April 2023
It has been a while since we last flew with our dogs into Mexico City Benito Juárez International Airport because we normally drive everywhere.
This article will explain what to expect when flying with a dog to Mexico City, the SENASICA OISA office and the importation process.
We flew directly from LAX to MEX on Aeroméxico with our two dogs, Olivia and Sofia.
Here is our step-by-step experience.
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BOOKING AIRLINE TICKETS WHEN TRAVELING WITH PETS
It is noteworthy to point out that only a certain number of dogs are allowed on each Aeroméxico flight.
Therefore, it is important to contact the airline directly. Either to call and book tickets directly. Or book online and immediately call with your reservation number to add your dog or cat to your ticket.
Of course, there is an additional charge each way.
The reservation agent did ask me a question that was never asked before.
She asked me to measure each dog! Measure from the nose to tail.
When I asked why, she replied that this information was for the check-in agent.
Hum… it will be interesting to see if the check-in agent actually uses this information.
Selecting seats when flying with a dog
The flight we took on Aeroméxico was a Dreamliner BOEING DREAMLINE 787-8 JET.
I pre-selected seats in the middle row – aisle seats, D and F.
The reason I selected aisle seats is because the seat in front of an aisle seat does not have entertainment equipment under the seat.
Seats with the equipment under them blocks the amount of space one can use to put items under it, such as a dog carrier.
Window and middle seats have the entertainment equipment under them and the airline approved dog carriers do not fit.
CHECK-IN PROCESS FOR AEROMÉXICO AT LAX
We arrived 3 hours before the departure time at the Aeroméxico / Delta Airlines check-in counter.
When we got in line, we were told to put the dogs into their carrier. They could not be on a leash waiting by our sides.
Once we got to the check-in counter the agent asked for the dog’s paperwork. Aeroméxico requires a health certificate and a current rabies certificate.
Aeroméxico only allows a 5-day window for getting a health certificate. I got these health certificates the day before we flew down to Mexico City.
The agent did not ask to see the dogs nor did he weigh the dogs. However, the check-in agent next to us did ask a lady to put her dog and carrier on the scale. The dog was half way out of the carrier and looked bigger than our dogs.
PET labels were attached to each dog carrier.
All in all, the check-in process with dogs went smoothly.
Once we left the ticket counter, we took the dogs out of their carriers and went for a walk outside.
LAX has limited grass. There are a few plants and bushes just outside of the parking garages on the ground floor.
There are relief stations inside the LAX terminals. They smell of urine. If you go, wear a mask to block the strong order.
The plastic grass hurt our dog’s paws and they refused to walk on it.
We keep extra pee-pads inside the carriers, under the thin padding.
At the relief station we used one and put it down (away from the plastic grass) and Sofia was happy to use that.
TAKING DOGS THROUGH THE TSA STATION AT LAX
We had no issues going through the security check point with our dogs.
We took each dog out of their carrier before getting to the x-ray machine.
We walked the dogs through the metal detectors with us. The harness we used on each dog was thin with very little metal. No beeps. =8-)
The dogs went back into their carriers because we had to take a internal shuttle bus to our gate at another terminal.
AEROMÉXICO GATE CHECK-IN PROCESS AT LAX
Once we got to the gate, we took the dogs out of their carriers and walked them around a bit.
The Aeroméxico gate agent asked us to please come to the counter. She wanted to change our seats because a dog has to be by a window.
Apparently, there was only one window seat available which she assigned to me and then sat my husband next to me in the aisle seat. No one in the middle.
As I mentioned before, there is no room for a dog carrier to fit under the window seat in front.
There was enough room under the aisle seat for my husband to slide Sofia’s dog carrier under the seat.
Since no one was in the middle seat I was able to turn Olivia’s dog carrier sideways and take up two spaces to make it fit.
ARRIVING AT THE MEXICO CITY AIRPORT WITH DOGS
It is an especially L O N G walk while carrying dogs from the airplane to the Customs and Immigration area at the Mexico City airport.
The airport has been remodeled and looks great! There are clear signs indicating where to go.
Mexico has been phasing out the paper FMM card and replaced it with a stamp in your passport.
When it was our turn to see the immigration officer, she asked us a few questions about where and how long we were staying in Mexico City. No questions about the dogs.
Once our passports were stamped, we headed out of that area.
We walked down a hallway (which had a small shop) to the baggage claim area. No one said anything about taking the dogs to the SENASICA OISA office.
As soon as you emerge from the hallway, the SENASICA OISA office is to the left.
