Bringing Pets To: The United States

The United States is governed by the CDC, not USDA, for dog imports, and the rules depend on where your dog has been in the last 6 months and where it was vaccinated. Cats face a much simpler process with no federal rabies requirement. Here's exactly what your dog or cat needs to enter the US.

Requirements at a Glance

Requirement	What's Needed	Notes
Age	At least 6 months old at time of entry	Applies to every dog, every origin. Not 16 weeks.
Microchip	Detectable with a universal scanner	Mandatory for every dog. Implanted before first rabies vaccination.
Health	Must appear healthy on arrival	Dogs that don't appear healthy may face isolation, veterinary examination, and additional testing at the importer's expense.
CDC Dog Import Form	Free online form, completed by the importer	File 2-10 days before travel. Validity depends on risk classification below.
Rabies documentation	Depends on branch (see below)	Not required at all for not-high-risk origin.
Quarantine	Only for foreign-vaccinated, high-risk branch without a qualifying titer	About 28 days at a CDC-registered facility unless the titer clears it.

Cats are not subject to this framework. See "Cats Are Different" below.

Which Path Applies to Your Dog?

Every dog entering the US, regardless of origin, must meet four baseline requirements: at least 6 months old, a microchip detectable with a universal scanner, appear healthy on arrival, and a CDC Dog Import Form receipt.

What's added beyond that depends on where your dog has been in the past 6 months, and where it was vaccinated:

Path 1: Not in a high-risk country (past 6 months)
Nothing beyond the four baseline items. Enter at any port, whether air, sea, or land.

Path 2: In a high-risk country, vaccinated in the US
You'll need a USDA-endorsed Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination, completed by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed before your dog left the US. Enter at any port.

Path 3: In a high-risk country, vaccinated abroad
You'll need a Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip, a rabies titer from a CDC-approved lab, and a reservation at a CDC-registered Animal Care Facility (ACF). Your dog must arrive by air or sea at one of the eight ACF airports. This applies whether or not your dog has a passing titer. Without a qualifying titer, expect about 28 days at the facility.

Check the live CDC high-risk countries list for your dog's specific origin. This list changes.

Entry Airports for High-Risk, Foreign-Vaccinated Dogs

Only Path 3 above (foreign-vaccinated, high-risk) is restricted to these airports, and it applies to every dog on that path, titer or not. Paths 1 and 2 can use any port.

Airport	City	Current Facility
ATL	Atlanta, GA	Dandie Scottie Kennel
DFW	Dallas, TX	DFW Pet Lounge & Quarantine
LAX	Los Angeles, CA	Kennel Club LAX / Rue's Kennels @ LAX (cargo preferred)
MIA	Miami, FL	Pet Limo
JFK	New York, NY	The ARK Pet Oasis
PHL	Philadelphia, PA	Gateway Animal Care Center
SEA	Seattle, WA	Dog Gone Taxi (cargo-only reservations)
IAD	Washington Dulles, DC	Pender Pet Retreat

Full list and booking: CDC-registered Animal Care Facilities. This list changes, so confirm current facilities before booking.

On booking timing: you can't confirm an ACF reservation until every import document is in hand. The facility needs the titer, rabies certificate, CFRVM through Section F, the CDC Dog Import Form, and more. In practice, confirmed reservations land about 20 to 30 days before departure, once paperwork is ready. Atlanta is the exception: it typically runs 1 to 2 months backed up, so get on the waitlist early while documents are still being assembled.

CDC Dog Import Form and Documentation

CDC Dog Import Form: Required for every dog. Complete online before travel; CDC recommends 2-10 days ahead. Receipt validity depends on risk classification: not-high-risk origin gets a receipt valid up to 6 months and multiple entries. High-risk origin gets a single-entry receipt tied to one specific arrival date. This is not a blanket 6-month document for every dog.

