMENT INFORMATION
   
   
   1. Number of horses              ​           ...................................................................
      
   2. Competent Authority              ​     Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
   3. Exporting country and ISO code         Australia, AUS
   4. Date of export              ​                ................................................ (dd/mm/yyyy)
   5. Port of export              ​                 ..................................................................
      
   6. Destination country and ISO code   United States of America, USA
   7. Port of entry in United States     ..................................................................​
      
   8. Purpose of import              ​                    Competition    Breeding​
                    ​                            ​                       Companion      Other (specify)​: ​..................
   9. Type of admission              ​                    Permanent       Temporary (up to 90 days)​
   10. Exporter
       
       1. Name            ​                                 ................................................
       2. Address            ​                              ................................................
       3. Country and ISO Code                  Australia, AUS​
          
   11. Importer
       
       1. Name            ​                                 ................................................
       2. Address            ​                              ................................................
       3. Country and ISO Code                  United States of America, USA​
          
       ​​
       
   12. Premises of residency in exporting country
       
       1. Name                                            See attached List of horses
       2. Address                                        See attached List of horses
          
       3. Country and ISO Code                 Australia, AUS
   13. Premises of examination (if different than I.12)¹
       
       1. Name            ​                                 ................................................
       2. Address            ​                              ................................................
       3. Country and ISO Code                  Australia, AUS​
          
       ​​
       
   14. Premises of destination in the United States (after release from quarantine)
       
       1. Name                                            See attached List of horses
       2. Address                                        See attached List of horses
          
       3. Country and ISO Code                 Australia, AUS
   15. Means of transport                    Aircraft
   16. Description of horse(s)              See attached List of horses
   ​​​​​
   
2. GENERAL HEALTH ATTESTATIONS
   1. The horse(s) identified in the attached List of horses were visually and physically examined on (dd/mm/yyyy) by an authorised veterinarian.²
   2. The horse(s) are clinically healthy, free of communicable disease and, as far as can be determined, have not been exposed to communicable diseases during the 60 days preceding export to the United States.
   3. The horse(s) are free of ectoparasites.
   4. The horse(s) have not been vaccinated with a live, attenuated, or inactivated vaccine, to include any immune modulating pharmaceuticals or nutraceuticals, during the 14 days preceding export to the United States.
   5. If male, the horse(s) have not been castrated (gelded) within the 14 days preceding export to the United States.¹
   6. Insofar as can be determined, during the 60 days preceding export to the United States, the horse(s) have not been on a premises where a case of African horse sickness (AHS), dourine, glanders, surra, epizootic lymphangitis, ulcerative lymphangitis, equine piroplasmosis, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE), vesicular stomatitis, equine infectious anaemia (EIA), or contagious equine metritis (CEM) has occurred, nor has the Competent Authority found these diseases on any adjoining premises during the same period of time.
   7. During the 60 days preceding export to the United States:​
      
      EITHER¹ a. The horse(s) have continuously been in Australia.
      
      OR^1,4,5 ​ b. The horse(s) have been in the additional country or countries listed below AND I have verified through official health attestations from each country that the requirements in this certificate were met in accordance with the APHIS-recognised health status of that country.
      

      Horse name	Country of residency	Premises of residency (name and address)	Dates of residency

      Additional countries of residency may be provided on a separate page.
      
      
   8. Travel arrangements were made for transport of the horse(s) from the premises of residency or examination to the United States, and insofar as can be determined:
      
      
      1. The horse(s) will be transported in a clean and disinfected conveyance, transport vehicle, or container, and for travel by air, in compliance with International Air Transport Association (IATA) standards.
      2. The horse(s) will be held separate and apart and not have direct or indirect contact, breeding or otherwise, with equines of lesser health status than specified in this export health certificate, or other domestic or wild livestock.
   
   
3. CONTAGIOUS EQUINE METRITIS (CEM) REQUIREMENTS
   
   EITHER¹
   
   
   1. The horse(s) have not been tested for CEM because:
      
      
      1. EITHER¹ a. The horse(s) are gelding(s) of any age.
         
         
      2. OR¹ b. The horse(s) are less than 731 days of age and has not been bred (live or artificial).
         
         
      3. OR^1,5 c. The horse(s) have not been in a country APHIS considers CEM-affected during the 12 months preceding export to the United States, AND (i) the horse(s) have not been on any CEM-affected premises at any time during the 12 months preceding export, AND (ii) the horse(s) have not been bred by or bred to any CEM-infected equines or equines from a CEM-affected premises, AND (iii) the horse(s) have had no direct or indirect contact with equines found to be infected with CEM or with equines of lesser health status for CEM.
   