You cannot miss it. There are people lined up with their dogs.
Before we went to the OISA office, we headed over to the baggage carousel to pickup our luggage.
We put the two dogs on top of the luggage and wheeled over to the OISA office.
A few things to note…
There is a sign saying to leave your pet in the carrier.
I also noticed that the OISA officer did not ask to see the pets nor conduct a physical inspection.
Once we got to the counter, they had us fill out a short form.
The form wanted our names, passport number, flight number and where we were staying in Mexico City.
This form asked nothing about the dogs.
We had to complete one form per dog.
Once we handed in the forms, he asked for the dog’s paperwork.
Although the country of Mexico does not require a health certificate for dogs traveling from the U.S. or Canada, Aeroméxico does. So, I handed over the health certificates and rabies certificates.
It took about 15 minutes for him to enter the data into the system and hand us the official Certificado Zoosanitorio Para Importación.
He gave us two copies for each dog. One copy for us to keep and one copy to hand to an official on our way out.
Again, no physical inspection.
The only information on the certificate that pertained to the dog was the description. What breed, how old and the name of the dog.
It did not have any information about whether or not she had a rabies shot, was free of parasites, or other vaccines she has had.
Next, we got in line to exit the baggage claim area. We took the dogs out of their carriers at this point.
The luggage had to be x-rayed before leaving the baggage claim area. This included the dog carriers.
GETTING A TAXI AT THE AIRPORT
After the luggage was x-rayed, we headed towards the exit.
There are large frosted glass doors which open up into an area where all the taxi and car rental companies are. There are also currency exchange places. This is where anyone who is meeting you will pick you up as well.
We like to use CASADEY Taxi company. It is the first booth you see once entering this area.
The CASADEY clerk will ask for the address of where you are going and then tell you how much it will cost. You pre-pay here. They accept credit cards.
After you pay, they give you a voucher and then an escort you to the spot for CASADEY taxi service.
Green space for dogs at CDMX airport
There is a great little green space for dogs right next to the CASADEY taxi stand. Our dogs really needed to use this green space before getting into the taxi.
Turns out we used this same green space when we were flying back out. Very handy!
FLYING OUT OF MEXICO CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WITH A DOG
When got in line to check-in we were directed to the Special Services counter, not the regular counter.
It actually turned out for the better because there were no other people in line.
The agent asked for the dog’s rabies certificate and health certificate.
I was a little nervous about the health certificate because it was 5 days old, which is the last day of the time allowed.
I did not get another health certificate while in Mexico City because we were only there 5 days.
She accepted the health certificate as it was dated.
She did ask to weigh each dog in their carrier.
She also moved our seats because of their rule that dogs must be by a window. This time we each had a window seat in different rows.
The entire check-in process only took 20 minutes.
We had 3 hours before our airplane started the boarding process.
We did not want to leave the dogs in their carriers and wanted to take them outside, back to that green space we used upon arriving.
Another noteworthy comment… the airlines will not tell you the gate number for your flight. You have to keep checking the flight board. Fortunately, the Aeroméxico app did tell us the gate number about 2 hours before departure.
HOW TO GET DOWNSTAIRS AND TO A GREEN SPACE FOR THE DOGS
There is one escalator down to the ground floor in Terminal 1.
Look for the 7-Eleven shop. Across from that is a large column that says “L 1”. The escalator is right in front of that.
The escalator will take you down to the ground level where the taxi, rental car and currency exchange offices are located. It should look familiar.
Walk to the farthest end of this area and exited out the doors on the left. The green space is located just outside next to the CASADEY taxi stand.
GOING THROUGH SECURITY AT MEXICO CITY AIRPORT WITH DOGS
The dogs were already out of their carriers from having been outside earlier.
We walked the dogs through the metal detectors.
The security agent did a brief physical inspection of each dog. They were looking for weapons, not to see if they were healthy.
WAITING AT THE GATE AND BOARDING THE AIRPLANE
While waiting at the gate we opened up the carriers so they could lie down or walk around us with their leash on.
We had a long time to wait until our flight departed and I did not want to keep them in the carriers longer than absolutely necessary.
Shocking boarding procedure for dogs
A very awful boarding procedure occurred before we were allowed on the airplane with our dogs.
The gate agent Zip-tied each of their carriers closed!
This was very upsetting to me. What if there was an emergency and we needed to get the dogs out of the carriers?
What were we supposed to do once we landed?
We don’t carry scissors in our carry-on, let along our luggage. Were we expected to keep our dogs locked-up until we finally reach home or our hotel?
