Importation of Pet Birds

All animals arriving in Bermuda must be accompanied by an import permit and an original veterinary health document.

You must provide evidence that your animal complies with all import requirements before an import permit will be issued.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has the right to inspect the property where the birds will be kept prior to issuing an import permit.

Learning about importing animals to Bermuda to find out the general rules and applicable fees.

Conditions of Entry

The following conditions must have been met before an import permit can be issued:

The following conditions must be met before an import permit can be issued:

  1. For animals included in Appendix I of CITES, a valid CITES Import Permit must be obtained first.  Contact us for details about this permit.
  2. You must file an Application to Import a Small Animal in advance with the Bermuda Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
  3. The importer must file a veterinary certificate with the Bermuda Department of Environment and Natural Resources, no more than 10 days in advance of the animal’s arrival. The veterinary certificate must have been issued within 10 days of the animal’s arrival, and must include the following statements:
  • The bird is free from any communicable disease.
  • The premises of origin in not infected with any communicable disease.
  • The bird is free from Chlamydiosis (Psittacosis) as determined by the PCR, complement fixation or agar gel immune-diffusion test or has received oxytetracycline or doxycycline treatment for 30 days prior to shipment.
  • No Newcastle disease has occurred within 30 miles of the premises during the previous 90 days.
  • The bird has not been exposed to wild birds during the previous 45 days.
  1. For birds included in an Appendix of CITES (Convention for the International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora), a copy of a valid CITES export document must be submitted together with the health certificate. This requirement applies to all birds of the Psittacine family (parrots) as well as several other common species.

How to apply