Bringing your dog to the US from Canada
Canada is low risk for the CDC, so your dog needs one free form, by road or air. How the receipt works for repeat crossings and what Canada asks on return.
Canada on the CDC list
Canada is not on the CDC list of high-risk countries for dog rabies. A dog that has only been in low-risk countries during the last 6 months follows the simplest pathway.
If your dog has also been in another country in the last 6 months, that country counts too.
What your dog needs
From Canada, the requirements are short:
- CDC Dog Import Form receiptFree on cdc.gov. Show the receipt to the airline and at the border, on paper or on your phone.
- At least 6 months old on arrivalYounger dogs cannot enter the US, whatever their papers.
- A microchipAny brand, as long as a universal scanner can read it. Ask your vet to check it.
- Healthy on arrivalA dog that looks sick can be refused boarding or entry.
Where your dog can arrive
Any US airport, land border or seaport.
Local information
In short
- Canada is low risk for the CDC. A dog that has only been in low-risk countries in the last 6 months needs the free CDC Dog Import Form receipt, whether it crosses by car, by plane or by boat.
- One receipt covers multiple entries for 6 months, as long as your dog always enters the US from Canada.
- A trip that starts in another country, Mexico for example, needs a new form.
- Coming home, Canada mainly asks for proof of a valid rabies vaccination.
Before you leave Canada
Your dog must be at least 6 months old on arrival, look healthy and carry a microchip that a universal scanner can read. The CDC does not ask a low-risk dog for a vaccination record, a photo or the microchip number on the form, but the chip itself is required.
Keep your dog’s rabies certificate with you anyway. You will need it to come back into Canada, and border officers on either side may ask to see the dog’s papers.
Crossing by land: how the receipt works
For families near the border, cross-border workers and snowbirds, the low-risk receipt is the useful part. It is valid for 6 months from issue, for as many entries as you make, as long as the departure country stays the same. A dog that goes back and forth between Vancouver and Seattle, or Windsor and Detroit, can use one receipt for the whole period.
Fill in the form before you reach the crossing, even if it is the same day. The receipt comes by email, so use an address you can open on your phone. Set yourself a reminder for the expiry date: a receipt that ran out the week before is the same as no receipt. See crossing the land border with your dog.
The trips that change the rules
The CDC counts every country your dog visited in the last 6 months. Canadian dogs often travel south for the winter: Mexico is low risk, but Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and Colombia are on the high-risk list. A dog that spent time in one of them within the window is a high-risk dog, and a high-risk dog vaccinated outside the US cannot enter the US by land at all.
Flights to the US
A low-risk dog can arrive at any US airport. At ten Canadian airports, including Toronto Pearson, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, US Customs and Border Protection inspects travelers before they board (preclearance). The CDC does not describe how preclearance works for dogs, so carry the receipt and your dog’s papers at check-in and at the preclearance desk.
Coming back to Canada
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) sets the rules for the way home, through an online tool that depends on your dog’s age and on whether you travel with it. USDA’s summary of Canada’s rules says:
- dogs older than 3 months need a rabies vaccination certificate from a licensed vet, showing a vaccination within 3 years of entry;
- pet dogs older than 8 months need no health certificate;
- dogs younger than 8 months may need one, depending on whether they travel with their owner.
Check the CFIA tool before each trip, because it is the official source. See also US dogs coming home if your dog lives in the US and visits Canada.
Questions travelers ask
Do I need a new CDC form every time I drive across the border with my dog?
No. A low-risk receipt covers multiple entries for several months, as long as your dog always enters the US from Canada. Show the same receipt at each crossing until it expires.
Can I fill in the form at the border?
You can fill it in on the day of travel, but do it before you reach the crossing. The receipt arrives by email, and you should have it on your phone or on paper when you meet the officer.
Does my dog need a rabies certificate to come back into Canada?
USDA’s summary of Canada’s rules says a dog older than 3 months needs proof of rabies vaccination from a licensed vet, and adult pet dogs traveling with their owner need no health certificate. Check the CFIA tool for your dog’s age and situation.
We spend the winter in Mexico and drive back through the US. Is that a problem?
It changes the form. A receipt is tied to the country your dog departs from, so entering the US from Mexico needs a new form, and Mexico has its own USDA screwworm rule.
Ready to fill in the form?
Do it yourself, for free
The official CDC Dog Import Form is free. Use this page and fill it in on cdc.gov.
Or let us do it
We check your documents, file the form and send you the receipt. Our fee covers this service only.
Sources: CDC: Bringing a dog into the United States (opens in a new tab), CDC: High-risk countries for dog rabies (opens in a new tab), CDC: Dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries (opens in a new tab), CDC: Dog Import Form instructions (opens in a new tab), CFIA: Bringing animals to Canada, importing and travelling with pets (opens in a new tab), USDA APHIS: Pet travel from the United States to Canada (opens in a new tab), CBP: Preclearance locations (opens in a new tab)