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Bringing a foreign-vaccinated dog into the US from a high-risk country
The route applies if your dog has been in a CDC high-risk country in the past 6 months and does not hold valid US-issued rabies vaccination documents. Start at least 60 days before travel: the microchip must have been implanted before the rabies vaccination or the vaccination is invalid, and the titer blood sample must be drawn at least 30 days after the first valid vaccination and at least 28 days before entry.
You must arrive by air at the airport where your animal care facility reservation is — Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Philadelphia, Seattle (cargo only) or Washington Dulles — and that airport must match the one on your Dog Import Form receipt. Land border entry is not allowed on this route.
At the facility, every dog is examined by a veterinarian and revaccinated with a US-licensed rabies vaccine, at your cost. With a valid titer that is the end of it. Without one, add a 28-day quarantine at the facility. A narrow CDC program (Prospective Serologic Monitoring) can shorten quarantine for personal pets with proof of two prior vaccinations — ask the facility to request it.
| Document | Timing | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| CDC Dog Import Form receipt | Online, before travel | Single entry, listed arrival date only |
| Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip | Completed within 30 days before travel, government-vet endorsed | 30 days from the vet's signature |
| Rabies titer report (CDC-approved lab) | Drawn ≥30 days after first vaccine and ≥28 days before entry | For the dog's life if vaccination never lapses |
| Animal care facility reservation | Booked before entry | Must match your arrival airport |
Related questions
My dog was vaccinated in the US but I lost the paperwork. Which route?
Without valid US-issued vaccination documentation, CDC treats your dog under this foreign-vaccinated route in full. There is no fix-it-on-arrival option.
Can the 28-day quarantine be shortened?
Only via Prospective Serologic Monitoring: personal pets or service dogs only, proof of at least 2 prior rabies vaccinations, a healthy exam, and CDC approval requested through the facility. If the protocol fails, the full 28 days applies.
What does the animal care facility cost?
CDC does not publish prices — examination, revaccination and any quarantine are the importer's responsibility and priced by the facility. Ask when you book the reservation.
Do service dogs follow the same rules?
Mostly. A qualifying service dog (as defined in 14 CFR 382.3 — emotional support animals do not qualify) with a valid titer may arrive by sea without a facility reservation; by air it still needs one.
Official sources for this page
- CDC — Dogs from rabies-free and low-risk countries
- CDC — Foreign-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries
- CDC — U.S.-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries
- CDC — Dog Import Form instructions
- CDC — High-risk countries for dog rabies
We check each rule against the exporting country's official page and the destination country's official page. If the two disagree, we show the disagreement instead of guessing.