Rabies documentation (high-risk origin only): A dog vaccinated in the US needs a USDA-endorsed Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination. A dog vaccinated abroad needs a Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip plus a qualifying CDC-approved-lab titer. These are two different documents for two different situations, so confirm which applies before your vet starts paperwork.

Health certificate: Most airlines require a veterinary health certificate issued within 10 days of travel, even though it's not a blanket CDC requirement for every dog. Confirm your specific airline's requirement.

For more detailed scenarios, see our Pet Owner's Guide to CDC's United States Import Requirements.

Cats Are Different

Cats are not covered by the CDC dog import framework. No federal rabies vaccination requirement applies to cats entering the US. Cats must appear healthy on arrival. Other recommended vaccines for cats: Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia (FVRCP). Airline and state-level rules still apply, so confirm those separately.

Quarantine Rules

Quarantine applies only to the foreign-vaccinated, high-risk branch (Path 3) without a qualifying titer. It runs about 28 days at a CDC-registered facility. All other paths have no federal quarantine. A passing titer removes the quarantine; it does not remove the airport or reservation requirement.

Hawaii, Guam, Alaska, and US territories: No CDC-registered ACF exists in these locations, so a foreign-vaccinated, high-risk dog can't clear CDC entry there directly.

• Hawaii: Clear CDC requirements at a mainland ACF airport first, then continue to Hawaii. A CDC-compliant dog also meets Hawaii's Direct Airport Release, so there is no additional Hawaii quarantine.
• Guam: Guam runs its own import program and can accept a dog directly from a high-risk country without routing through a CDC ACF, as long as Guam's own requirements are met. No Guam quarantine for a compliant dog.

If your move involves an island destination, raise it with your relocation manager early. It changes the shape of the move. See our Hawaii-specific requirements for Hawaii's own rabies program details.

Ground Transportation

Once in the United States, or if you are traveling only within the United States, your pets may need to travel by ground transportation. This depends on destination, current weather, breed, and size of your pet.

Airlines may restrict flights within the United States based on:

• Breed: "snub nose" pets may not be able to fly within the United States.
• Size: not all domestic flights within the US can carry larger pets.
• Weather: weather embargoes, especially in summer, may restrict flights.

Learn more about moving your pets within the United States.

How PetRelocation Can Help

Import rules for the United States split into several branches depending on your dog's travel history and vaccination origin, and getting the wrong branch means arriving at the wrong airport or missing a required document. PetRelocation has coordinated over 40,000 pet moves across more than 20 years and knows how to identify the right path for your dog from the start.

Complete Support covers full coordination of your dog's CDC forms, titer testing or vaccination certification, ACF facility reservations, and airport routing. Vet Paperwork Support helps you and your vet complete the correct CDC forms for your dog's specific branch. Consultation walks you through which path applies to your dog and what to expect at each step.

Get a free quote from PetRelocation and a relocation manager will walk you through your options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my dog need a rabies vaccine to enter the US?
Only if your dog has been in a CDC-listed high-risk country for dog rabies within the past 6 months. Dogs from not-high-risk countries need the baseline requirements only: age, microchip, health, and the CDC Dog Import Form.

Does my cat need to meet the same requirements as dogs?
No. Cats are not subject to the CDC dog import framework and have no federal rabies vaccination requirement to enter the US. Cats must appear healthy on arrival.

How many airports can foreign-vaccinated, high-risk dogs use?
Eight: Atlanta (ATL), Dallas (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), Philadelphia (PHL), Seattle (SEA, cargo-only), and Washington Dulles (IAD). This applies whether or not the dog has a passing titer.

Is there quarantine for dogs entering the US?
Only for the foreign-vaccinated, high-risk branch without a qualifying titer. It runs about 28 days at a CDC-registered facility. All other dogs face no federal quarantine. A passing titer removes the quarantine, not the airport requirement.

Do Hawaii and Guam require extra quarantine?
No, when import requirements are met. Hawaii requires routing through a mainland ACF airport first, then Direct Airport Release. Guam can accept a compliant dog directly, without an ACF stop.

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