Newcomer guide
Bringing and keeping pets
SENASA sets the rules for entering Argentina with a dog or cat, and the exact requirements depend on your country of origin, so SENASA gives them to you through an online tool rather than a static list. The City's Animales BA hub covers local pet welfare, free vet care and castration. This guide links only to official sources and says plainly where no general rule was found.
Bringing a pet in
SENASA, the national animal and plant health authority, sets the rules for entering Argentina with a dog or cat. The exact requirements depend on your country of origin, so SENASA runs an online tool that gives you the list for your case: which vaccines, the health certificate and the International Veterinary Certificate. Do not trust a static checklist from a blog, run your case through the SENASA tool.
- Run your origin country through the SENASA requirements tool
- Get the health certificate and any vaccines it asks for before you travel
- Generate the International Veterinary Certificate through the SENASA portal
Keeping a pet in the City
The City's Animales BA hub is the official place for pet welfare in Buenos Aires: free vet care days, spay and neuter calendar, lost and found pets, and adoption. There is a registry for owners of dogs the law considers potentially dangerous, which is separate from a general census. No general mandatory microchip or pet census law was found for the City, so do not assume one exists, check the hub if a rule changes.
- Use Animales BA for free vet care and spay/neuter days
- Check the lost and found section if a pet goes missing
- Register a dangerous-breed dog if the law applies to yours
No general mandatory microchip or pet census law was found for Buenos Aires. Rules can change, so confirm on the Animales BA hub rather than assuming an older rule still holds.
Finding a vet
Veterinarians in the City are licensed by the Consejo Profesional de Médicos Veterinarios, a professional council set up under national law. It is not a government site, but it is the body that registers vets who practice in CABA. Ask any clinic for the vet's matrícula, the licence number, and confirm it. For everyday care, the free vet days on Animales BA are a real option, and for emergencies the same hub lists where to go.
- Ask for the vet's matrícula number and confirm it
- Try the free Animales BA vet days for routine care
- Save the nearest 24h clinic before an emergency
Next steps
If you do not have a pet yet, adoption comes first.