Bringing Your Pet to the USA
Bringing a pet to the United States is very doable, and the rules are clearer than many people expect. Every dog needs to be at least six months old, healthy, microchipped, and have a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, and the exact paperwork depends on where your pet has spent the previous six months rather than on the airport it leaves from. Cats sit outside that form altogether, and APHIS publishes no animal health requirement of its own for them. Pet Travel Advisors handles the CDC and USDA steps, the documents, and the routing so your pet arrives smoothly and you are reunited without stress.
Every Pet Travels
Differently
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because the requirements depend on where your pet is traveling from, we build a plan that fits your pet and your route.
Destination-Focused Planning
We use the CDC and USDA import rules as the baseline, then turn them into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
Smart Routing and Logistics
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Personalized Support
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Bringing Your Pet to the USA
Bringing a pet into the United States is mainly governed by the CDC for dogs and by the USDA for broader animal health, and the steps depend on whether your pet has been in a high-risk rabies country. Planning early keeps it simple. If you would like a simple overview of international moves first, start with our guide to international pet shipping destinations.
- confirm what applies to your pet and route
- map out a realistic timeline
- coordinate vet steps and paperwork
- support crate readiness and routing
confirm what applies to your pet and route
How Bringing Your Pet to the USA Works
To keep everything clear, we break the process into steps:
Verify requirements and timing
We confirm what rules apply based on your pet and travel details.
Build your plan and timeline
We map out what happens when, so steps are completed in the right order.
Coordinate vet preparation
We help keep appointments and timing aligned with what’s required.
Review documents for consistency
We check the details that cause delays (microchip digits, dates, names, signatures).
Confirm crate readiness and routing
We help align crate setup and routing with airline handling expectations.
Travel and arrival processing
We guide you on travel-day handoff and what to expect on arrival.
We keep your checklist aligned with the official rules. For dogs, we follow the CDC dog import requirements. For the broader animal-health side, we follow USDA APHIS guidance on bringing a pet into the United States.
Approved Routes and Entry into the USA
Most pets arrive by air, and which ports are open to a dog depends on the countries it has visited in the six months before it lands. CDC’s page for dog rabies-free or low-risk countries, read September 16, 2026, says a dog in that group may enter at any airport, seaport, or land border crossing. Its page for US-vaccinated dogs returning from high-risk countries says the same, so long as the arrival point matches the one printed on the CDC Dog Import Form receipt. One route is tied to a building: the registered facility list, read September 20, 2026, says a foreign-vaccinated dog must travel by air and land where its reserved facility is. We settle which of those describes your pet before anything is booked.
- routing options can change based on airline availability and season
- we confirm the best practical route before booking
- we make sure your plan matches what’s expected at intake
Entry Requirements and Documentation for the USA
Import Eligibility for Pets
Whether your pet enters smoothly comes down to where it has been and the paperwork that follows from it. A dog that has spent the last six months only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries needs a microchip, a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, and proof it is six months old and healthy. Once a high-risk country falls inside that window the answer turns on where the rabies vaccine was given rather than on the country by itself, and our guide to the CDC Dog Import Form sets out the three routes and what each one asks for. We check your pet’s exact path and prepare the right set of documents.
Before scheduling vet steps or flights, we confirm what rules apply to your pet and whether airline policies affect travel. Most moves are dogs and cats, though we handle other pets too, and the requirements can differ by species. Eligibility can come down to your pet’s type and health, airline rules for certain breeds or conditions, the documentation and timing, and which routes are available. Ready to start? Request a quote.
Health Preparation and Documentation
Four things are asked on every CDC route: the dog is at least six months old at entry, appears healthy, carries a microchip a universal scanner can read, and travels with a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. Where the route calls for a rabies vaccination, CDC requires the chip to have gone in first, or that dose will not count. A foreign-vaccinated dog from a high-risk country needs a rabies serology titer from an approved laboratory as well, and the registered facility list, read September 20, 2026, says that without a valid one the reservation has to include a 28 day quarantine. We line these steps up in the right order and check that microchip numbers, dates, names, and signatures all match across the paperwork. On cats the federal position sits elsewhere: an APHIS import page, read September 20, 2026, says its Veterinary Services has no animal health requirements for one arriving from abroad, and sends owners to CDC, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the receiving state.
| Requirement | United States, for a dog arriving from abroad |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | At least 6 months old |
| Microchip | A microchip a universal scanner can read. Where the route needs a rabies vaccination, the chip goes in first or that dose will not count |
| CDC paperwork | A CDC Dog Import Form receipt, completed before travel |
| Rabies vaccination | Required for dogs coming from a country CDC lists as high risk for rabies |
| Rabies titer | Asked on the foreign-vaccinated route. Where no valid one exists, the facility booking has to carry a 28 day quarantine |
| Cats | APHIS Veterinary Services publishes no animal health requirement for a pet cat. The airline and the receiving state each set their own |
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to the USA
Bringing a pet to the United States can move quickly for pets from low-risk countries and needs more lead time for high-risk ones. A typical timeline runs like this: a consultation and a check of your pet’s origin and route, the microchip and rabies vaccination if needed, the CDC Dog Import Form, any extra rabies documentation or facility reservation for high-risk countries, then booking the route, getting the crate ready, the health certificate, a document review, and travel.
What does it cost to bring a pet to the USA?
Costs depend on your pet’s size and crate, the route and airline, vet and document fees, any facility reservation for high-risk countries, and whether the move is door to door. The fastest way to get a real number is a quote based on your origin country and travel date. Request a quote here.
What are the requirements to bring a pet into the USA?
Every dog needs to be at least six months old, healthy, microchipped, and have a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. Once a high-risk country falls inside the last six months, what else is asked depends on where the rabies vaccine was given, and only the foreign-vaccinated route carries a facility booking. APHIS Veterinary Services publishes no animal health requirement for a pet cat, though the airline and the receiving state each set their own.
Does my pet have to go into quarantine in the USA?
CDC’s page for dog rabies-free or low-risk countries, read September 16, 2026, gives the whole list for that group as the import form, six months of age, a readable microchip and a healthy appearance, with no quarantine among them. The foreign-vaccinated route is different: a reservation at a registered facility is required, and where no valid rabies titer exists that booking has to include 28 days of quarantine. We arrange it in advance.
How long does the process take?
It can be quick for pets from low-risk countries. Pets from high-risk rabies countries need more lead time for the rabies documentation and the facility reservation, so we plan around that.
What about bringing a cat to the USA?
The cat import page APHIS publishes, read September 20, 2026, says its Veterinary Services has no animal health requirements for one coming from another country, and points owners to CDC, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the destination state, each of which may ask for something. Airlines set conditions of their own. We confirm what your route needs.
How does Pet Travel Advisors help with a move to the USA?
We confirm your pet’s origin and route, prepare the CDC Dog Import Form and any extra documentation, arrange a facility reservation if one is needed, handle the crate and routing, and stay with the move through arrival.