The CDC's Dog Import Rules, Without the Jargon

What these rules cover, and what they don't

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regulate the import of dogs to keep dog rabies out of the United States. The rules apply to pet dogs coming home with their US owners as much as to dogs arriving for the first time.

They do not apply to cats. Cats have separate, lighter CDC requirements, covered in bringing a cat into the USA.

They are also not the only rules. USDA APHIS has its own dog requirements (a screwworm certificate for some countries, discussed below), and your destination state and the airline may add more. The primary source for everything on this page is the CDC's dog importation section.

Step 1: Find your dog's category

Ask two questions:

1. In the past 6 months, has the dog been in any country on the CDC's high-risk list? If not, it is in the low-risk category, whatever its vaccination history.
2. If yes, where was its current rabies vaccination given? In the US, it is high-risk, US-vaccinated. Abroad, it is high-risk, foreign-vaccinated.

A dog that has been in a high-risk country and is not vaccinated against rabies cannot enter.

In Asia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau are not on the high-risk list. Mainland China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and many others are (list dated April 15, 2026). The CDC's Dog Importation Navigator asks the same questions interactively.

Rules for every dog

• At least 6 months old on arrival.
• A microchip that a universal scanner can detect. The CDC does not require a particular brand. For high-risk dogs, the chip must have been implanted before the rabies vaccination and the number must appear on every form.
• Healthy on arrival.
• A CDC Dog Import Form receipt for each dog.

Low-risk dogs: one form

For a dog that has only been in rabies-free or low-risk countries for the past six months, the CDC Dog Import Form receipt is the one document the CDC requires (CDC low-risk page). The dog can arrive at any airport, seaport or land border crossing.

The receipt can be reused for six months for multiple entries from the same departure country. A different departure country, or a trip to a high-risk country, means a new form.

High-risk, US-vaccinated dogs

This is typically a US dog that lived or traveled in, say, Thailand or the Philippines and is coming home. Per the CDC page for US-vaccinated dogs:

• A USDA-accredited veterinarian completes the "Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination" form, at least 28 days after a first rabies vaccine, given at 12 weeks of age or older.
• USDA must endorse that form before the dog leaves the United States. It is not the same as the rabies certificate used for a local dog license.
• The dog arrives at the port listed on its Dog Import Form receipt, which can be any airport, land border crossing or seaport.
• A booster given abroad doesn't need a titer, but if the US vaccination documentation is no longer valid, the dog falls into the foreign-vaccinated category.

High-risk, foreign-vaccinated dogs

This is the most demanding category. Per the CDC page for foreign-vaccinated dogs:

• Rabies vaccination at 12 weeks (84 days) of age or older, the first valid dose at least 28 days before entry.
• Rabies titer from a CDC-approved lab, on blood drawn at least 30 days after the first valid vaccine and at least 28 days before entry. A passing result stays valid as long as vaccination doesn't lapse.
• "Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip" form, completed by the dog's veterinarian and endorsed by an official government veterinarian, no more than 30 days before travel.
• A reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility for an exam and revaccination with a US-licensed rabies vaccine. Without a valid titer, the reservation must include a 28-day quarantine there.
• A direct international flight into the airport where that facility is located.

Dogs that cannot meet these rules cannot enter. The CDC FAQ also describes a way to shorten the quarantine under specific conditions; we confirm it case by case.

Where the CDC-registered facilities are

As of the CDC's facility list updated September 1, 2026, registered facilities serve these airports:

• Atlanta (ATL)
• Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)
• Los Angeles (LAX), two facilities
• Miami (MIA)
• New York JFK (not Newark or LaGuardia)
• Philadelphia (PHL)
• Seattle (SEA), cargo arrivals only
• Washington Dulles (IAD)

There are none in Alaska, Hawaii or US territories, so foreign-vaccinated high-risk dogs cannot enter there. Facilities set their own prices and capacity; reserve early. See our US airports page for the practical side.

The CDC Dog Import Form

• Completed online, one per dog, free of charge. Someone acting for the importer can fill it in.
• The receipt arrives by email; print it or show it on a phone.
• Show it to the airline before boarding and to US Customs and Border Protection on arrival.
• High-risk dogs need a recent photo (face and body; .jpg, .jpeg or .png, up to 10 MB). Dogs under one year old need a photo taken within 15 days before arrival.
• For high-risk dogs the receipt is valid for one entry; change the travel date or port and you submit a new one.

Instructions are on the CDC form page.

Layovers can change the category

A dog "has entered a country if it clears customs" there. Dogs flying in the cabin or switching airlines may have to clear customs during a connection. If that happens in a high-risk country, the dog must meet the high-risk rules on arrival in the US (CDC layovers).

A dog refused entry is returned by the airline to its last country of departure at the owner's expense.

The USDA rules that sit alongside

USDA APHIS requires dogs from regions it lists as affected by screwworm to arrive with a certificate signed by a full-time salaried veterinary official, stating an inspection within five days before shipment (APHIS). In Asia, the list currently includes Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, China and much of Southeast Asia, but not Japan or South Korea. Our guide to moving a dog from Asia to the US explains how this fits with the CDC steps.