Bringing Your Dog From Asia to the US Starts With Three Questions

Question 1: Has your dog been in a CDC high-risk country in the last six months?

This is the question that matters most. The CDC's dog rules depend on whether the dog was in a country on its high-risk list for dog rabies at any point in the six months before arriving in the US.

In Asia, as of the list dated April 15, 2026:

• Not high-risk: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau. (The list includes "China", but explicitly excludes Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.)
• High-risk (examples): mainland China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, India, Mongolia and North Korea, among others.

If the answer is no, the dog follows the simpler path: at least 6 months old, a microchip a universal scanner can read, healthy on arrival, and a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. It can enter at any airport, seaport or land border.

If the answer is yes, the dog needs a valid rabies vaccination and much more: either the US-vaccinated route (with a USDA-endorsed CDC form completed before it ever left the US) or the foreign-vaccinated route (titer from a CDC-approved lab and a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility at one of a handful of airports). A dog that is not vaccinated against rabies cannot enter.

Our CDC dog import guide goes through both routes in detail.

A note on layovers

A dog that clears customs in a high-risk country during a connection has, in the CDC's words, entered that country (CDC layovers). A dog flying from Seoul or Tokyo that clears customs in Manila or Bangkok on the way arrives in the US as a high-risk dog. Dogs in the cabin, and dogs changing airlines, are the most likely to have to clear customs. Check the routing before you buy the ticket.

Question 2: Is the departure country on USDA's screwworm list?

Separate from the CDC, USDA APHIS requires a certificate for dogs from regions it considers affected by screwworm. The certificate must be signed by a full-time salaried veterinary official of the country of origin and state that the dog was inspected within five days before shipment and found free of screwworm (APHIS dog import page).

APHIS's region status page (modified October 27, 2026) lists, in Asia: Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Japan and South Korea are not on it.

So a dog from Taiwan, Singapore or Hong Kong, which is low-risk for the CDC, still needs an official-vet screwworm certificate timed within five days of the flight. This is the step people most often miss.

APHIS also asks that dogs from regions affected by foot-and-mouth disease arrive with clean fur and bedding, be bathed on arrival and kept away from livestock for five days. No document is needed for that.

Question 3: What does the departure country require?

Leaving is its own process, and it varies a lot:

• Japan: every dog and cat leaving needs an export inspection by the Animal Quarantine Service. Apply through NACCS at least 14 days before export; the inspection is within 10 days before departure (MAFF).
• Singapore: an export license is required for all pets leaving (S$50 normal, S$100 express, valid 90 days), and AVS can provide an official certificate when the destination needs one (AVS). After export, cancel the dog's Singapore license.
• Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and others: the official export certificate is also the natural vehicle for the USDA screwworm statement where one is needed. We confirm the authority's current procedure for your dates.

Airlines often ask for a health certificate even when the US does not.

After the questions

Once you know your answers, the rest is logistics: an airline that accepts your dog on the route, a crate that fits, and the right arrival airport. For high-risk foreign-vaccinated dogs, the airport is decided by where the CDC-registered facility is.

Country-specific detail is on our route pages, for example Japan to the USA, Taiwan to the USA and the Philippines to the USA. What happens on the ground is covered in what happens when a pet lands at a US airport.