CDC Updates for International Travel with Dogs: What Dog Owners Need to Know

Written by Dr. Zachary Glantz

Traveling with a dog to a foreign country? What you need to know about the CDC requirements for re-entry to the United States

The CDC has enacted requirements for importing dogs to the United States, with the full rules in effect as of August 1st, 2025.

Under the rule, ALL dogs must be:

• Microchipped

• At least 6 months of age at the time of import (no exceptions)

• Healthy upon arrival

Prior to arrival in the United States, owners must have completed a CDC Dog Import form. A digital receipt is sufficient, but the CDC recommends printing and carrying at least 2 copies during travel. The form is valid for one entry, which must occur on the date and at the port of entry listed. There is no fee associated with the form.

For dogs arriving from countries considered high-risk for dog rabies, additional paperwork is required. There are three options in this scenario:

1. US Rabies Vaccination with Certificate of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination (CUSIRV)

-Must have a USDA-endorsed CUSIRV prior to departing the United States. More on that below.

-Dogs who depart the United States without a CUSIRV, or those abroad while their rabies vaccination lapses, must enter as Foreign Vaccinated dogs.

2. Foreign Rabies Vaccination with Rabies Titer

-Must have a completed Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form. This is issued by a veterinarian in the country of origin, and is valid for one entry to the US within 30 days of issuing. The dog must be microchipped at the time of rabies vaccination, and have a valid current rabies vaccination certificate. If the dog is receiving its first rabies vaccine (or if you do not have a previous rabies vaccination certificate), your dog must be at least 12 weeks (84 days) old at the time of vaccination, and the vaccine must be administered at least 28 days before the dog enters the U.S.

-Must have proof of an adequate rabies titer from a CDC-approved laboratory. The blood sample must be drawn at least 30 days after the dog’s first valid rabies vaccination and at least 28 days prior to entry to the United States. Microchip must be in place prior to all of these steps.

-Must enter through a port with a CDC-registered animal care facility (with a reservation) to undergo a physical exam and revaccination for rabies.

3. Foreign Rabies Vaccination without Rabies Titer

-Must have a completed Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form. This is issued by a veterinarian in the country of origin, and is valid for one entry to the US within 30 days of issuing. The dog must be microchipped at the time of rabies vaccination, and have a valid current rabies vaccination certificate. If the dog is receiving its first rabies vaccine (or if you do not have a previous rabies vaccination certificate), your dog must be at least 12 weeks (84 days) old at the time of vaccination, and the vaccine must be administered at least 28 days before the dog enters the U.S.

-Must enter through a port with a CDC-registered animal care facility (with a reservation) to undergo a physical exam, revaccination for rabies, and mandatory 28-day quarantine.

What is Required for a Certificate of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination (CUSIRV)?

Microchip:

A microchip must be in place prior to rabies vaccination. Any rabies vaccination prior to receiving a microchip is not acceptable. 

Rabies Vaccination Certificate:

Only rabies vaccinations administered in the United States are acceptable.

Dogs must have a valid rabies vaccination certificate to prove vaccination status. Records or receipts are not acceptable. The rabies vaccination certificate MUST list:

• Pet information like breed, age, and microchip

• Vaccination information like product name, manufacturer, lot number, and lot expiration date

• Date of vaccination and date for next vaccination

• Administering veterinarian information, such as name, license number, address, and phone number

It’s important to note that these requirements are more strict than what is required by state law. It’s very common for rabies vaccination certificates to omit information like product name, lot number, and lot expiration date. Many vet hospitals also do not record this information, making re-issuing of previous vaccinations challenging or impossible.

Correctly administered rabies vaccinations will NOT be accepted by the USDA without a valid rabies vaccination certificate.

Do NOT assume your rabies vaccinated dog has an acceptable rabies vaccination certificate without reviewing it closely, or sending it to a USDA Accredited veterinarian for review.

Timing of Vaccination:

A rabies vaccination is valid for either 1 or 3 years, based on what is listed on the rabies vaccination certificate, as well as the previous vaccination documentation presented to the USDA.

Primary vaccinations are automatically valid for only 1 year, and require a 28 day wait between vaccination and departing the United States. A vaccine is considered primary when it is:

• The first vaccine ever. Dogs must be at least 12 weeks (84 days) old for rabies vaccinations.

• The first vaccine after microchip placement. Since a microchip is required to verify identity, any rabies vaccinations prior to microchip placement are not acceptable.

• The first vaccine after a lapse. If a previous rabies vaccine is lapsed by even 1 day, the following vaccination is automatically a primary.

