Canadian Armed Forces Pet Relocation
For CAF members on a posting, in Canada or OUTCAN, and the families moving with them. Pet Travel Advisors plans and runs your pet’s move to the new place of duty, by air or by road, and sets the quote out in parts that follow the relocation directive’s pet rules.
Book the full move from home to home, or only what you need: the flight, the crate, the CFIA export paperwork, airport check-in on departure, pickup on arrival and delivery to your new address.
Does the CAF pay to move a pet on a posting?
Yes, within limits. The Canadian Armed Forces Relocation Directive (CAFRD), in force since 1 April 2026, pays for the shipment of pets and service dogs under section 9.2.06. It covers three things:
- Getting the animal between your home and the shipping agent at origin and at destination, as a kilometric allowance if you drive it yourself or the actual and reasonable cost of commercial transport
- The commercial shipment, limited to the transportation cost
- Basic commercial animal care that the carrier or the host country requires
| Posting | Pet expenses | Paid from |
|---|---|---|
| Between two places in Canada | Up to $1,000 CAD for the relocation, under CAFRD 3.4.02 | Custom Account |
| To or from an isolated post | The $1,000 limit does not apply | Custom Account |
| OUTCAN, to or from a post outside Canada | The $1,000 limit does not apply | Custom Account |
| A service dog, on any posting | Shipment costs under 9.2.06 | Core Account |
While you are on a house hunting or destination information trip, in interim lodging, or travelling to the new place of duty, CAFRD 3.4.02 also pays for basic commercial animal care and the extra fee a commercial lodging charges for a pet staying with you, apart from any specialized cleaning fee when you leave.
What does the relocation directive leave you to pay?
Section 9.2.06 is narrow. It does not pay for buying the animal carrier, or for special diets, grooming, veterinary costs, medications, inoculations or vaccine certificates. The vet visits behind an export certificate fall among the veterinary costs it leaves out, so plan to pay those yourself unless your entitlements say otherwise.
Two more conditions apply. Your pet’s shipment dates have to line up with your own travel dates, unless your unit certifies that it was impossible. And if the pet goes to an alternate location, the directive pays no more than shipping it to the new place of duty would have cost.
SIRVA has been the contracted relocation service provider for files authorized from 6 January 2026, with BGRS keeping files authorized before that date, according to the CAF Ombudsman’s guide to postings. Ask your provider how your pet claim is handled before you book anyone, us included.
How does the quote line up with section 9.2.06?
Part by part. The quote keeps the costs the directive names, transport to and from the shipping agent, the commercial shipment and the animal care the carrier or the country requires, on lines of their own, apart from the ones it leaves out, such as the crate and the vet visits. The claim can then be made from the paid invoice as it stands. Whether each line is paid is decided under your entitlements, so confirm it with your relocation provider.
With two or more pets, each animal has its own crate and its own papers, and within Canada the $1,000 limit covers all of them together, so the quote shows the total for every animal against that one limit.
Moving pets on a military posting within Canada
A domestic posting is a choice between flying the pet and driving it. By air, your pet flies as cargo on a route booked against your travel dates, and winter rules on Canadian airlines narrow which flights take animals, as our pet transport page sets out.
By road, partner drivers take pets from one province to another, or from your home to the airport. Within Canada the $1,000 limit covers all your pet expenses for the relocation, so a quote in parts shows early what fits inside it and what does not.
OUTCAN posting with pets: what has to happen before the flight?
An OUTCAN move runs on the destination country’s rules. Your own vet completes the destination’s certificate, the CFIA endorses it where the country asks for that, and the gap between the two is set by the flight. Some countries also want a rabies antibody test followed by a wait, which can mean starting months before the posting date.
- The United States: a dog meets the CDC’s entry rules, which our United States page sets out for a dog leaving Canada.
- Germany, Belgium and the rest of the European Union: the EU’s own health certificate, endorsed before departure. See the Germany page and the Belgium page.
