Panama Requirements for Animal Residential Quarantine
Jul 23rd, 2007 by Don Ray
I recently received the following information from a reader of Chiriquí Chatter related to bringing pets to Panama:
Requirements for Animal Residential Quarantine: An old law being newly enforced since the end of 2006:
When people come through the Panamanian Border or Customs at Tocumen with a pet, an option everybody takes is to request in-home quarantine for the pet. This is documented in Spanish on the forms you complete. The quarantine period is a minimum of 30 days, but can be 40 days to six weeks or whatever time the Government stipulates according to the type of animal, conditions, etc.
When you sign the paperwork at Tocumen for in-home quarantine, you are agreeing to abide by the following stipulations:
- You are responsible for keeping your pet confined to residential (in-home) quarantine and not allow that pet contact with any Panamanian animal during the entire period. You are not supposed to walk the animal on the streets, or allow it to leave the property at any time.
- You agree to receive “surprise inspections” by official inspectors who will check to see if the pet is healthy and where it is supposed to be. The Quarantine Department keeps a list of all pets on in-home quarantine.
The following are now being enforced as of the end of 2006
- If you brought your pet to Panama at the end of 2006 or later, and you have not received an in-home inspection, your animal is not officially off-quarantine at the end of the quarantine period. You must take your pet to the Department of Zoonosis Offices in David so that they can officially inspect its condition of health and fill out the paperwork to remove it from quarantine (see contacts below).- If you move during the quarantine period, you must notify the MIDA (Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario) Quarantine Department at the Customs Office at Tocumen and obtain permission to move the pet to a different location. Normally the permission will be granted, with some exceptions in specific cases for specific areas. For example you could not take a cow or horse from Chiriqui to Bocas del Toro, or to Veraguas or vice versa. If you moved, your name might be on their list, and they might be looking for you do do the inspection and remove your pet from quarantine.
- If the pet becomes ill or dies during the quarantine period you must report this to:
Jefe de Cuarentena Agropecuaria, MIDA Tocumen, [Chief of Agropecuary Quarantine, MIDA, Tocumen].CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE PROVINCE OF CHIRIQUI
Dr. Guillermo Chen Camaño, Cell: 6-651-2639 Tel: 774-5183 or 775-4749
Jefe del Departamento de Zoonosis, MINSA Ministerio de Salud de Chiriquí
Tel: 774-7410 or 774-7411
OFFICES LOCATION: Antiguo Hospital José Domingo de Obaldía, MINSA, David
can anyone tell me how to get the address of the health dept, i have to write to 2 weeks before i arrive in panama, to get in house quarenteen, for my dog no one seems to have this information, i would be very grateful , emma
I didn’t contact the health dept when I brought two dogs. I had found a person on the Internet that acted as an intermediary and he did everything. Unfortunately, I don’t have his name since this was almost 5 years ago.
Thanks for the info. Can you tell me where the nearest Zoonosis Office is to Santa Clara, Colcle Province? Who to contact for information on Pet Home Quarantine in Cocle Province in Panama. Are there special procedures for leaving again with pet and re-entry again with same pets…plan being 6 months in Panama and 6 months in Canada from this time forward? Thanks in advance for your help. Yolanda
Sorry, I do not know the information. Good luck with your search for information. From having brought dogs into Panama one time, I can’t imagine doing it both ways every six months.
The biggest concern will be the airlines and how long the dogs will be sitting in a hot storage area in the plane.