   
   OR¹
   
   
   2. The horse(s) have been tested for CEM because they are intact stallion(s) or mare(s) over 731 days of age or a bred horse less than 731 days of age that does not qualify for one of the above conditions. An authorised veterinarian² collected a set of specimens for bacterial culture from each horse within thirty (30) days prior to the date of export as described below; AND (a) all specimens were received by a laboratory approved by the Competent Authority to perform bacterial culture for CEM within 48 hours of collection; AND (b) all specimens were incubated for at least 7 days before certifying results for the CEM organism; AND (c) the horse(s) have not been used for natural breeding, for the collection of semen for artificial insemination in the case of stallions, or for artificial insemination in the case of mares, from the time the specimens were collected through to the date of export to the United States, AND
      
      
      1. EITHER¹ (i) For intact males, at least one specimen was collected from each of the following four sites (different swab for each site): the mucosal surface of the prepuce, the urethral sinus, the distal urethra, and the fossa glandis (including the diverticulum of the fossa glandis). Each specimen was cultured with negative results.
         
         Date and time of sample collection:.................................(dd/mm/yyyy)         .........................(hr:min)
         
         
      2. OR¹ (ii) For intact females, at least one specimen was collected from each of the following three sites (different swab for each site): the mucosal surface of the clitoral fossa, the clitoral sinuses, and if the mare is not pregnant, the distal cervix or endometrium. Each specimen was cultured with negative results.
         
         Date and time of sample collection:.................................(dd/mm/yyyy)         .........................(hr:min)
         
         
      3. OR¹ (iii) Specimens collected as per III.2.i or III.2.ii cultured positive and the horse was treated using....................................(describe protocol), with treatment completed at least 21 days prior to collection of a new set of specimens in accordance with III.2.i or III.2.ii. Each new specimen was cultured with negative results.
         
         Date and time of sample collection:.................................(dd/mm/yyyy)        .........................(hr:min)​
   
   
4. SCREWWORM REQUIREMENTS​
   
   During the 60 days preceding export to the United States:
   
   
   1. EITHER^1,5  1. The horse(s) have not been in a country that APHIS considers screwworm affected.
      
      
   2. OR^1,5         2. The horse(s) have been in a country that APHIS considers screwworm affected but have subsequently been in one or more countries that APHIS considers screwworm free for at least 7 days and until export to the United States AND an authorised veterinarian² has examined⁶ the horse(s) after 7 days and found the horse(s) to be free of screwworm infestation.
      
   
   
5. FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE (FMD) REQUIREMENTS​
   
   During the 5 days preceding export to the United States, the horse(s) have not been in a country or region that APHIS considers FMD affected.⁵​
   
   
6. VENEZUELAN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS (VEE) REQUIREMENTS
   
   During the 60 days preceding export to the United States, the horse(s) have not been in a country that APHIS considers VEE affected.⁵​
   
   
7. AFRICAN HORSE SICKNESS (AHS) REQUIREMENTS
   ​​
   During the 60 days preceding export to the United States, the horse(s) have not been in a country that APHIS considers AHS affected.⁵​
   
   
8. SIGNATURE OF COMPETENT AUTHORITY²
   
   
   1. Official veterinarian name..............................................................
      
   2. Signature⁷                        ..............................................................
      
   3. Date issued                       ..............................................................​​(dd/mm/yyyy)

Official stamp                                                                                   ​

This certificate is valid for 10 days after the date of examination in Part II, or less if limited by the Competent Authority of the exporting country.

Note

¹Line out if not applicable. Line outs must be endorsed by the certifying government veterinarian if they are not formally pre-approved by APHIS on official health certificates.

²The pre-export examinations, testing, and treatments specified in this certificate may be completed by an authorised or government veterinarian, unless otherwise specified. A government veterinarian is a full-time salaried official veterinarian employed by the Competent Authority. An authorised veterinarian is a licensed veterinarian approved or accredited by the Competent Authority to perform certain official tasks associated with animal health on their behalf, such as inspection and certification of commodities for international movement.

³All required Parts of this health certificate must be wet ink endorsed by a government veterinarian of the Competent Authority.

⁴See the Guidance for Completing the Model Health Certificate for Export of Qualifying Equines to the United States of America for more information regarding the health attestations and documentation required from each country an equine has been in.

⁵The APHIS recognised animal health status of a region/country can be found at USDA APHIS Animal Health Status of Regions​.

⁶Equines must be visually and physically examined for signs of screwworm infestation on all mucous membranes and in all wounds. This examination must include a thorough inspection of the external genitalia, which requires full extension of the penis for males.

⁷Original wet ink signature required.

List of Horses

^{^}Microchip required, if present. If none, enter NONE. Microchip location must also be demonstrated.

^#Registration number required, if issued e.g., Unique Equine Life Number, Breed Registry Number, etc. If none, enter NONE.

^&Enter the physical premises address where the horse last resided in Australia.

^@Enter the physical premises address where the horse will reside after release from quarantine

Exporters seeking to export horses from New Zealand to USA via Australia should contact Departmental officers at the regional office of the state from which the horses are to be exported from Australia.

Note

USA accepts New Zealand horses co-loaded with Australian horses on the forwarding flight from Australia to the USA.

If your animal is returning to Australia, you should make yourself familiar with the Department's requirements for importing live animals into Australia. This is important as your animal may have been exposed to diseases that do not occur in Australia.

Based on an agreed health certificate and importing country website and information.

Entry last reviewed 22 June 2026.​