{"topic_id":"pet_travel_us_cdc_dog_2024","category":"pet-travel","context":"---\ntopic_id: pet_travel_us_cdc_dog_2024\ncategory: pet-travel\ntitle: \"United States — CDC 2024 dog import rules (effective Aug 1, 2024): CDC Dog Import Form, high-risk tracks, rabies documentation\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"CDC (cdc.gov) — 'Bringing a Dog into the U.S.' and dog-importation track pages (index, rabies-free/low-risk, U.S.-vaccinated high-risk, foreign-vaccinated high-risk, high-risk country list, FAQs), first-hand U.S. federal page, landed 2026-08-18 via Tavily /extract\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/pet-travel/index.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-18\ntokens_estimated: 470\nverified: true\nverification: c1_substring\nsource_document: \"CDC — Bringing a Dog into the U.S. (importation/dogs)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)\"\n  title: \"Bringing a Dog into the U.S.\"\n  url: \"https://www.cdc.gov/importation/dogs/index.html\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-18\"\n  ref: \"\"\n  doc_type: \"official web page\"\n  needs_review: false\nlicense: public_domain_cdc\n---\n\nThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rebuilt its dog-import rules effective August 1, 2024. `CDC strives to protect America’s families, communities, and pets by preventing the reintroduction of dog rabies into the United States.` The rules are organized by the dog's situation rather than a single checklist: `Requirements are based on your dog's situation including whether it has been to a high-risk country for dog rabies in the last six months and where it was vaccinated.`\n\nA hard exclusion applies: `Your dog will NOT be allowed to enter the U.S. if it is not vaccinated against rabies and has been in a high-risk country for dog rabies in the past 6 months.` Importers must also satisfy other agencies: `U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) and your U.S. destination's regulations`.\n\n### Track 1 — Dogs from dog-rabies-free or low-risk countries only\n\nIf the dog has been only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries in the 6 months before entry, documentation is minimal: `Starting on August 1, 2024, the only required documentation for dogs entering or returning to the United States that have been only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries in the past 6 months is the CDC Dog Import Form.` The form logistics: `The receipt is valid for 6 months from when it’s issued unless the dog visits a high-risk country or a different dog rabies-free or low-risk country during that time.` `Each dog must have its own form.` And `CDC Dog Import Form receipt can be printed or shown on a phone screen to U.S. customs officials or airlines (if applicable).`\n\n### Track 2 — U.S.-vaccinated dogs returning from a high-risk country\n\n`There are 2 documents CDC requires before your dog returns to the U.S. if your dog was vaccinated against rabies in the U.S. and has been in a high-risk country for dog rabies in the 6 months before returning to the U.S.` The rabies document: `A USDA-accredited veterinarian must complete this document and submit it to the USDA for endorsement before the dog departs the United States.` As a time-limited alternative, `As an alternative to the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form, CDC will accept a USDA-endorsed export health certificate issued no later than July 31, 2025.` The CDC form receipt for this track is tighter: `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.`\n\n### Track 3 — Foreign-vaccinated dogs from a high-risk country\n\nThe rabies document here must be `endorsed by an official government veterinarian before it can be used to bring a dog in the U.S.` A CDC-registered animal care facility (ACF) reservation is mandatory: `Foreign-vaccinated dogs that have been in a high-risk country for dog rabies within the last 6 months must have a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility before entering the U.S.` Arrival is port-restricted: `All foreign-vaccinated dogs that have been in a high-risk country must arrive to the U.S. at the airport where a CDC-registered animal care facility is located.` `If the dog does not have a valid rabies serology titer, the reservation must also include a 28-day quarantine.` `Foreign-vaccinated dogs that have been in a high-risk country in the past 6 months are not allowed to enter the U.S. at a land border crossing.`\n\n### Microchip\n\nAcross tracks, `Your dog’s microchip can be any brand, but it must be detectable with a universal scanner.`\n\nRelated: `pet_travel_us_usda_aphis` (USDA APHIS pet-travel overview) and `pet_travel_us_cdc_animal_import` (CDC general animal-import rules, cats/NHP/African rodents).\n\nSource: `pdf-raw/pet-travel/index.txt`, `pdf-raw/pet-travel/rabies-free-low-risk-countries.txt`, `pdf-raw/pet-travel/us-vaccinated-high-risk-countries.txt`, `pdf-raw/pet-travel/foreign-vaccinated-high-risk-countries.txt`, `pdf-raw/pet-travel/faqs.txt` (CDC, landed 2026-08-18).\n\n## Claims (verified C1 substrings of source_file)\n- `CDC strives to protect America’s families, communities, and pets by preventing the reintroduction of dog rabies into the United States.`\n- `Requirements are based on your dog's situation including whether it has been to a high-risk country for dog rabies in the last six months and where it was vaccinated.`\n- `Your dog will NOT be allowed to enter the U.S. if it is not vaccinated against rabies and has been in a high-risk country for dog rabies in the past 6 months.`\n- `U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) and your U.S. destination's regulations`\n- `Starting on August 1, 2024, the only required documentation for dogs entering or returning to the United States that have been only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries in the past 6 months is the CDC Dog Import Form.`\n- `The receipt is valid for 6 months from when it’s issued unless the dog visits a high-risk country or a different dog rabies-free or low-risk country during that time.`\n- `Each dog must have its own form.`\n- `CDC Dog Import Form receipt can be printed or shown on a phone screen to U.S. customs officials or airlines (if applicable).`\n- `There are 2 documents CDC requires before your dog returns to the U.S. if your dog was vaccinated against rabies in the U.S. and has been in a high-risk country for dog rabies in the 6 months before returning to the U.S.`\n- `A USDA-accredited veterinarian must complete this document and submit it to the USDA for endorsement before the dog departs the United States.`\n- `As an alternative to the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form, CDC will accept a USDA-endorsed export health certificate issued no later than July 31, 2025.`\n- `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.`\n- `The form must be endorsed by an official government veterinarian before it can be used to bring a dog in the U.S.`\n- `Foreign-vaccinated dogs that have been in a high-risk country for dog rabies within the last 6 months must have a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility before entering the U.S.`\n- `All foreign-vaccinated dogs that have been in a high-risk country must arrive to the U.S. at the airport where a CDC-registered animal care facility is located.`\n- `If the dog does not have a valid rabies serology titer, the reservation must also include a 28-day quarantine.`\n- `Your dog’s microchip can be any brand, but it must be detectable with a universal scanner.`\n- `Foreign-vaccinated dogs that have been in a high-risk country in the past 6 months are not allowed to enter the U.S. at a land border crossing.`\n","sources":["European Commission (food.ec.europa.eu) & UK Government (gov.uk) — Bringing a Dog into the U.S. (retrieved 2026-08-18)"],"source":{"authority":"European Commission (food.ec.europa.eu) & UK Government (gov.uk)","title":"Bringing a Dog into the U.S.","url":"https://www.cdc.gov/importation/dogs/index.html","retrieved":"2026-08-18","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"CDC — Bringing a Dog into the U.S. (importation/dogs)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/pet-travel/index.txt"},"source_document":"CDC — Bringing a Dog into the U.S. (importation/dogs)","source_file":"pdf-raw/pet-travel/index.txt","trust":{"authority_tier":"ungraded","fidelity":"verbatim","license":"public_domain_cdc","display_grade":"pending"},"tokens_estimated":1534,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}