What US Rules Say About Flying with Your Dog

Every dog entering or returning to the United States needs a specific CDC form, regardless of where it is coming from. The requirements beyond that form depend heavily on one factor: whether the dog has been in a country the CDC considers high risk for dog rabies in the past 6 months. Here is what the CDC's own instructions actually require.

The one form every dog needs

The CDC states plainly: a CDC Dog Import Form is required for each dog being brought into the US. This applies whether the dog is a returning US resident or arriving from abroad for the first time. The form is completed online by the person importing the dog (the owner, shipper, or someone acting on their behalf), and after submission and email verification, a receipt arrives by email, typically within 15 minutes of verifying your email address according to the CDC's instructions.

That receipt matters twice: show it to the airline before boarding, and show it again to US Customs and Border Protection on arrival.

How long the receipt stays valid depends on where the dog has been

This detail is easy to miss. The CDC draws a clear line based on risk level:

• For dogs that have been only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries in the 6 months before entry, the receipt is valid for that dog to enter the US multiple times from the same country within 6 months of issuance.
• For dogs coming from high-risk countries, the receipt is valid for one entry only. A new form and a new receipt are required for any future entry or for a different dog, even if it is within the same 6-month window.

To see what that 6-month validity window actually looks like on a calendar.

Counting forward, the expiration date lands exactly 6 months after the submission date, which is the window a low-risk-country dog's receipt actually covers for repeat entries.

What changes for dogs coming from high-risk countries

The CDC's instructions list several additional requirements that only apply to dogs that have been in a high-risk country for dog rabies within the past 6 months:

• A current, valid rabies vaccination document is required: either a Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form (completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian before the dog leaves the US) for US-vaccinated dogs, or a Certification of Foreign-Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form endorsed by an official government veterinarian for foreign-vaccinated dogs.
• Foreign-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries are required to have a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility and must arrive at the airport where that specific facility is located; the CDC notes these facilities are only at airports, with one exception for service animals arriving by sea with a valid rabies titer.
• A microchip number is required, matching what is documented on the dog's veterinary paperwork.
• A photo showing the dog's face and body must be attached to the form. For dogs under one year old, the CDC specifically requires that photo to have been taken within 15 days before the dog's arrival in the United States.

Checking what that 15-day photo window means in practice.

For an arrival on March 1, 2026, this means the required photo of a puppy must be taken no earlier than February 14, 2026, a two-week window that is easy to miss if you photograph your puppy for travel paperwork too far in advance.

A cutoff date for export certificates

The CDC's instructions include a specific cutoff that is easy to miss: a USDA-endorsed export health certificate is only accepted for re-entry if it was issued no later than July 31, 2025, and it must include the dog's age (at least 6 months), microchip number, and valid US-issued rabies vaccination information, with the vaccination given after the microchip was inserted, not before. Certificates issued after that date are not accepted; a Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form is required instead.

What about cats

The CDC's published guidance on pet travel draws a clear distinction here: cats are not required by the CDC to have a rabies vaccination certificate to enter the United States, though the CDC still recommends vaccinating all cats against rabies, and many states and other countries do require it regardless of the federal rule.

A simple pre-trip checklist based on these rules

1. Complete the CDC Dog Import Form for every dog, every trip, regardless of origin.
2. Check whether your dog has been in a high-risk country for dog rabies in the last 6 months before assuming the basic form is all you need.
3. If coming from a high-risk country, confirm your vaccination documentation (US-issued or foreign-issued) is current and that you have a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility before booking flights.
4. For puppies under a year old from high-risk countries, schedule the required photo within 15 days of your actual arrival date, not weeks in advance.
5. Keep both the digital and a printed copy of your receipt; you will need to show it twice, once to the airline and once to US Customs and Border Protection.

Key takeaways

• A CDC Dog Import Form is required for every dog entering the United States, with no exceptions based on origin.
• The receipt's validity differs sharply by risk level: multiple entries over 6 months for low-risk-country dogs, a single entry for high-risk-country dogs.
• Dogs from high-risk countries face extra requirements: specific vaccination certificates, a registered animal care facility reservation, a microchip number, and a recent photo.
• USDA-endorsed export health certificates issued after July 31, 2025 are not accepted for US re-entry under current CDC rules.
• Cats are not required to have a CDC rabies certificate, unlike dogs, though vaccination is still recommended and may be required by your destination state or country.

This article summarizes official US requirements as published and is not a substitute for checking the current rules for your specific trip or consulting your veterinarian, since import requirements can change.