Koda has crossed into the States more than once, and the rule that trips people is not the paperwork, it is the order. The microchip has to be in before the rabies shot, or the shot does not count. Add a six-month minimum age, a titre test with a 28-day wait, and a form good for 30 days, and you have the whole job.
Bringing a pet to United States requires three documents in the right order: a microchip, a rabies vaccine within the destination's wait window, and a government-endorsed health certificate. The table below lays out exactly what's required, what's not, and where each rule comes from.
How United States handles your pet
Official sources
- APHIS states: "APHIS Veterinary Services has requirements only if your dog is coming from a country affected by foot-and mouth-disease (FMD) or screwworm." **Every dog needs the CDC Dog Import Form — this is the step people miss.** 42 CFR 71.51(h)(1): "All importers of dogs must submit a complete and accurate CDC dog import form to CDC via a CDC-approved system prior to the dogs arriving in the United States." It is free ("How much does it cost? Free" — cdc.gov/importation/dogs/rabies-free-low-risk-countries.html), each dog needs its own ("Each dog must have its own form."), and the receipt lasts six months: "The receipt is valid for 6 months from when it’s issued unless the dog visits a high-risk country or a different dog rabies-free or low-risk country during that time." Airlines enforce it: "For dogs departing from foreign airports to the United States, the airline must deny boarding to dogs unless the importer has presented this receipt prior to boarding." **Three rules that apply to every dog regardless of where it is coming from.** 42 CFR 71.51(f)(1): "All dogs presented for admission into the United States must be at least six (6) months old at the time of their arrival into the United States." 71.51(g)(2): "The microchip must have been implanted on or before the date the current rabies vaccine was administered
- Dogs must have a microchip that can be detected with a universal scanner to identify them." **Coming from a country CDC lists as high-risk for dog rabies?** Then the extra pathway applies — rabies vaccination, a titre from a CDC-approved laboratory, arrival only at an airport with a CDC-registered animal care facility, and up to 28 days there if the titre is missing or inadequate
- Costs fall on you: "The costs of examination, vaccination, and quarantine (if applicable) shall be borne by the importer and not at the government's expense." CDC's list is at cdc.gov/importation/dogs/high-risk-countries.html and it changes; check it for your own departure country before booking. **Coming from anywhere else?** "For dogs that have not been in any of the listed high-risk countries or political units during the past 6 months, CDC strongly recommends vaccination against rabies, but the additional requirements for dogs from high-risk countries to enter the United States do not apply." Entry is unrestricted by port: "Dogs that have been only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries in the past 6 months can enter the U.S. at any airport, seaport, or land border crossing."**Cats are simple.** "APHIS Veterinary Services does not have any animal health requirements related to bringing (importing) a pet cat into the United States from a foreign country." CDC does not require proof of rabies vaccination for cats, and a cat may arrive at any U.S. airport, land port or seaport under 71.51(b)(1), (c)(1) and (d)(1)
- Your airline and your destination U.S. state may still ask for a health certificate. **Screwworm and foot-and-mouth origins.** "If your pet dog is coming from a country or region where screwworm is known to exist , it may enter the United States only if it is accompanied by a certificate signed by a full-time salaried veterinary official (official government veterinarian) of the region of origin stating that the dog: Has been inspected for screwworm within 5 days before shipment to the United States, and Is either free from screwworm or Was infested with screwworm, held in quarantine, and treated until free from screwworm before leaving the region." **Service dogs.** 42 CFR 71.51(d)(5) carves out one seaport exception: "a dog meeting the definition of a “service animal” under 14 CFR 382.3 that has been in a DMRVV high-risk country within the last six months and was vaccinated against rabies in a foreign country may be admitted through a U.S. seaport if:" **Two caveats.** Ceuta and Melilla are on CDC's high-risk list but have no ISO country code, so they cannot be picked as an origin here — a traveller departing either is treated as Spain and will NOT see the high-risk pathway
- And federal admission is not the whole story: individual U.S. states and territories set their own animal entry requirements on top of it. **How many dogs?** "There is no limit to the number of dogs you can bring into the U.S., but they must meet CDC entry requirements for dogs." **If you are coming from a high-risk country, your airport is not your choice.** There are only 8 U.S. airports with a CDC-registered animal care facility — Atlanta, Georgia (ATL), Dallas, Texas (DFW), Los Angeles, California (LAX), Miami, Florida (MIA), New York, New York (JFK), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL), Seattle, Washington (SEA), Washington, DC (IAD) — and a foreign-vaccinated dog must land at the one where it holds a reservation
- cdc.gov/importation/dogs/approved-care-facilities.html **The rabies titre, if you are coming from a high-risk country.** CDC's threshold is explicit: "CDC defines a passing or adequate antibody titer as a titer that is ≥0.5 IU/mL." The sample must be drawn at least 30 days after the first valid vaccination and "the dog’s first valid rabies vaccination and at least 28 days before entry to the U.S." Two things that are easy to get wrong: the result is only accepted from a laboratory on CDC's own list — "If you have a serology test result from a lab that was previously approved and is no longer on the list below, you will need to get a new serology result from a lab that is currently approved." — and "It is recommended to talk to the dog’s veterinarian about collecting a blood sample to send to a CDC-approved laboratory for a rabies serology titer at least 60 days or more before travel." We deliberately do NOT store a copy of that laboratory list: CDC removes laboratories, and a result from a de-listed laboratory has to be redone, so a stale snapshot here would cost you the test
