Updated International Travel Requirements

Traveling internationally with your dog has always been a complicated mess of forms, requirements, and rules. On August 1st, 2024, the CDC passed a new set of regulations for crossing the United States border with your dog that unfortunately makes the process even more complicated (though if we do our job right, not by too much!).

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Import vs Export
Those of you who have previously traveled internationally with your pets may be familiar with the need for a USDA Endorsed International Health Certificate. These forms are compiled and endorsed by the USDA, and are meant to ensure your pet meets the requirements for entry into your destination country. These are export requirements; they are required for your pet to leave the US in the first place. 

The new CDC requirements are import requirements, meaning they are necessary for your dog (not your cat) to re-enter the United States after traveling internationally. These requirements exist in addition to the current USDA export requirements, meaning you are now responsible for ensuring your dog meets both the export and import requirements prior to travel.

Import requirements are split into three categories:

1. Dogs arriving from Dog-Rabies Free or Low-Risk Countries
2. US-Vaccinated Dogs arriving from High-Risk Countries
3. Foreign-Vaccinated Dogs arriving from High-Risk Countries

Since this blog is written primarily for our local, US-based clientele, we’ll focus on the first two categories. If you would like to learn more about the Requirements for Foreign-Vaccinated Dogs from High-Risk Countries you can follow that link to the CDC webpage outlining this information.

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Entry Requirements for Dogs from Dog-Rabies Free or Low-Risk Countries
This is the easy one! If your dog is returning to the US and has only been in countries deemed by the CDC to be rabies-free or low-risk, all you’ll need is a CDC Dog Import Form. This is a form to be filled out online by you, up to six months before your date of return to the US. There is no fee for processing this form, and you shouldn’t need any assistance from our office to do so (though we’re always here if you run into trouble). Instructions on filling out the form can be found here.
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To determine whether your dog has exclusively been in low-risk or rabies-free countries, consult the CDC’s list of High Risk Countries for Dog-Rabies. If in the six months prior to your return to the US your dog has only traveled to countries that are NOT listed here, your dog has only been in low-risk or rabies-free countries. If your dog HAS traveled to a listed country in the six months prior to your return to the US, consult the requirements in the next section.

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Entry Requirements for US-Vaccinated Dogs from High-Risk Countries
If your dog has traveled to one of the countries on the CDC list of High Risk Countries for Dog-Rabies, there is an additional form required before your dog can return to the US.
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Dogs returning from high-risk countries will need a Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination, which must be issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian (such as CSAH’s Dr. McCullough and Dr. Guarin). If your dog had their rabies vaccinations administered at our practice and currently has a microchip and up to date rabies vaccination, this form can be completed by our veterinarians without the need for an appointment, or any further action from you. If your dog does NOT meet these criteria, there may be additional requirements:

• Dogs who weren’t vaccinated at CSAH: Our USDA accredited veterinarian can certify rabies vaccines given at another practice, provided we establish a client-patient relationship with the pet and can obtain the necessary information from your pet’s past three years of medical records. Any pet coming to us for a USDA Endorsed International Health Certificate for export is considered to have a client-patient relationship with our practice.
• Dogs missing an up-to-date rabies vaccination: If your dog’s rabies vaccination is currently expired or your dog has never received a rabies vaccination, they must receive a vaccination/booster at least 28 days before leaving the country before the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination can be submitted.
• Dogs missing a microchip: An ISO (International Organization for Standardization) compatible microchip is used for identification purposes, and is used to verify all rabies vaccine information. If your dog did not have a microchip at the time of their last rabies vaccination, or if their microchip number was not recorded by their veterinarian at the time of this vaccination, these vaccinations are considered unverifiable and thus invalid. Our veterinarians can microchip and vaccinate your dog at the same time, which must be done at least 28 days before submission of the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination. This vaccination will always be considered a 1 year rabies vaccination, rather than a 3 year rabies vaccination, per CDC requirements.

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NOTICE: Until July 31st 2025, these regulations will be in a transitional period. During this period, a USDA-Endorsed Export Health Certificate may be used in place of a Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination. After July 31st 2025, a Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination must be used.

Entry Requirements for All Dogs
In addition to the requirements above, there are a few requirements that all dogs entering the US must meet. These aren’t usually a problem, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention them:

• Your dog must be at least six months old at the time of arrival.
• Your dog must appear healthy at the time of arrival.
• Your dog must have an ISO compatible microchip for identification (all chips implanted by our practice are ISO compatible).

Start Preparing Now!
With these changes in regulation, there are certain things you can do now that will help down the road, even if you aren’t currently planning to travel. Any rabies vaccinations given before a dog has a microchip or given without recording the dog’s microchip cannot be verified and thus cannot be used for international travel. Whenever your pet receives a rabies vaccination, ask your veterinarian to scan for a microchip and ensure this information is recorded on your dog’s new rabies certificate.

If a microchip stops working it can no longer be used for identification purposes, which will also invalidate all previous rabies vaccine history. While this failure is rare, it can and has happened. If your pet already has a microchip, ask your veterinarian to scan it at annual visits or when you first begin thinking about international travel; if it has stopped working, you’ll need at least 28 days to re-chip and re-vaccinate your dog prior to travel.

Every country has different requirements for entry. While we can’t know exactly what will be required until you’ve decided where you’re traveling, keeping your pet up to date on all recommended vaccinations and treatments will put you in the best position possible when you do start making arrangements.
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​Lastly, as always, call us early! The sooner you get in touch the sooner we can start getting ducks in a row, and the more likely we’ll be to get everything done in the required time. Give us a call as soon as you start considering international travel, and again the moment you have your travel dates confirmed.

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