Pet Immigration Rules United States (except Hawaii)
REGULATIONS FOR TAKING A PET DOG OR CAT TO
THE UNITED STATES (not including Hawaii - see
regulations for taking a pet to Hawaii)
United States does not quarantine healthy pets who meet the following requirements:
Your pet be vaccinated for rabies and various other diseases at
least 1 month prior to travel. Then your veterinarian will complete the
United States
Veterinary Certificate.
All domestic dogs and cats must be free of evidence of disease
communicable to humans when examined at the port of entry. If the
animal is not in apparent good health, further examination by a
licensed veterinarian may be required at the owner's expense.
SCREWWORM: If the pet is arriving in the United States from a
country that is infested with screwworm then not more than five days
prior to entry the veterinarian in the country of origin must
endorse that the pet has been inspected for screwworm and the
results are negative. If this is not done then the pet will be
quarantined in the US. THIS APPLIES ONLY TO A LIMITED NUMBER OF PETS
ARRIVING FROM A COUNTRY WITH A HIGH INCIDENCE OF SCREWWORM.
HAWAII & GUAM: Dogs and Cats arriving in
Hawaii or
Guam, both of
which are free of rabies, are subject to that state's/ territory's
quarantine requirements, and the following information does NOT
apply.
Dogs Cats & Ferrets must be vaccinated against rabies at least 30
days before entering the United States. This requirement does not
apply, however, to puppies less than three months of age or to dogs
originating or located for at least six months in areas designated
by the U.S. Public Health Service as being rabies-free.
The following procedures pertain to dogs arriving from areas that
are not free of rabies:
A valid Rabies Vaccination Certificate
should accompany the animal.
This certificate should be in English or be accompanied by a
translation in to English. It should identify the animal, the dates
of vaccination, the expiration date of the rabies vaccine, and be
signed by a licensed veterinarian. The rabies vaccination must be
given at least 30 days prior to entering the US.
Pets taken out of the United States and returned are subject to the
same requirements as those entering for the first time. This means
that U.S. residents returning to the U.S. might need to get a
Certificate of Health from an international vet if you stay in the
foreign country for more than 10 days.
Click Here for
Pet Passport Forms for the United States
Failure to comply with these regulations will mean that your pet may
be refused entry and the relevant authority in consultation
with an authorized veterinarian can decide to return the pet home, or place
the pet in quarantine at the expense of the owner or natural person
responsible for pet, or as a last resort, without financial
compensation, put the pet down where the return trip home or
quarantine cannot be arranged.
All other pets (birds, invertebrates, tropical fish, reptiles,
amphibia, mammals such as rodents and rabbits) are not subject to
the regulations in respect of the anti-rabies vaccination but may
have to meet other requirements as to a limit on the number of
animals and a certificate to accompany them in respect of other
diseases. Pet owners are strongly advised to seek further information
from the relevant authority of their country and/or that of the
country of destination.
VETERINARY CERTIFICATE
All countries have a unique veterinary certificates. This form
differs from the International Veterinary Certificate issued by
veterinarians in the United States. (APHIS 7001)
Find Veterinary Certificates
for countries worldwide.
Although United States does not require an ISO
pet microchip,
we strongly suggest microchipping your pet prior to traveling.
Everything essential for traveling with a pet can be found at PetTravelStore.com.