Traveling to the United States with a dog: what are the requirements
Whether it's for a vacation, work, study or some other reason, traveling to the United States with a dog is possible. What is requested.
Traveling abroad with a pet can be tedious work, no matter how calm and collected the animal is. Certain permits and conditions are needed to get the dog across the border and legally admitted to enter the North American country. What are the requirements you must meet to travel to the United States with a dog.
Traveling to the United States with a dog
Before planning the entire trip, it is important to check the animal's health with a veterinarian. Thus, it will be possible to know if he is fit or not to be able to move and live in a different place. Also, you will need that certificate.
For this, it is necessary to carry out a general review of the animal's health, blood tests, application of certain vaccines, identification chip, travel permits, health certificate and vaccination certificate.
Once it is verified that the dog can travel without any physical inconvenience, it is important to verify what are the conditions that the airline requires regarding the policies of flying with pets. Each company has different requirements, so you should see what the specific airline of the flight you will take to the United States requests.
Another aspect that must be taken into account is the language in which the documents to be presented are written. As the main language of the country to be visited is English, all documentation or written declaration will be required to be in that language. If you do not have it, it can be translated by a certified translator.
Conditions to travel
Depending on which country the dog comes from and what is the level of severity or risk of rabies that said destination has, the requirements will be different.
If you come from countries without a high risk of canine rabies
Some of the countries that fall into this category are Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay or Uruguay. In the event that the pet has not been in a country classified as a country of high risk for canine rabies, it can enter the United States through any port of entry. In addition, it will not be necessary to present documentation of vaccination against rabies.
The documentation that must be presented upon arrival in the United States is a written or verbal statement that the dog has only been in a country without a high risk of rabies in the last 6 months or since it was born.
On the other hand, the conditions will also be related to the requirements of the State to be visited, since each State may have specific requirements, in addition to the federal requirements, to accept the entry of a foreign dog into its territory. To consult this information, you can enter the following website and consult the "State Requirements" section for the requirements that are requested in each of the States.
If you come from countries with a high risk of canine rabies
In the opposite case to the one seen recently, where the canine has been in the last 6 months or comes from a country considered to be at high risk of canine rabies, the conditions will be much more demanding. Some of the countries that meet these characteristics may be Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Belize, Colombia or El Salvador.
The following requirements will be requested:
- That the animal looks healthy and in good health upon arrival in the country.
- Be at least 6 months old.
- Have a valid rabies vaccination certificate for the entire trip (or get a booster dose before traveling). This certificate must have the name and address of the dog's owner; the breed, sex, date of birth (approximate age if date of birth is unknown), color and markings on the dog; the number of the microchip compatible with the ISO standard; the vaccine product number or manufacturer, lot number, and expiration date; the date of vaccination against rabies; the vaccination expiration date (date of the next vaccination); and the name, license number, address, and signature of the veterinarian who administered the vaccine.
- Have a microchip compatible with the ISO standard to identify it included in the rabies vaccination certificate.
Have a serological test that is in English for rabies antibody titers from a valid, approved laboratory. Such proof must be obtained at least 30 days after vaccination and at least 45 days before the date of travel. In addition, the serological antibody test must come from specific laboratories in each country.
Apply for a CDC permit to import dogs online. Due to the large number of applications received, it is advisable to submit the application at least 6 months before the planned date of the trip.
Arrive at one of 18 airports with a CDC quarantine station: Anchorage (ANC), Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Detroit (DTW), Philadelphia (PHL) , Honolulu (HNL), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Minneapolis (MSP), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), San Juan (SJU), Seattle (SEA) and Washington D.C. (IAD).
Review the requirements of the final destination, the state of the American union where you arrive.
As you can see, the requirements to travel with a dog that lives in or has been in a country classified as a high risk country for rabies in the last 6 months are numerous. For these reasons it is not highly recommended to bring dogs with this condition into the United States.