- Read it at cdc.gov/importation/dogs/approved-labs.html. **Good news on validity:** "Test results are valid for the life of the dog as long as vaccination coverage does not lapse AND as long as the laboratory remains approved." — so the titre is a once-in-a-lifetime step, not an annual one. **How many dogs?** "There is no limit to the number of dogs you can bring into the U.S., but they must meet CDC entry requirements for dogs." **Paper, or a phone?** The CDC Dog Import Form is entirely electronic: "CDC Dog Import Form receipt can be printed or shown on a phone screen to U.S. customs officials or airlines (if applicable)." The veterinary certification is different — "The document must be signed by the dog's veterinarian and endorsed by an official government veterinarian, either electronically or signed manually
- Customs and Border Protection upon arrival in the U.S." So: receipt on your phone is fine, the vet form must be on paper, but it does NOT need a wet-ink original. **Keeping the vaccination valid.** "Make sure dog’s rabies vaccination will not expire during travel.""Usually, the vaccine lasts for 1 or 3 years."and "Animals with any vaccination history are considered vaccinated immediately after a booster, even if the animal was overdue for its vaccine." — so a lapsed booster is recoverable in the US, unlike Turkey where it restarts the whole clock. **Bringing dogs to sell or rehome is a different regime.** "The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulates dogs imported into the United States for resale, whether through retail or wholesale channels or fee-based adoption." "The AWA does not apply to privately owned dogs not intended for resale." The trigger is intent, not a head-count: there is no number of dogs at which personal travel becomes commercial
Key points
- **Who decides.** CDC is the primary federal authority for bringing a dog into the United States; the governing rule is 42 CFR 71.51 (Dogs and cats)
- Rabies vaccines administered prior to the implantation of a microchip are invalid." And 71.51(i)(1): "All animals arriving at a U.S. port shall be inspected upon arrival, and only those animals that show no signs of communicable disease as defined in 42 CFR 71.1 shall be admitted into the United States." CDC states the same three plainly: "In addition to having a receipt for a CDC Dog Import Form : Dogs must appear healthy upon arrival
- Dogs must be at least 6 months old at time of entry or return to the U.S
- CDC notes for New York that the dog must land at JFK, not Newark or LaGuardia
- Book the facility before you book the flight
- The document then must be printed
- The printed document must accompany the dog and be shown to the airline (if requested) and U.S
Downloadable forms
Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.
Timing chain
Day -90 microchip implant · Day -28 rabies vaccine deadline · Day -30 health certificate issued · Day 0 arrive at customs
Conditional requirements
These rules apply only to some travellers — where the pet is departing from, where it has been, or who is travelling with it. Most people can ignore them, but if one applies to you it can change what you need, or mean denied entry if you skip it.
Trained service dog — protected under DOT ACAA
- Import permit: Service dogs entering the US still require standard CDC Dog Import Form and rabies vaccination.
- Carrier required: Under the DOT ACAA, trained service dogs fly in cabin at handler's feet at no extra charge, regardless of size. DOT Form 382 required.
Dog arriving from a CDC high-risk rabies country — If your pet has been in one of 109 higher-risk countries in the last 6 months:
- Quarantine: CDC: a dog that has been in a high-risk country for dog rabies in the last 6 months and arrives without a valid rabies serology titre is revaccinated and held for 28 days at a CDC-registered animal care facility, at the importer's expense. A reservation must be made BEFORE travel and the flight must land at that facility's airport — there are only eight. With a valid titre from a CDC-approved laboratory the dog is examined and released instead.
Dog arriving from a CDC high-risk rabies country — titre required — If your pet has been in one of 109 higher-risk countries in the last 6 months:
- Rabies titer (blood) test: CDC: a dog that has been in a high-risk country for dog rabies in the last 6 months must have a valid rabies serology titer from a CDC-approved laboratory.
Ports of entry (8)
Atlanta, Georgia (ATL)Dallas, Texas (DFW)Los Angeles, California (LAX)Miami, Florida (MIA)New York, New York (JFK)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL)Seattle, Washington (SEA)Washington, DC (IAD)
The microchip must have been implanted on or before the date the current rabies vaccine was administered. Rabies vaccines administered prior to the implantation of a microchip are invalid. There is no appeal to that and no way to repair it after the fact. Read both dates off the vaccination record before booking the flight or drawing titre blood.
The United States sets no federal breed ban, but it does set an age floor: all dogs presented for admission must be at least six months old at the time of arrival. That is measured on arrival, not on booking, and it applies regardless of microchip, vaccination or titre status. Check the date of birth against the arrival date.
The entry form can be used only one time and is valid for 30 days after it is signed by the dog's veterinarian. One trip, one form. A round trip or a rebooking beyond the 30 days needs a fresh signature, so date the form against the arrival rather than the booking, and keep the original with the dog.
Four numbers carry a United States entry: six months minimum age, a 0.5 IU/ml titre, 28 days of waiting behind it, and a 30-day single-use form. None of them can be fixed at the airport, and the microchip ordering rule invalidates everything behind it if it is wrong. Run your dates through the plan builder and let it check the sequence.
Glossary
- ISO chip
- ISO 11784/11785 — the universal microchip standard.
- FAVN
- Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization — a rabies serology test required by rabies-free destinations.
- Brachycephalic
- Snub-nosed breeds (French Bulldogs, Pugs, Persians, Himalayans) with restricted airline acceptance due to heat-stress risk.
- AVIH
- Animal Vehicle In Hold — IATA's term for cargo pet shipment, with fees that vary by carrier and route.