New CDC dog importation requirements: FAQs for veterinarians

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New CDC dog import regulations

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Starting August 1, 2024, all dogs entering or re-entering the U.S. must meet new requirements to protect the country from reintroduction of dog-mediated rabies virus variant (canine rabies), regardless of the planned duration of stay or the country of origin. In adopting these regulations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aligned U.S. importation requirements for dogs with the importation requirements of other countries free of canine rabies.

Here are the answers to common questions veterinarians might have about the CDC’s new dog importation requirements.

Q: What are the new importation requirements for dogs?

A: All dogs must meet all of the following requirements:

  • Be healthy on arrival
  • Be at least 6 months old at the time of entry or return to the U.S.
  • Have a microchip that can be read by a universal microchip scanner to identify them
  • Have a CDC Dog Import Form receipt

These are the only requirements for dogs that have been only in countries considered free or at low risk of canine rabies (i.e., rabies-free or low-risk countries) in the 6 months before U.S. entry. Such dogs can enter the U.S. at any airport, seaport, or land-border crossing. Note, however, that the country of origin may require documentation of rabies vaccination should a dog return there after entering the U.S.

Other countries are considered at high-risk of rabies (i.e., high-risk countries). Find a list of these countries here. Dogs from such countries face additional requirements for entry:

  • The microchip must have been implanted before the qualifying rabies vaccination; otherwise, that vaccination will be considered invalid. The microchip number must be included on all required forms and supporting documents.
  • Government-endorsed documentation of the dog’s vaccine and/or travel history is necessary. Specific requirements depend on where the dog has been in the last 6 months and whether or not it was vaccinated against rabies in the U.S. They include proof of rabies vaccination and, for foreign-vaccinated dogs, adequate serologic test results (titer) from a CDC-approved laboratory to avoid a 28-day quarantine on arrival to the U.S. Find instructions on serologic testing here.

Dogs from high-risk countries can enter the U.S. at any airport, seaport, or land border crossing, provided the port matches the port indicated on the CDC Dog Import Form receipt. For specific requirements and travel checklists for dogs from high-risk countries, see the CDC’s entry requirements for U.S.-vaccinated dogs and foreign-vaccinated dogs.

Q: What does the CDC Dog Import Form involve?

A: This online form must completed by the importer and does not require review or verification by a veterinarian. While the CDC recommends people complete the form a few days before travel, it can be completed in less than 5 minutes from any location with cell service. The form submission system generates a receipt within minutes of submission, and the form is free to complete. The importer can print the receipt, or show it on their phone.

For dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries, the receipt can be used for multiple entries to the U.S., provided the dog has not been in a high-risk country in the past 6 months.

For dogs from high-risk countries, the receipt is valid for a single entry into the U.S. and is valid for entry only on the date of arrival listed on the receipt. The form can be completed and submitted any time before travel, except for dogs less than one year of age, whose photo needs to be taken within 15 days before travel to the U.S.

Q: Do the new dog importation requirements apply to cats, too?

A: No, the new requirements pertain solely to dogs. The CDC requires cats to be healthy to enter the U.S., and cats require no documentation of rabies vaccination.  

Q: What is the rationale behind the requirement that all dogs be at least 6 months old?

A: The CDC describes the multiple considerations that informed this requirement throughout its final rule on dog importation. Briefly, the CDC believes that the 6-month age requirement for all dogs will help protect public health, while improving safety and welfare for young dogs subjected to stressful travel environments in which their health could be compromised. The USDA already prohibits the importation of dogs younger than 6 months for commercial purposes, which includes transfer of ownership through sale or adoption. Plus, a six-month age requirement aligns more closely with World Organisation for Animal Health requirements for the international movement of dogs, with 67% of rabies-free countries requiring dogs to be at least six months of age for importation.

In the context of dogs arriving from high-risk countries, the age requirement ensures the following:

  • Imported dogs are old enough to be vaccinated against rabies.
  • The vaccination has time to be effective and confer immunity to the dog.
  • Protection against rabies can be verified.
  • An appropriate waiting period exists after any rabies titers are measured to ensure the dog doesn’t develop signs of rabies. It is not sufficient that a dog be old enough to be vaccinated; there must be sufficient time for immunity to develop and authorities must be able to verify immunity. Dogs cannot be vaccinated effectively against rabies before 12 weeks of age, and are not considered fully vaccinated until 28 days after vaccination. The CDC decided to apply the same age requirement to dogs from countries that are low-risk or free of canine rabies because the agency has documented cases of importers moving dogs too young to be vaccinated effectively from countries with a high risk of canine rabies to low-risk countries to avoid rabies vaccination requirements.

