Bringing a pet to the U.S.: dogs, cats and other pets

Step 1 — Find out who regulates your pet

One animal can fall under federal health, agriculture, wildlife and customs rules, plus state and local rules (CBP — Pets and Wildlife):

• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guards against diseases that spread from animals to people (CBP) and is the main authority for dogs (APHIS — Import).
• USDA APHIS (the Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) guards against animal diseases (CBP).
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) protects endangered species, including some birds, reptiles and turtles kept as pets (CBP).
• Your destination state may have its own entry rules (APHIS).

APHIS counts only these groups as pets: amphibians, birds, cats, dogs, ferrets, hedgehogs and tenrecs, rabbits, reptiles and rodents (CBP). Other animals may fall under different import rules (APHIS).

Step 2 — Dogs: check where your dog has been

CDC’s rules depend on where your dog was vaccinated against rabies and which countries it was in during the 6 months before entry (CDC — Bringing a Dog). Any country missing from CDC’s high-risk list counts as dog-rabies-free or low-risk (CDC — Low-Risk Countries). The list was updated on April 15, 2026 (CDC — High-Risk Countries), so check it again before you travel. CDC’s Dog Importation Navigator shows which rules apply, but it doesn’t replace the forms (CDC).

Every dog must (CDC):

• be at least 6 months old when it enters the U.S.;
• have a microchip that a universal scanner can read;
• look healthy on arrival;
• have its own CDC Dog Import Form.

If the microchip number doesn’t start with 9, ask your vet to confirm it can be read (CDC — FAQs).

Step 3 — Dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries

Since August 1, 2024, the only document these dogs need is the CDC Dog Import Form (CDC — Low-Risk Countries). What to know (CDC):

• Timing: you can fill it in on the day of travel; CDC recommends a few days, or up to six months, before.
• Receipt: it comes by email; print it or show it on your phone.
• Validity: 6 months, for several entries, unless your dog visits a high-risk country or another low-risk country. The departure country on the receipt must match the one your dog leaves from.
• Where to enter: any airport, seaport or land border crossing.

Step 4 — Dogs from high-risk countries: start early

An unvaccinated dog that was in a high-risk country in the past 6 months will not be allowed in (CDC — Bringing a Dog). For a dog vaccinated abroad, the requirements include (CDC — Foreign-Vaccinated Dogs):

• a microchip implanted before the rabies vaccine, or the vaccine is invalid;
• a first rabies vaccine given at 12 weeks (84 days) or older, at least 28 days before entry;
• the “Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip” form, completed by a vet and endorsed by an official government vet no more than 30 days before travel;
• a passing rabies blood test (a “titer”) from a CDC-approved lab, or a 28-day quarantine;
• a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility, which examines and revaccinates the dog, and a flight landing at that facility’s airport;
• documents in English, or with a certified translation.

These dogs can’t enter at a land border (CDC — FAQs). The importer pays all facility costs, and a new travel date or airport needs a new Dog Import Form (CDC).

Dogs vaccinated in the U.S. follow a separate CDC path; USDA export health certificates issued after July 31, 2025 are not accepted for re-entry (CDC — U.S.-Vaccinated Dogs).

Step 5 — Dogs: check USDA’s extra rules

APHIS adds rules for dogs from countries with certain livestock diseases (APHIS — Dogs):

• Screwworm (a parasite): a certificate from a salaried government vet saying the dog was inspected within 5 days before shipment and is free of screwworm. APHIS explains who may sign it in Mexico.
• Foot-and-mouth disease: fur and bedding free of excess dirt, hay or straw; bathe the dog on arrival and keep it away from livestock for 5 days.

Check your country on APHIS’s disease status page. Dogs brought in for resale, or for adoption for a fee or donation, have extra USDA requirements (CBP).

Step 6 — Cats

Cats must look healthy on arrival and don’t need proof of rabies vaccination, though CDC recommends the vaccine (CDC — Bringing an Animal). A cat that seems sick may need a vet exam at the owner’s expense (CDC). APHIS has no health requirements for pet cats, but FWS and state rules may apply (APHIS — Cats).

Step 7 — Birds, reptiles and other pets

• Birds. Six or more birds, or any bird regulated as poultry (such as chickens, ducks or pigeons), don’t qualify as pets (APHIS — Import). Apply for an APHIS import permit at least 7 business days before shipping. Most pet birds need a health certificate and a 30-day federal quarantine at USDA centers in Miami or New York (JFK), booked in advance (APHIS — Birds).
• Protected species. If you’re relocating with a pet listed under CITES (the treaty on trade in endangered species), birds, reptiles and amphibians included, FWS requires a one-time import permit; allow at least 60 days (FWS — Permit FAQs).
• Reptiles. APHIS bans leopard, African spurred and Bell’s hingeback tortoises (APHIS — Reptiles). For turtles with a shell under 4 inches, CDC limits personal imports to six or fewer animals and eggs combined (CDC — Bringing an Animal).
• Never allowed as pets: African rodents, bats and nonhuman primates such as monkeys (CBP, CDC).

Ferrets, rabbits, rodents, hedgehogs and amphibians each have an APHIS page (APHIS — Import).

Step 8 — Check your new state’s rules

States set their own rules; APHIS points you to the state’s agriculture department or state veterinarian (APHIS — Cats). Some states may require a health certificate even though CDC does not (CDC — Bringing an Animal).

Hawaii is rabies-free, and all dogs and cats, puppies and kittens included, must meet its import rules (Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity). Dogs, cats and other carnivores must complete either the 120-day or the “5 Day Or Less” rabies quarantine, paid for by owners (Hawaii DAB — FAQs). Pets meeting every requirement may get the shorter program, with possible direct release at the Honolulu airport; others are quarantined for up to 120 days (Hawaii DAB). The shorter program needs two rabies vaccines, a blood test followed by a 30-day wait, and documents sent at least 10 days before arrival (Hawaii DAB — FAQs, Hawaii DAB).

Step 9 — Fly in and declare your pet

Airline. Ask before you book: airlines generally require health certificates for pets, may charge fees and may limit which pets can fly on board (CBP).

Arrival. CBP’s dog checklist: have all documents, check with CDC, APHIS and your carrier, declare the dog to CBP orally or in writing, and find out whether it needs an inspection; the CBP Link app can schedule one (CBP — Dog Import Checklist). CBP recommends contacting your port of arrival in advance (CBP). For the customs form, see what you can bring through customs.

If entry is refused. A dog or cat that arrived by air and is denied entry must be flown back to the departure country within 72 hours if it’s fit to travel, at the importer’s expense, and is held at the importer’s expense until then (CDC — Policy statement). If you don’t cooperate or pay for required care within 24 hours, CDC may treat the animal as abandoned (CDC).

Step 10 — After you settle: vaccines and local rules

CDC advises vaccinating dogs, cats and ferrets against rabies according to local laws (CDC — Rabies). Your city or county may also require a license. For example, all dogs in New York City must have one, worn on the collar in public (NYC Health). Check your local government’s website soon after you arrive. Renting? Ask about pet rules before you sign; see renting your first apartment.