Bringing your dog to the US from India
India is high risk for the CDC. The AQCS export NOC, why the titer sample must go abroad, the arrival airport and the ATITHI 2.0 permit for the return to India.
India on the CDC list
India 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.
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 India.
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
- India is on the CDC high-risk list. A dog that has been in India in the last 6 months follows the high-risk rules, even a US dog visiting family.
- India’s Animal Quarantine and Certification Service (AQCS) examines the dog in person and issues the export No Objection Certificate (NOC).
- There is no CDC-approved titer laboratory in India: the blood sample must go abroad, and the nearest approved laboratories are in the Gulf and Southeast Asia.
- The Delhi-Washington nonstop is suspended, so most routes to a US animal care facility start with New York JFK or a connection.
Before you leave India
The microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccination for a dog vaccinated outside the US; a dog chipped afterwards needs a new vaccination. The sequence is explained on foreign-vaccinated dogs. The CDC then asks for its foreign certification, completed by your vet and endorsed by an official government veterinarian no more than 30 days before travel.
In India, pet exports are checked by the AQCS stations, under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The AQCS export page names stations in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and does not say which of them handle pets. It asks for:
- the dog itself, examined in person by an AQCS officer, with a separate application for each dog;
- a veterinary health certificate from a local registered vet stating the dog is fit to travel;
- the microchip certificate and vaccination details (for a dog too young to be vaccinated, the mother’s record);
- your passport and air ticket copies, and the air waybill if the dog flies as cargo;
- two 4 by 6 inch photos of the dog;
- an authority letter if you cannot visit AQCS yourself, so a pet shipper can act for you;
- any requirement of the destination country, such as a blood titer test.
Bring originals and photocopies, self-attested. Confirm an appointment with the officer by email or phone, and present your dog at least 7 days before departure. The page gives the export certificate a validity of 10 days from issue or examination, which sits inside the CDC’s 30-day window. AQCS’s page does not mention the CDC or the United States and lists no fees, so ask the station how it endorses the CDC certification during the same visit.
Titer test: the sample leaves India
The CDC list of approved laboratories has no laboratory in India. The closest approved ones are the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory in the United Arab Emirates and the National Institute of Animal Health in Thailand, and the list also includes laboratories in China, Cambodia, Europe and the US. Your vet draws the blood in India and ships the serum, so allow for courier time and customs paperwork for a biological sample. Laboratories decide which samples they accept from private owners; the CDC list does not say.
The result has to be issued by the approved laboratory itself, in English or with a certified translation. For a dog that must still be vaccinated, wait the required interval first: the timeline is on the rabies titer test.
Flights from India to a US facility
Direct service is the constraint. Air India has operated nonstops from Delhi to New York JFK, where the facility is The ARK Pet Oasis (JFK only). Its Delhi-Washington Dulles nonstop, the route to the Dulles facility, was suspended from 1 September 2025, with the airline saying the aircraft retrofit program would last until at least the end of 2026. Plans for Dallas and Los Angeles flights have not been confirmed. Check which of Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru or another city has a current nonstop to a facility airport (JFK, ATL, DFW, LAX, MIA, PHL, SEA, IAD) before you pay for any other step.
A connection abroad is possible only if your dog stays airside and the same ticket reaches the facility airport without a domestic US leg. Gulf hubs are the usual route, and the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait are on the CDC high-risk list: clearing customs there counts as having been there. See layovers and connections. Each airline sets its own rules on pets in cargo, including heat embargoes, so ask the airline before booking.
A US dog with the Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination, endorsed by USDA before it left the US, does not need a facility and can enter at any US port that matches its receipt. See US-vaccinated dogs.
Coming back to India
India’s standard procedure for importing pet dogs (AQCS) runs through the ATITHI 2.0 portal. At least 7 working days before embarkation, you apply with the vaccination and microchip certificates, an official health certificate signed by the competent authority, your ticket and passport copy. AQCS issues an Advance NOC, and airlines may only carry the dog with it. On arrival, AQCS examines the dog and its original papers and issues the final NOC. A dog that fails the examination goes to a quarantine station for 15 days.
The SOP sets out three cases: transfer of residence (with proof of two years abroad), re-import of a dog that left India, and short stays, which need a license from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
Questions travelers ask
Is India a high-risk country for the CDC?
Yes. India 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 visiting family.
Can the titer test be done in India?
Not by an Indian laboratory. The CDC list of approved laboratories has none in India, so your vet draws the blood locally and the sample is sent to an approved laboratory abroad.
Where do I get the export certificate for my dog?
From the Animal Quarantine and Certification Service (AQCS). It has stations in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and asks you to bring the dog and its documents at least 7 days before departure.
What does my dog need to come back to India?
An Advance No Objection Certificate applied for on the ATITHI 2.0 portal at least 7 working days before embarkation, and for a dog that left India, a copy of the export certificate AQCS issued. Airlines will not carry the dog to India without the Advance NOC.
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: 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), AQCS India: Export of pets (dogs and cats) (opens in a new tab), AQCS India: SOP for import of pet dogs (opens in a new tab)