Q: What will the U.S. customs inspector need to see before a dog is allowed to enter or re-enter the U.S. from a high-risk country?

A: Requirements apply at all ports of entry: land, air, and sea. They depend on where the dog has been vaccinated and which forms of documentation the importer has chosen to provide. In general, importers will need to show the following:

  • A receipt indicating completion of the CDC Dog Import Form
  • Official paperwork endorsed by a government veterinarian (There are various ways to meet this requirement, depending on the circumstances.)
  • The dog (The customs officer will visually confirm that the dog matches the photo and description on the CDC Dog Import Form receipt and also may scan the dog’s microchip to confirm that it matches the paperwork.)

Although the new requirements don’t include pre-travel testing or vaccination against diseases other than rabies, any dog that appears ill either at the port of entry or during evaluation at a CDC-registered animal care facility may be required to undergo additional evaluation by a veterinarian to rule out diseases transmissible to people.

Q: What form is required to document rabies vaccination for U.S.-vaccinated dogs re-entering the country from high-risk countries?

A: There currently are two options:

  • The Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form, which must be completed by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-accredited veterinarian before the dog leaves the U.S. (This form may be completed retroactively.)
  • Until July 31, 2025 (the end of the CDC’s transition period), a USDA-endorsed export health certificate completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian that documents the dog’s age (at least 6 months) and microchip number, and does either of the following:
    • Lists the destination as the canine rabies-free or low-risk country from which the dog is returning (the form will be valid for only 30 days if it does not contain rabies vaccination information)
    • Documents a valid (unexpired) rabies vaccination administered in the U.S.

The USDA-accredited veterinarian must enter only vaccines that they administered or that were administered in their clinic, which they can verify using their clinic’s existing medical records. They cannot authenticate a rabies certificate that was filled out by an unaccredited veterinarian.

USDA-accredited veterinarians can access the forms and their instructions through the USDA’s Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS). Note that the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form is not the same as the CDC Rabies Vaccination and Microchip Record form. The completed Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form is valid for multiple entries into the United States as long as the U.S.-issued rabies vaccine documented on the form is valid (not expired).

To find a USDA-accredited veterinarian near you, use the USDA’s search tool. Note that both the CDC and USDA recommend that veterinarians get accredited. The process is free and can be done online. For clinics with no accredited veterinarians, the agencies recommend that at least one veterinarian in the clinic become accredited so that they can complete this form for clients.

Q: What form is required to document rabies vaccination for foreign-vaccinated dogs entering from high-risk countries?

A: In this situation, a foreign veterinarian must complete a Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form, which must be endorsed by an official government veterinarian. The veterinarian who completes the form and endorses it can be the same person. This form must be completed no more than 30 days before the dog travels to the U.S., and is valid for one U.S. entry only. If a dog is receiving its first rabies vaccine, the vaccine must be administered at least 28 days before the dog enters the U.S. Find more information on the CDC’s website.

Q: For dogs entering the U.S. from high-risk countries, is revaccination against rabies required if the microchip was implanted after the qualifying rabies vaccine was given?

A: Yes. In this situation, microchips must be implanted prior to any required vaccines, tests, or treatments, and the microchip number must be documented on all veterinary records. This is the only way to verify that the rabies vaccination certificate for the dog matches the dog presented for importation. Veterinary records that do not contain microchip information cannot be verified and are highly susceptible to falsification. Consequently, rabies vaccines received prior to microchip implantation are considered invalid for importation.

Q: Does the USDA also regulate importation of dogs? How do the two agencies interact on this?

A: The USDA’s regulation of dogs currently is limited to enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, which includes provisions for humane transport of animals. The Animal Welfare Act also requires permits for dogs that are imported for adoption or resale as well as provisions to prevent the introduction of high-impact animal pathogens, such as African swine fever or screwworm.

The CDC has worked closely with the USDA to incorporate use of the VEHCS, which USDA-accredited veterinarians use for completion of export health certificates, as part of the new requirements. The agencies will continue to collaborate to send updates to USDA-accredited veterinarians about those requirements.