- The United Kingdom: entry rules of its own for dogs and cats, on our UK page.
- Japan: two rabies vaccinations, an antibody titre test and a wait after the blood draw, on our Japan page.
When the posting message gives less notice than the destination’s rules take, the pet can come on after you once its documents are in order, and that later trip is quoted from wherever it is being looked after. Because 9.2.06 asks for the shipment to line up with your travel dates, raise the gap with your unit early. Other countries are listed in the destinations index, and international pet shipping explains the CFIA side.
What we arrange, and what stays with you
- Route planning that takes in the destination’s rules, the time of year and your travel dates
- The cargo booking, with a carrier that accepts live animals on your route
- A crate that meets the carrier’s size rules for your animal
- Export and import documents, prepared and checked, with an import permit where one is required, and the CFIA endorsement appointment
- Airport check-in on departure, done by the team
- Pickup at the arrival airport and delivery to the new home, or collection from quarantine in countries that quarantine on arrival
- Ground moves between provinces, and home to airport runs, with partner drivers
Your dealings with your unit and with your relocation provider, and the claim itself, stay with you. Pet Travel Advisors started in 2023; its staff hold certificates in IATA’s Live Animals Regulations, and documents are prepared to CFIA requirements.
How does a CAF pet move work?
It runs in five steps and ends with the paid invoice.
1. Send Us the Posting Details
Where you are posted from and to, your travel dates, and the breed, age and weight of each animal.
2. Your Plan and Quote
Routing, paperwork in sequence, and a line for each part: transport to the shipping agent, the shipment, required animal care, the crate and the documents.
3. Vet Visits and Crate Training
Appointments are dated back from a flight that lines up with your own travel, while your pet settles into its crate at home.
4. Departure Day
Your pet is checked in by the team and the flight is followed to the handover, or a partner driver drives it to the new home.
5. The Invoice for Your Claim
Once paid, the invoice repeats each line of the quote, so you and your provider can see which ones 9.2.06 covers.
What do you need to send us?
- The dates in your posting message and the area of your new place of duty
- Your own travel dates, since the pet’s shipment has to line up with them
- Your pet’s species, breed, age, weight and measurements for the crate
- Its rabies vaccination certificate, microchip number and titre result, if your pet has one
- Whether the animal is a service dog
- Who pays, if anyone besides you does
Where another person or organization pays a share, bookings wait until they approve the quote in writing. To see roughly how a route breaks down before the quote, try the pet shipping cost calculator.
Get a Quote for Your Posting
Frequently asked questions
Is the $1,000 limit per pet or per move?
Per move. CAFRD 3.4.02 sets $1,000 CAD as the most you can claim in pet expenses for a relocation between two places in Canada, for the whole relocation rather than per animal. It does not apply to postings to or from isolated posts or outside Canada.
Does the CAF pay for the travel crate?
No. Section 9.2.06 says the cost of buying an animal carrier is not reimbursable. The crate is on its own line in the quote, so it is easy to leave out of the claim.
Can my pet travel after I do?
Only with your unit’s backing. Section 9.2.06 asks for the shipment dates to line up with your own travel dates, unless the unit authority certifies that this was impossible.
Are service dogs treated differently?
Their shipment is paid from the Core Account, where pets are paid from the Custom Account. The rest of 9.2.06 applies to both.
Who do I ask about my entitlements?
Your contracted relocation service provider: SIRVA for files authorized from 6 January 2026, BGRS for older files. We can tell you what the move involves and what it costs; how the claim is handled is a question for them.
Can someone else in my family handle the pet move?
Yes. If you report first, a spouse or another family member can take the vet appointments and be there when the pet leaves, and the quote is written to whoever is paying.
Can you move a pet to or from an isolated post?
Yes. The route is planned around what flies there and what can reach it by road, and the $1,000 limit for moves within Canada does not apply to postings to or from isolated posts.