Your success as a pet transporter requires you to build trust and inspire confidence among pet owners, breeders, shelters, and other organizations. One of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition is to be USDA registered.
The USDA/APHIS oversees the Animal Welfare Act* which sets federal standards for the care and treatment of animals in research, exhibition, and transport. The act states that animal transporters should be registered with the USDA. So, it’s easy to see why being USDA- registered can be a boost to your pet transport business. USDA registration brings another level of comfort to individuals who are considering your services. In fact, recent research shows that USDA-registered pet transporters using CitizenShipper win bids 42% more frequently than those who are not registered.
Applying for USDA registration is free of charge and getting your registration verified on CitizenShipper is a straightforward process. To make applying and verifying even easier for you, we've streamlined the procedures into 2 easy steps that take just a few minutes to complete! For simple instructions, you can watch our quick step-by-step USDA registration/verification video tutorial or follow the easy directions below.
Step One: Fill out the application form
- Access the application form for registering with the USDA as a class T animal transporter and click the green “start filling” button.
- Most of the form has been pre-filled for you. All you need to enter is your name, location, and contact information.
- Once you’ve filled in the information required, click "Submit", a copy of your completed registration application will be submitted to the USDA via email.
- According to the USDA site, a physical certificate should arrive in the mail within a few weeks.
In case you experience delays in receiving a response from USDA regarding your application, you can contact them via email or a phone call to get an update:
Email - animalcare@usda.gov
Phone number - 970-494-7478
Step Two: Verify your certificate
Once you receive your USDA certificate in the mail, you’ll need to make sure potential customers know you’re an officially registered animal transporter.
Here’s all you have to do:
a. Access the verification page on your CitizenShipper profile.
b. Under "USDA registration", you'll be prompted to upload a photo or scan of the certification you received in the mail.
And that's all there is to it! Once completed, the verification will occur instantly.
A USDA-Registered checkmark will immediately be added to your driver profile, alerting potential customers of your officially recognized status.
You can reference the video tutorial below for a summary of the process.
What if you don’t receive your certificate?
As previously mentioned, the USDA website states that once an application is received, it will take several weeks to be approved and for you to receive the certificate in the mail. However, input from numerous drivers has informed us that this process can take several months. We understand how frustrating this might be because of the value USDA registration adds to your driver profile.
While it’s hard to wait for good things to come, we encourage you to be patient and hang in there! Your USDA certificate will arrive. And once it does, don’t forget you need to complete Step 2 above – verifying your certificate – to start enjoying the competitive advantage USDA registration provides.
*For more detailed information on the Animal Welfare Act, see USDA's Blue Book collection. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact our support team.
** Please note that the USDA is not affiliated with CitizenShipper.
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