🇺🇸Country requirements

United States pet travel requirements

For a dog imported from abroad, CDC rules depend on its six-month travel history and where it was vaccinated. A journey remaining within the United States, including its five inhabited territories, does not trigger CDC dog-import requirements; clearing customs during a foreign layover triggers re-entry requirements. USDA animal-health rules and state or carrier requirements are separate and are not waived by that CDC distinction. Cats, rabbits and ferrets need the applicable species and state checks.

Latest check recorded: Nov 12, 2026Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) By the CollarPass team
Pet

Browse destination requirements by pet. Conditions can differ by origin, travel history and entry option.

This free guide includes the checked information and official links we have for this pet. Personal travel reports are available for dogs and cats only.

Pet travel at a glance — free

Start with the destination's requirements for this pet. Documents and preparation vary by origin and other conditions; read the full guidance and any unverified details below.

Which pets can enter

  • Dog: Some requirements need confirmation
  • Cat: Requirements listed below
  • Rabbit: Requirements listed below
  • Ferret: Requirements listed below
Read species and route restrictions

Entering the United States

Reference requirements for this pet. Read each item's conditions: different origins, histories and entry options can require different steps. Each item links to its official source and check date.

Before you travel

1

Check that your US state allows ferrets

APHIS Veterinary Services has no animal-health import requirements for pet ferrets, but states and territories can prohibit them or require documents. California prohibits keeping ferrets as ordinary pets, and its restricted-species permits are not issued for pet purposes. Hawaii also prohibits ferrets. Check the actual destination and carrier; the APHIS position does not waive other applicable agencies or state rules.

Ferrets

Source: USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

2

Confirm pet processing with your US port of entry

CBP recommends contacting the anticipated port of arrival before importing a pet to reduce delays. Confirm where to present the animal and documents, especially for an unusual species or a route needing a CDC animal care facility. At selected ports the CBP Link app can facilitate pet importation; it does not replace the required permits, certificates or inspection.

Dogs / Cats / Rabbits / Ferrets

Source: US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

On arrival

2

Check health and the applicable arrival inspection

For a foreign import, pets must look healthy on arrival; an animal showing a disease transmissible to people can be refused entry, and an ill or injured animal can need veterinary examination, tests or treatment at the owner’s cost. A dog on a journey remaining within the United States does not need CDC dog-import processing merely because it moves between a territory and a state. Separate CBP, USDA, state and carrier requirements must still be checked for the actual route. CDC does not require a general health certificate for a foreign pet import, but a state or airline may require one.

Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) · Checked Oct 21, 2026

Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

How many pets can you bring?

Caps recorded for the United States can depend on the species, origin and entry conditions. Your airline can set a lower limit.

No pet cap recorded

We have not recorded a per-person or per-entry pet cap for the United States. Check the official sources before booking.

Official forms and documents

Links go to the issuing authority. We do not sell, fill in or issue official documents.

No stand-alone form is recorded for this destination. The steps above name the documents to carry.

Open the official page to download or complete the form. Requirements can change; confirm with the authority before you travel.

Official sources

Every rule above is checked against these pages. Dates show our last check, not the page's own update.

Recent rule changes

Sourced entries that affect this country.

First version of the rules library: US entry, China exit, and the pet policies of Air China, China Eastern and United.

All rule updates

Checked Great Britain export guidance for seven EU destinations and the USA: added AHC issuance and declarations, state-specific US certificate checks, and explicit rabbit/ferret paperwork gaps.

All rule updates

Expanded destination-specific pet requirements, including origin-country branches, young-animal exemptions, official documents and entry options. Known unverified details remain clearly marked; free country summaries and personal trip reports use the same rules.

All rule updates

Checked current Australian group-specific and returning-pet guides, the live New Zealand rabbit-to-Australia case, and New Zealand 2021/2026 transition and certificate models. Added species-specific preparation, reciprocal rabbit procedures and explicit entry options; corrected calendar-month and laboratory-receipt waits and CDC domestic-journey handling. Known source conflicts and history-dependent checks remain marked. Also checked Australian dog/cat export procedures for New Zealand and the Canadian US-bound cat/ferret endorsement exemption; unverified export species remain explicit gaps.

All rule updates

Personal reports now focus on dogs and cats; other pets keep free checked summaries and official links. Updated current China and Korea source branches, European country lists and Italian guidance; represented Japan's Kyrgyzstan suspension without incorrectly keeping Uzbekistan suspended. Vaccination expiry uses the actual certificate where required, with documented continuous-booster exemptions and explicit remaining evidence gaps.

All rule updates

Checked current official guidance on CDC digital and wet signatures and seals, Japanese export-inspection appointments and a future application-deadline notice. Verified the live Dutch US private-pet result: route-specific instructions still require NVWA confirmation. This records library verification, not a claim that the law changed on this date; remaining authority and case-specific checks stay visible.

All rule updates