Bringing a dog or cat to United States
Easy for dogs that have only been in low-risk countries (microchip, 6 months old, CDC Dog Import Form). Hard for foreign-vaccinated dogs that were in a CDC high-risk country in the last 6 months: they must fly into one of a handful of airports with a CDC-registered animal care facility and have a CDC-approved-lab titer or do 28 days' quarantine. Cats have no CDC federal entry requirement beyond being healthy.
Which rules apply to you
United States sorts arriving pets by where they travel from. Find your group, then follow its steps.
| Arriving from | Titer test | Wait after sample | Permit | Quarantine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dogs only in dog-rabies-free or low-risk countries in the last 6 months (dogs)Dogs that have not been in any CDC high-risk country for dog rabies during the 6 months before arrival (this includes the US itself). | No | — | No | Only if rules not met |
| Dogs from CDC high-risk countries with a foreign rabies vaccine (dogs)Dogs that were in any CDC high-risk country for dog rabies in the 6 months before arrival and whose current rabies vaccine was given outside the US. | Yes | 28 days | No | 28 days if no valid titer |
| US-vaccinated dogs returning from a CDC high-risk country (dogs)Dogs that were in a CDC high-risk country in the 6 months before arrival and hold a current rabies vaccine given in the US. | No | — | No | Only if rules not met |
| Cats (any origin) (cats)All cats, from any country. | No | — | No | Only if rules not met |
Step by step
Microchip the dog
The dog needs an ISO-compatible microchip that a universal scanner can read. The chip number goes on the CDC Dog Import Form.
Wait until the dog is 6 months old
Every dog entering the US must be at least 6 months old on arrival, wherever it comes from.
Submit the CDC Dog Import Form
Fill it in online for free, one form per dog, with a recent photo. Photos for dogs under 1 year must be taken within 15 days of travel.
Carry the receipt
Show the receipt to the airline and to CBP. For low-risk dogs it can be reused for 6 months if the departure country stays the same. Any US port (air, land or sea) can be used.
Check state and airline rules
Many states require a rabies vaccine and/or a health certificate. Check the destination state and your airline separately from CDC.
No CDC quarantine. Dogs that look sick on arrival can be refused entry or sent for examination at the owner's cost.
Microchip, then vaccinate
Implant the microchip first. A rabies vaccine given before the chip is not valid. The first vaccine must be given at 12 weeks (84 days) of age or older. Vaccines given before 12 weeks are not accepted.
Do a titer at a CDC-approved lab
Draw blood at least 30 days after the first valid vaccine and at least 28 days before arrival. Results from labs that CDC has not approved are rejected. If you skip this, plan for 28 days' quarantine.
Book a CDC-registered animal care facility
Reserve a place at the facility at your arrival airport. The facility does the exam and the US rabies revaccination, plus quarantine if needed. The importer pays. The facility reviews your documents before it confirms.
Get the foreign vaccination certificate
A vet completes the 'Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip' and an official government vet of the exporting country endorses it. It is valid for one entry, for 30 days after signing.
Submit the CDC Dog Import Form
Name the same arrival airport as your facility reservation. The receipt is valid only for that date and airport.
Fly directly into an approved airport
The dog must arrive on an international flight directly into ATL, DFW, IAD, JFK, LAX, MIA, PHL or SEA (SEA facility is cargo-only). It cannot take connecting domestic flights until the facility releases it.
Carry the documents
Bring the CDC receipt, the endorsed certificate, the titer report and the facility confirmation. All must be in English or come with a certified translation.
28 days at the CDC-registered animal care facility if there is no valid titer. Every dog in this group must still visit the facility for an exam and a US-licensed rabies revaccination.
Get the US form endorsed before you leave
Have a USDA-accredited vet complete the 'Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination' and have USDA APHIS endorse it before the dog leaves the US.
Keep the vaccine current
A booster given abroad is accepted only while the US documentation is still valid. Otherwise the dog must follow the foreign-vaccinated rules.
Submit the CDC Dog Import Form
Submit one form per dog before the return trip and carry the receipt.
If the US vaccine record is not valid, the dog falls under the foreign-vaccinated rules (facility, titer or 28 days' quarantine).
Check state rules
CDC does not require a rabies vaccine or form for cats, but many states require a current rabies vaccine. Check the destination state's rules.
Check airline rules
Airlines often ask for a recent health certificate and set their own crate and cabin rules.
Cats that look sick on arrival can be examined and refused. Hawaii and Guam have their own quarantine rules.
Good to know
- Cats
- No CDC federal entry requirement for cats: they must only look healthy on arrival. Rabies vaccines and health certificates depend on the state and the airline.
- How many pets
- No CDC limit on the number of dogs. Each dog needs its own CDC Dog Import Form. Importing for resale or adoption falls under extra USDA commercial rules.
- Parasite treatment
- No CDC parasite rule. USDA: dogs from New World screwworm-affected countries (including Mexico) need a certificate signed by a full-time government vet (in Mexico, a SENASICA-authorized vet) stating the dog was inspected within 5 days before shipment and is screwworm-free, or was treated until free. Dogs from foot-and-mouth disease regions must have clean coat and bedding, be bathed on arrival and kept away from livestock for 5 days.
- Arrival
- Low-risk dogs and all cats: any US port. Foreign-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries: only airports with a CDC-registered animal care facility (ATL, DFW, IAD, JFK, LAX, MIA, PHL, SEA), on a direct international arrival.
- Since 1 August 2024 every dog needs a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, including US dogs coming home.
- USDA export health certificates issued after 31 July 2025 are no longer accepted for CDC entry. Use the CDC forms.
- Service dogs from high-risk countries may arrive by sea and need no facility booking. They must travel with the person they assist. Emotional support animals do not qualify.
- In Latin America, CDC's high-risk list (updated 15 Apr 2026) includes Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti. Mexico, Argentina and Chile are not on it.
- Screwworm: Mexico has counted as screwworm-affected since 22 Nov 2024, so US dogs returning from Mexico also need the 5-day screwworm certificate. CBP enforces this at land borders.
What we could not confirm
- The CDC main dog page and low-risk page could not be fetched directly (access blocked). Low-risk rules were taken from the CDC FAQ.
- Whether the 6-month minimum age has any exceptions (e.g. for US-vaccinated dogs) was not rechecked.
- The facility list changes often. Check cdc.gov/acf before booking.
- The exact list of USDA screwworm-affected countries was not retrieved (APHIS links to a separate disease-status page). It probably covers most of Central/South America and parts of the Caribbean.
Sources
- CDC - Entry Requirements for Foreign-Vaccinated Dogs from High-Risk Countries
- CDC - Frequently Asked Questions on Dog Importations
- CDC - CDC-registered Animal Care Facilities (updated 1 Sep 2026)
- CDC - High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies (updated 15 Apr 2026)
- USDA APHIS - Bring a Pet Dog into the United States (updated 1 Apr 2026)
- USDA APHIS bulletin on Mexico NWS rules (21 Sep 2026)
Checked against official sources on 2026-10-28. Rules change: confirm with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Global Migration Health; USDA APHIS for other animal-health rules before booking.