Electronic Transportation Permit Simplifies Traveling Out of State with Your Horse

Horses traveling into and out of the state of Florida are required to show an official report of negative Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) test, commonly referred to as a “Coggins test,” dated within 12 months of the sample being taken, and an Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI), commonly called a “Health Certificate“.

Extended Equine Certificate of Veterinary Inspection

Last year I shared information about the discontinuation of the Equine Event Extensions and Passports programs effective June 30, 2019. These have been replaced by the Extended Equine Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (EECVI). The EECVI can be acquired through your veterinarian in conjunction with Global Vet Link (GVL). This will serve as a six month horse health certificate available electronically 24/7. The information is shared with all other participating states. Currently, Global Vet Link is the only provider. The most up-to-date list of states participating in the EECVI program can be found on the Global Vet Link website. The map below, shows the participating states at the time this article was published.

States that recognize the EECVI. Oregon is planning to participate soon. Source: Global Vet Link

If you are traveling through a state that does not accept the EECVI, there is no problem unless you plan to offload the horse in that state. If you are traveling to a non-participating state, a 30 day CVI is required. A co-requirement is a current negative Coggins. Regardless of the EECVI status, during a disease outbreak, states have the authority to decline out of state horses. Even if you are traveling in a state that accepts EECVI, not all race tracks and show venues will accept them. Be certain you are clear on the requirements of your final destination.

Traceability – Health Declaration and Movement Permit

Most people would agree that issuing a health certificate that is good for 6 months would serve little purpose in stopping disease outbreaks. A caveat of the Extended Equine Certificate of Veterinary Inspection is the requirement for the owner to log into the database and obtain a Health Declaration and Movement Permit (HDMP). This new system will solve many of the problems associated with the previous passports and improve State Health Official’s ability to stop the spread of diseases.

Specific benefits include:

• Ability to issue disease alerts
• Ability to communicate additional requirements for destinations
• Ability to disable EECVI from specific states during a disease event
• Greater acceptance by states

EECVI Issuance

1. Owner schedules appointment with veterinarian
2. Must have negative Coggins valid to the term of the EECVI.
3. Owner provides proof of Official ID
4. Veterinarian examines equine for health verification
5. Veterinarian reviews with owner how to perform a pre-movement exam
6. General observation for normal breathing, signs of diarrhea, depression, nasal discharge, etc.
7. Sub mandibular lymph node evaluation
8. Oral cavity, ears, mucous membranes
9. Core temperature
10. Veterinarian enrolls owner and horse into GVL system
11. Owner receives notification email

Owner request for HDMP

1. Log on prior to GVL portal prior to each movement
2. Verifies health declaration questions
3. Enters origin, destination and movement date
4. Confirms any additional state requirements
5. HDMP is issued unless the horse does not meet state of destination ID requirements, or the state of destination has an emergency action requiring vet exam or refusing entry

Cost

• The Vet is charged directly for each horse enrolled.
• The Owner is charged by veterinarian for applicable services: exam & enrollment, microchip, Coggins
• There is NO CHARGE for movement permit

Data for traceability

• Upon issuance of HDMP
• State of origin and destination receive real-time electronic documentation of movement
• State of origin and destination have 24/7 access to all movements in and out of their state
• Both approved and denied
• Downloadable in excel format

Equine Identification

In Florida and most southern states the only accepted official identification for EECVI are microchip or photo Coggins. Oklahoma only acknowledges microchip ID. Many western states will accept lifetime brand inspection or Coggins with drawings and descriptions. The Global Vet Link website has a map function that allows you to hover over each state and it tells you what form of identification is accepted for EECVI.

As you begin to plan your travel, here are some helpful links: