Pet import to the United States from Asia

What we coordinate

Bringing a pet into the US is two jobs: leaving the Asian country properly, and arriving in the US with what the federal agencies, your airline and your destination state expect. We run both as one plan.

• Planning: we work out your dog's CDC category, the export steps in the departure country and a realistic travel date.
• Veterinary documentation guidance and timelines: which certificates, from whom, and in what order, so nothing expires before the flight.
• Applications: the CDC Dog Import Form and any export permit or certificate the departure country requires.
• Flight booking arrangements: a routing that matches your pet's size, breed and travel mode, without a layover that changes its status.
• Crate guidance: sizing and preparation for the airline's rules (crate guidance).
• Arrival coordination: what happens at the US airport, and who meets your pet.

Ground transport, boarding and customs brokerage are arranged through local partners where available; your quote states exactly which ones apply to your move.

Who this service is for

• Families from Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore or mainland China relocating to the US.
• American expats moving home after a posting in Asia (see returning to the US with pets).
• Corporate assignees whose employer needs a clear written quote (corporate relocation).
• Military families coming back from Japan or Korea (military relocation).

If you are moving the other way, from the US to Asia, see US pet export.

First question: where has your dog been in the last 6 months?

Since August 1, 2024, CDC sorts dogs by whether they were in a country at high risk for dog rabies during the 6 months before arrival. The answer decides almost everything else, including which US airport you can use.

CDC's list of high-risk countries includes mainland China (it excludes Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong are not on it, and CDC says any place not listed is not considered high risk.

CDC's full rule set is explained in our guide to CDC dog import rules.

Dogs from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong

For a dog that has only been in rabies-free or low-risk countries, CDC's requirements are short:

• a CDC Dog Import Form receipt;
• at least 6 months old at entry;
• a microchip that a universal scanner can read;
• the dog must appear healthy on arrival.

These dogs can enter at any US airport, seaport or land border. The departure country usually has its own export procedure, and some destinations or airlines ask for an export health certificate even when CDC does not. Our route pages cover each one: Japan to USA, Taiwan to USA, South Korea to USA, Singapore to USA and Hong Kong to USA.

Dogs from mainland China and Southeast Asia

A dog that was in a high-risk country in the past 6 months follows one of two stricter pathways.

Vaccinated in the United States A dog that left the US with a valid US rabies vaccination can use the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination. A USDA-accredited veterinarian signs it electronically, and USDA must endorse it before the dog leaves the US; CDC warns that endorsement may take several weeks. USDA export health certificates issued after July 31, 2025 no longer count for this purpose. These dogs may arrive at any airport, seaport or land border, but the port must match the one on the Dog Import Form receipt.

Vaccinated abroad A foreign-vaccinated dog needs a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility and must land at that facility's airport. CDC lists facilities at Atlanta (ATL), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York JFK, Philadelphia (PHL), Seattle (SEA) and Washington Dulles (IAD). Layovers at other US airports are not allowed, and there are no registered facilities in Alaska, Hawaii or the US territories. Some facilities add conditions, such as cargo-only bookings at Seattle or JFK rather than Newark; our US airports page compares them.

Routes that usually fall here: China to USA, Philippines to USA, Thailand to USA, Vietnam to USA and Malaysia to USA.

Cats: fewer federal rules, not zero planning

CDC's dog rules do not apply to cats. According to CDC's cat page, cats do not need proof of rabies vaccination to enter the US, but they must appear healthy, and a cat that looks ill may need a veterinary exam at the owner's expense. CDC still recommends rabies vaccination, and your destination state or your airline may require a health certificate.

The work for a cat is mostly on the departure side and with the airline: export paperwork in Asia, a carrier that accepts the cat in the mode you want, and a crate it is used to. See cat relocation and our guide to bringing a cat into the USA.

Arrival: CBP, your state and Hawaii

U.S. Customs and Border Protection handles the pet at the port of entry. CBP recommends contacting the arrival port before importing a pet. Pets refused entry are returned to the country of embarkation at the owner's expense, and may be held at the port, also at the owner's expense, while that is decided. State or local veterinary rules may apply on top of the federal ones.

If your dog's final US stop is not the first airport it lands at, it still has to meet CDC import rules at entry: the layover exemption only covers dogs continuing to another country.

Hawaii is different. It is rabies-free, and the Hawaii Department of Agriculture requires two rabies vaccinations and a passing FAVN test for every dog and cat. Pets that do not meet its 5-Day-or-Less requirements can be quarantined for up to 120 days; qualifying pets can be released at Honolulu (HNL), or at Kona, Kahului or Lihue with a neighbor-island permit. Cats arriving in Hawaii or Guam also face local quarantine rules. Plan Hawaii as its own move.