Bringing a Dog Into the US in 2026: The CDC Form, the Microchip and Three Traps

Short answer: every dog entering or returning to the United States needs a CDC Dog Import Form receipt — free, one form per dog, and generally valid for six months of multiple entries from the same departure country. Dogs from low-risk countries need that receipt plus a microchip readable by a universal scanner, six months of age, and a healthy appearance. Dogs that have been in a high-risk country in the previous six months need rabies paperwork, and foreign-vaccinated dogs can only fly into eight specific airports.

This catches out experienced travellers, because the rule changed in 2024 and the paperwork is now handled by CDC rather than USDA for dogs arriving. Someone who drove to Canada for a weekend and has crossed the border with a dog for twenty years now needs a form they have never heard of.

What changed, in plain terms

Since 1 August 2024, the CDC has required a CDC Dog Import Form for every dog entering or returning to the United States. The form is completed online, it is free, and it produces a receipt. Each dog needs its own form. The receipt is generally valid for six months and for multiple entries, provided the dog travels from the same country of departure and has not been in a high-risk country in between.

As of February 2026 the CDC changed the appearance of the receipt in its web system; the requirements themselves did not change. If you are looking at an old screenshot of what the receipt should look like, ignore it and look at the current one.

The two tracks: low-risk and high-risk

	Dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries	Dogs that have been in a high-risk country in the past 6 months
CDC Dog Import Form receipt	Required	Required
Microchip	Required, readable by a universal scanner	Required, number must appear on all documents
Age	At least 6 months	At least 6 months
Rabies documentation	Not required by CDC	Certification of US-issued Rabies Vaccination (USDA-endorsed) or the foreign equivalent
Port of entry	Any airport, seaport or land border	Depends on vaccination origin; foreign-vaccinated dogs are limited to airports with a CDC-registered animal care facility
Quarantine	None	Possible, including a 28-day stay without a valid titre from an approved laboratory

The eight airports that matter if your dog was vaccinated abroad

A dog vaccinated outside the US that has been in a high-risk country in the previous six months cannot enter at a land border. It must arrive by air at an airport with a CDC-registered animal care facility, with a reservation already made: Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK (not Newark, not LaGuardia), Philadelphia, Seattle (cargo only) and Washington Dulles.

That list is the practical bottleneck. People book a flight, then discover the arrival airport does not qualify, then rebook. If your itinerary involves a rescuer bringing a dog in from a high-risk country, build the route around the airport rather than the airline.

Three traps that are not on the CDC page

The US-vaccinated route cannot be fixed after departure. If your dog has been in a high-risk country, the Certification of US-issued Rabies Vaccination must be completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and endorsed by USDA before the dog leaves the United States. It cannot be issued retroactively. Owners who learn this at the airport have no recovery path.

The screwworm certificate is a separate agency. Dogs coming from Mexico and from much of Central and South America need an additional certificate from an official government veterinarian of the country of origin, confirming the dog was inspected for New World screwworm within five days before shipment and is free of it. Since 22 November 2024 Mexico has been on that list. This is USDA APHIS, not CDC, and it is checked at the land border.

Microchip placement matters for the document trail. The rabies vaccination must have been administered after the microchip was implanted, and the chip number must appear on the paperwork. A chip that cannot be scanned on arrival can result in denial of entry and return at the importer's expense.

The domestic flight is a different rulebook

None of this governs a flight inside the United States, or a drive across state lines. Domestic movement is set by the receiving state, and many states ask for a recent health certificate and a current rabies vaccination. Airlines add their own requirements on top, and they enforce them at check-in. What airlines allow covers the carrier side.

Where a tracker fits — and where it does not

Airport arrivals are one of the few moments where a pet changes hands repeatedly: airline staff, customs, a transporter, a care facility. If the animal is tracked, the handover stops being a black hole, and a live position answers the question "is my dog still at the airport" in seconds. Joylink Ultra covers the US and Europe with three years of cellular service included, which suits a one-off relocation better than a monthly plan you will cancel afterwards.

What a tracker cannot do is satisfy a regulator. It is not an identification document, it does not replace the microchip requirement, and no border officer will accept it. Treat it as a way to keep track of a real animal while the paperwork proves who they are.

Frequently asked questions

Is the CDC Dog Import Form free?

Yes. It is completed online through CDC, it costs nothing, and each dog requires a separate form. The receipt is generally valid for six months and multiple entries from the same country of departure.

Do I need it for a day trip to Canada or Mexico?

Yes. Dogs that have only been in Canada, Mexico and the US still need the receipt, though they do not need the additional rabies documentation. A form listing Canada as the departure country does not cover a later return from Mexico.

What happens if my dog's microchip cannot be scanned at arrival?

For dogs that have been in a high-risk country, entry may be denied and the dog returned to the country of departure at the importer's expense. Confirm with your veterinarian that the chip is readable by a universal scanner before you book anything.