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Every dog entering the US needs a CDC Dog Import Form receipt.The rules

Dog Import Form

Bringing your dog to the US from the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is high risk for the CDC. DIGEGA export papers, titer samples sent abroad, flights to US facilities and the return trip.

Dominican Republic on the CDC list

Dominican Republic is on the CDC list of high-risk countries for dog rabies. Any dog that has been there during the last 6 months follows the high-risk rules, even for a short stay.

If your dog has also been in another country in the last 6 months, that country counts too.

High risk

What your dog needs

If your dog was vaccinated in the US

With the USDA-endorsed Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination:

  • 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.
  • A clear photo of your dogFace and body visible, .jpg or .png, up to 10 MB. Under 1 year old: taken within 15 days before arrival.
  • Certification of US-Issued Rabies VaccinationFilled in by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by USDA before the dog left the US. Carry 3 copies.

If your dog was vaccinated outside the US

The most demanding pathway:

  • 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.
  • A clear photo of your dogFace and body visible, .jpg or .png, up to 10 MB. Under 1 year old: taken within 15 days before arrival.
  • Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and MicrochipEndorsed by an official government vet of the country you leave, no more than 30 days before travel.
  • Documents in EnglishOr with a certified English translation.
  • Rabies titer test from a CDC-approved labRecommendedA blood test showing at least 0.5 IU/mL. Without it, your dog spends 28 days in quarantine at the facility.
  • Booking at a CDC-registered animal care facilityThe facility examines your dog and gives a US rabies booster on arrival, at your cost.
  • Direct flight to the facility’s airportNo connecting domestic flight before the facility has cleared your dog. No land crossing.

A dog that is not vaccinated against rabies cannot enter the US from Dominican Republic.

Where your dog can arrive

Dogs vaccinated outside the US must land at one of these 8 airports, each with a CDC-registered animal care facility: ATL, DFW, IAD, JFK, LAX, MIA, PHL, SEA. US-vaccinated dogs with their certification can use any airport.

Local information

In short

  • The Dominican Republic is on the CDC high-risk list. A dog that has been there in the last 6 months follows the high-risk rules, even a US dog on a one-week vacation.
  • For US dogs on vacation, the key document is prepared in the US, before departure: the USDA-endorsed Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination.
  • For dogs vaccinated in the Dominican Republic: titer test abroad, official certification, and a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility. Puerto Rico is not an option.
  • Export papers go through the Dirección General de Ganadería (DIGEGA).

US dogs on vacation: prepare before you fly south

Most dogs that leave the Dominican Republic for the US are American dogs that spent a holiday in Punta Cana, Santo Domingo or Santiago, or are coming home from a family visit. For them, the simplest return is prepared before leaving the US:

  • a valid US rabies vaccination;
  • the Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination, completed by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by USDA. USDA endorsement can take weeks, so start early.

With that certification, your dog comes home with a single-entry CDC receipt, without a titer test or an animal care facility. Without it, the dog is treated as foreign-vaccinated. See US-vaccinated dogs.

If your dog lives in the Dominican Republic: DIGEGA

A dog vaccinated in the Dominican Republic needs the chip before the rabies shot, then the CDC’s foreign certification (see foreign-vaccinated dogs). The local authority is DIGEGA. Its procedure for exporting dogs:

  1. a licensed vet examines your dog and issues a health certificate, with the stamp of the veterinary association (COLVET) when required;
  2. you bring the vaccination record, a valid rabies vaccination, a valid parasite treatment, the microchip details and any extra document the destination country asks for (DIGEGA gives rabies serology as an example);
  3. DIGEGA validates the papers (signature and seal), with a fee of RD$500 under its protocol, and the VUCE trade-window process when it applies;
  4. an official inspection at the departure port leads to the zoosanitary certificate.

DIGEGA gives a processing time of 1 to 24 hours, and its offices at Autopista 30 de Mayo, Ciudad Ganadera, Santo Domingo, are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 16:00. The phone numbers on its page are (809) 535-9689, extension 307, and (809) 532-4146. Its page does not mention the CDC or the United States, and it does not name airports, so ask DIGEGA how it endorses the CDC certification within the same process and where the port inspection takes place for your flight.

Titer test: the sample goes to another country

The CDC list of approved laboratories has no laboratory in the Dominican Republic. The closest approved laboratories on the list are in the US (such as Kansas State University and Auburn University) and Mexico (SADER/SENASICA). Your vet draws the blood locally and ships the serum; whether a given laboratory takes samples from private owners and how they must be packed are questions for the laboratory, not the CDC. The result must come from the approved laboratory itself. Dates and pass mark: the rabies titer test.

For a dog that is in the Dominican Republic only for a short stay, there is rarely time for this. The titer path takes weeks, which is why the USDA-endorsed certification before you leave the US is the better plan.

Flights from the Dominican Republic

A foreign-vaccinated dog must fly directly into a US airport with a facility, with a reservation there. Puerto Rico has no animal care facility, so San Juan is not an option for these dogs, and neither is a domestic US connection before clearance. Route data lists nonstop flights from Santo Domingo (SDQ) and Punta Cana (PUJ) to several facility airports:

  • Miami (MIA): several daily nonstops are listed from both Dominican airports. Facility: Pet Limo.
  • New York (JFK): nonstops are listed, with Delta and JetBlue among the carriers listed for Santo Domingo. Facility: The ARK Pet Oasis, JFK only, so a flight into Newark does not work.
  • Atlanta (ATL): Delta is reported to connect Atlanta with Punta Cana and Santo Domingo; confirm it. Facility: Dandie Scottie Kennel.
  • Philadelphia (PHL): nonstops to both airports are listed. Facility: Gateway Animal Care Center.

These come from route aggregators, not airline timetables. Confirm that the flight carries pets in cargo, and see animal care facilities for the facility contacts. A US-vaccinated dog with the USDA-endorsed certification can arrive at any US port that matches its receipt.

Coming back to the Dominican Republic

DIGEGA’s page lists the requirements for dogs entering the country. The dog needs a health certificate signed by a vet and endorsed by an official veterinarian at the port of embarkation, an exam within 72 hours before departure, parasite treatment, and an inactivated rabies vaccine given no more than 12 months and no less than 30 days before departure. An adult dog with a vaccination history and boosters does not have to wait the 30 days.

Questions travelers ask

Is the Dominican Republic a high-risk country for the CDC?

Yes. The Dominican Republic is on the CDC list of high-risk countries for dog rabies, so every dog that has been there recently follows the high-risk rules, including US dogs on vacation.

Our US dog is coming to Punta Cana for a week. What does it need to fly home?

Before leaving the US, get the Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination completed by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by USDA. With it, your dog avoids the titer test and the animal care facility on the way back.

Can the titer test be done in the Dominican Republic?

Not by a Dominican laboratory. The CDC list of approved laboratories has none in the Dominican Republic, so the blood sample must be sent to an approved laboratory abroad.

Which Dominican office handles dog export papers?

The Dirección General de Ganadería (DIGEGA), in Ciudad Ganadera, Santo Domingo. It validates and seals the vet’s health certificate, and an official inspection at the exit port follows.

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.

Go to the free CDC form (opens in a new tab)

Or let us do it

We check your documents, file the form and send you the receipt. Our fee covers this service only.

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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: US-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries (opens in a new tab), CDC: Foreign-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries (opens in a new tab), CDC: Approved rabies serology laboratories (opens in a new tab), CDC: Registered animal care facilities (opens in a new tab), DIGEGA: Permisología para la importación y exportación de perros y gatos (opens in a new tab)