This was very cruel in my opinion.
A follow passenger told me about this hack to break the zip-ties.
Simply put writing pen through the circle holding the zippers closed and twist, twist, twist until the zip-ties break.
Voila it worked! =8-)
This hack also proved to be helpful once we collected our luggage.
Turns out Aeroméxico zip-tied everyone’s luggage closed. So even if you carried some scissors in your luggage, you cannot open it to get them out.
We ended up showing a few other passengers this hack to break the zip-ties. They were very grateful.
MY KEY TAKE AWAYS
What I learned through this process of flying to Mexico City with dogs is this…
The OISA office does not perform a physical inspection of your dog even though all the documentation says there will be an inspection.
The OISA office never asked about fleas/mites/tick prevention. Never looked inside the carrier or at the dog.
If I did not have a health certificate how would the OISA officer get the information required to put into their system and Zoosanitario certificate?
For example – the name of the dog and the breed? The rabies certificate did not have this information. The OISA form we were asked to complete never asked anything about the dogs. Only the health certificate had this information.
Aeroméxico in Mexico City is strict about preventing anyone from opening a suitcase or a dog carrier. The dogs are trapped inside until you can break the zip-tie.
I hope you found this article helpful. Please let me know in the comments if you have questions or additional remarks.
Viajes seguros mi amigos!
Hi, thank you for your information on flying to Mexico City with your pups. Very cute by the way!! My partner and I, with my mini border collie are thinking of going to San Miguel and would have to fly to Mexico City via direct flight from NYC. Then we would have to travel to San Miguel. Do you know how safe it is to travel by car down there. We may forgo flying and drive down due to the whole plane thing and my dog has anxiety. But how safe is it, and so your dogs get anxious flying… Read more »
Hola Kerry! I am happy to read that my information about flying to Mexico City was helpful. =8-) Your question about flying or driving to San Miguel Allende, I presume, (SMA) depends on how much time you have. We find driving in Mexico to be safe. You have to be smart about it. There are some “must do” guidelines to consider when driving in Mexico. It also helps to speak some Spanish. You don’t have to be fluent, but enough to be able to ask questions and understand the answers. I prefer driving around Mexico because it gives us the… Read more »
Thank you for your response and valuable information.
I would really appreciate any other information you could give me on driving in Mexico.
Smart safety planning tips are… Never drive after dark. Get to your destination before the sun sets. Stay on the Tolls roads (Cuotas) as much as possible. If you see a gas station when your tank is half full, fill it up. Do not let your gas tank get below half full. Make sure the gas pump is at $00.00 (zero) before they start pumping the gas. Tell the gas station attendant exactly how much you want. For example, x amount in pesos, and try to pay with that exact amount. This will illuminate the chances of being short changed.… Read more »
Gracias!!!!
Hi,
Before my flight to Mexico soon, I want to make sure I have all the right documents.
For the health certificate when coming back to the US, what does the five-day window look like? For instance, my return flight is on July 5 so will the certificate have to be dated June 30 or July 1st?
Also, does the health certificate have to show proof of parasite prevention and the location I am staying in Mexico? or is it not necessary?
Hola Diana! Thank you for the questions. =8-) Although Mexico’s SENASICA does not require a health certificate if your pet is coming from the United States or Canada – however, most airlines do require a health certificate. And they determine the how long the health certificate is good for. A 5-day window or a 10-day window. For us it was a 5-day window on Aeroméxico. We got the health certificate the day before we left. The day we flew to Mexico was considered day 1 and the day we flew back was considered day 5. So, you can get the… Read more »
Thank you for the reply. Do you know if it matters what kind of health certificate I get from the vet? My vet does not use the APHIS form 7001 as a health certificate but I was thinking about sending the pdf of the APHIS form 7001 I found on the USDA-APHIS website. I will be going to Mexico with Delta which does not require a health certificate and coming back to the US with Aeromexico, but I am not sure if there is a specific health certificate they will want. Will just presenting the rabies certificate and the APHIS… Read more »
If you are able to get your veterinarian to use the APHIS form 7001, that would be ideal. It is what the airlines and the Mexico OISA offices are familiar with. There is no specific health certificate form required anymore for Mexico. However, the information that is on the old APHIS form 7001 is what is required. That information can be put on any veterinarian’s letterhead stationery and must include the signature and license number. Believe it or not, it will be easier to come back into the U.S. when traveling from Mexico with dogs. For us they have never… Read more »