August 2024
CDC Changes in Canine Import Requirements
From a CDC announcement:
Starting on August 1, 2024, all dogs entering the United States must:
- Appear healthy upon arrival
- Be at least six months of age
- Be microchipped
- Be accompanied by a CDC Dog Import Form online submission receipt
Additional requirements are based on where the dog has been in the last six months and whether or not the dog was vaccinated in the United States. For dogs arriving from countries with a high risk of dog rabies, they must be protected against rabies.
The rabies virus variant carried by dogs (dog rabies) was eliminated in the United States in 2007 and CDC wants to prevent the re-introduction of dog rabies into the United States. This regulation builds on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic when a temporary suspension was enacted for the importation of dogs from countries with a high risk of rabies. This suspension expired when the updated regulation went into effect on August 1, 2024. The regulation also more closely aligns with the World Organization for Animal Health’s standards for the international movement of dogs from countries with a high risk of dog rabies. Furthermore, it addresses recent challenges seen with international dog importations, such as fraudulent documentation and dogs housed in unsafe conditions if they didn’t meet requirements for entry to the United States.
The CDC encourages people traveling with their dogs to use its new personalized question-and-answer tool, “DogBot,” on the CDC website to determine what rules apply to their dogs based on their travel dates, where their dog is traveling from and where their dog was vaccinated (if required). People should plan in advance for future travel to ensure requirements for dog importations will be met at the time their dogs will enter the United States.
The CDC/USDA has updated regulations for the importation of ALL canines into the U.S.
The new regulations can be found at: www.cdc.gov/dog travel