Reviewed August 30, 2026
Complete the official CDC Dog Import Form online, get the receipt, and check whether your dog needs additional rabies documents before entering the U.S.
CDC updated the online form system and the appearance of its receipt on February 5, 2026, but did not change the dog-import requirements. An accurate, unexpired receipt issued through the previous version remains acceptable. This matters because an older-looking receipt is not automatically invalid.
CDC provides the Dog Import Form as an online form. After submission, confirm the email message from CDC; the emailed receipt is the document you keep. CDC does not direct travelers to download a blank PDF version of this form.
Gather the dog’s age, recent six-month country history and intended U.S. arrival information. High-risk-country pathways also ask for the microchip, rabies documentation, arrival details and a clear dog photo. Make every identifier match the dog’s other records.
The receipt proves that the CDC Dog Import Form was submitted. Show it to the airline before boarding and to U.S. Customs and Border Protection on arrival. You may print it or show it on your phone. Keep an offline copy in case airport internet is unavailable.
The receipt is sent only after you open the CDC confirmation email and verify the email address. Check the address entered on the form, the inbox and spam folder, and complete the confirmation step. If the email address or submitted travel details are wrong, submit a corrected official form rather than editing an unofficial PDF.
For a dog that has been only in rabies-free or low-risk countries during the previous six months, one receipt may cover multiple U.S. entries from the same departure country for six months. For a dog coming from a high-risk country, the receipt is for one dog and one entry.
Travelers often search for a CDC dog permit or registration, but the CDC Dog Import Form receipt is its own requirement. A dog with high-risk-country history may separately need an endorsed U.S.-issued or foreign-issued rabies vaccination document and, depending on the pathway, an approved arrival airport or animal-care-facility reservation.
Frequent problems include using a wrong email address, failing to complete email confirmation, choosing the wrong country-history answer, entering a microchip number differently across documents, treating the receipt as the only high-risk document, or arriving without an offline copy.
CDC directs travelers to complete the form online. After you submit it and verify your email, CDC emails the receipt. Save or print that receipt; do not rely on an unofficial blank PDF.
It is the proof sent by email after you submit the online form and confirm your email address. Show it to the airline before boarding and to U.S. Customs and Border Protection on arrival.
CDC sends the receipt after you confirm the email address through its verification message. Check the email address used, inbox and spam folder, and make sure the confirmation step was completed. If information was entered incorrectly, submit a corrected official form.
CDC says receipts issued through the previous system remain accepted if the information is accurate and the receipt has not expired.
No. It is a required import form with an emailed receipt. Depending on the dog’s six-month country history and rabies-vaccination pathway, other documents and arrival conditions may also apply.
The CDC Dog Import Form is required for every dog. Dogs with high-risk-country history may also need a pathway-specific rabies vaccination and microchip certification. The correct document depends on where the rabies vaccine was issued.
No. This form is specifically for dogs. Cats can still be subject to airline rules, destination requirements and a health examination if they appear ill on U.S. arrival.
El formulario oficial se completa en línea en el sitio de CDC. Después de enviarlo, confirme su correo electrónico y guarde el recibo que CDC le envía. Cada perro necesita su propio recibo.
No. Airlines can apply separate pet policies, routing restrictions, carrier rules and document checks.
Do not rely on completing it at check-in. Prepare it before travel and keep the receipt available offline.
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