• The first vaccine on file. Even if your dog has had previous vaccinations, they only can be counted if you have a valid rabies vaccination certificate with all of the required information documented on it.

Booster vaccines can be valid for 3 years. A booster administered before the previous vaccine lapses is immediately valid. A booster administered after a lapse in vaccination (even by one day) is considered a primary vaccine, which is valid for only 1 year and requires a 30-35 day wait between vaccination and departing the United States.

Who Can Issue a CUSIRV and What is the Process?

Only a USDA Accredited veterinarian can issue a CUSIRV. The dog must have established care with their hospital via physical exam by them or another vet. Rabies vaccinations administered at other hospitals are acceptable, but must be validated by the USDA Accredited veterinarian.

The USDA Accredited veterinarian issues the CUSIRV and relevant rabies vaccination certificates to the USDA via an online portal. The USDA veterinarian reviews the submission and digitally endorses it, usually within a few business days. The digitally endorsed document is then available to the USDA Accredited veterinarian to download and send to the dog owner.

In addition to the price the USDA Accredited veterinarian charges for their time to issue the paperwork, the USDA charges the USDA Accredited veterinarian $101 for endorsement of the CUSIRV. 

The CUSIRV must be endorsed BEFORE leaving the United States to be valid. When issuing the CUSIRV, the USDA Accredited veterinarian needs:

• Name and address of the dog owner in the United States, and if relevant, address in the foreign country

• Intended date of travel out of the United States

• Intended date of re-entry to the United States (must be before the current rabies vaccination lapses)

• Intended port of entry to the United States 

• List of countries the dog may visit outside of the United States

In the case of a primary rabies, or a booster administered after a lapse in vaccination, the USDA Accredited veterinarian must wait at least 28 days from the vaccination to the date of issuing. Since the USDA may take at least a few days to endorse, travel out of the United States cannot occur for at least 30-35 days after a primary or lapsed booster vaccination.

Why Does the CDC Care About Rabies?

Rabies is a serious disease, with a 100% fatality rate if symptoms develop. All mammals, including humans, can contract rabies.

Rabies is endemic in the United States, meaning it's spread through many populations of wildlife with no clear path to eradication. Currently in the US, around 4,000 animal rabies cases are reported each year, with more than 90% occurring in wildlife like bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes. This is a big change from the 1960s, when domestic animals, mainly dogs, represented most of the rabies cases.

Even though rabies is well-controlled in the US, over 4 million people are bitten by animals a year, with 800,000 seeking medical attention.

Why are the New Rules for Importing Dogs so Strict?

There are multiple virus variants of rabies, and the most contagious and dangerous are the Dog-Maintained Rabies Virus Variants (DMRVV). 99% of the estimated 60,000 human rabies deaths a year that occur worldwide are attributed to DMRVV. 

With tremendous public health measures, the United States eliminated DMRVV in 2007, so importation of an infected dog presents a risk for reintroduction to the United States. 

When a dog with DMRVV is discovered, state and federal public health responses are enacted to prevent the spread of DMRVV, costing between $400,000 to $800,000 per dog.

Those costs do not account for the worst-case scenarios which include:

• transmission of rabies to a person who dies from the disease

• ongoing transmission to other domestic animals or wildlife

A previous campaign to eliminate domestic dog-coyote rabies in Texas from 1995 to 2003 cost $34 million dollars ($48 million in 2020 US dollars).

Re-establishment of DMRVV into the United States could result in costly efforts over several years to eliminate the virus again.

Will the Rules Change Again?

It’s hard to say, but the rules in effect as of August 1st, 2025 for dogs entering the United States do match what most other countries free of DRMVV require.

The rules also more closely match the recommendations from the World Organization for Animal Health.

Cuts to funding for worldwide rabies eradication programs could lead to increased spread of DMRVV, only increasing the importance of import restrictions.

Currently about 71,000 veterinarians are USDA Accredited of the roughly 130,415 practicing veterinarians in the United States (about 55%). Large animal, food/production, industry, and research vets typically need USDA Accreditation for their work. Considering about 70% of the general veterinary workforce is small animal practitioners, only about 1 out of 3 general practice small animal vets are USDA Accredited.

If regulations change, we will keep our clients informed with blog posts and social media updates. 

Art City Vets has 5 USDA Accredited Veterinarians, and we provide international travel paperwork for hundreds of patients a year. For more information on travel, or to set up a travel consultation or appointment, please visit www.ArtCityVets.com/travel.

Curious about why these rules are in effect? Click here to read about DMRVV in the United States.