Bringing your dog to the US from Mexico
Mexico is low risk for the CDC, but USDA requires a screwworm certificate. The free CDC form, the inspection, land crossings and the return to Mexico.
Mexico on the CDC list
Mexico 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 Mexico, 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.
- New World screwworm certificate (USDA, from Mexico)Signed by an official or SENASICA-authorized vet after an inspection within 5 days before travel.
Where your dog can arrive
Any US airport, land border or seaport.
Local information
In short
- Mexico is low risk for the CDC: the free CDC Dog Import Form receipt is all the CDC asks for, by land or by air.
- USDA adds a New World screwworm certificate: an inspection within 5 days before your dog leaves for the US, signed by an official or authorized vet.
- Your dog’s recent trips matter: Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and Cuba are high risk.
- Going back to Mexico from the US, SENASICA asks for a screwworm inspection document too.
The screwworm certificate (USDA, not CDC)
New World screwworm is a fly whose larvae feed on the living tissue of animals. To keep it out of the US, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) asks dogs coming from Mexico for a certificate stating that the dog:
- was inspected for screwworm within 5 days before it leaves for the US;
- is free of screwworm, or, if it was infested, was held, treated and found free before leaving.
In Mexico, the certificate can be signed by an official government veterinarian or by a clinical veterinarian trained and authorized to sign on behalf of the official veterinarian. USDA links to a directory of those authorized vets from its page (last modified 1 April 2026). There is no required template: the statement can be a standalone document or part of a health certificate. The document is checked and the dog inspected at the US port of entry.
Crossing by land
A low-risk dog can enter at any land port of entry. The receipt is valid for 6 months for multiple entries, as long as your dog always enters the US from Mexico. That suits border families who cross often, but each crossing still needs a screwworm certificate within the USDA window, because the receipt and the certificate follow different clocks. See crossing the land border with your dog.
If your dog enters from Canada on another trip, that is a different departure country and a new CDC form.
The trips that change the rules
The CDC counts every country your dog visited in the last 6 months. Mexico’s southern neighbors Guatemala and Belize are on the high-risk list, as are Honduras, El Salvador, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. A dog that spent time in one of them within the window is a high-risk dog. If it was vaccinated outside the US, it cannot enter by land: it must fly directly into an airport with a CDC-registered animal care facility.
Flights to the US
A low-risk dog can land at any US airport. The screwworm certificate applies whatever the route, so carry it with the CDC receipt at check-in and on arrival.
Coming back to Mexico
Mexico’s agriculture health service, SENASICA, publishes the rules for pets arriving in Mexico. For a dog coming from the US, SENASICA asks for:
- an inspection document showing the dog is free of screwworm, signed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian within five days before the trip;
- a physical inspection on arrival, at the SENASICA office of the airport, seaport or border crossing, which issues the import certificate (Certificado Zoosanitario para Importación).
SENASICA says no health certificate or vaccination booklet is needed for dogs coming from the US. Both the USDA and the SENASICA rules have changed with the screwworm situation: check both pages before each trip.
Questions travelers ask
Is Mexico a high-risk country for dog rabies?
No. Mexico is not on the CDC high-risk list, so the CDC only asks for the free Dog Import Form receipt. The extra Mexican requirement comes from USDA, not the CDC.
Who can sign the screwworm certificate in Mexico?
USDA accepts a certification from an official government veterinarian or from a clinical veterinarian trained and authorized to sign on behalf of the official veterinarian. USDA links to a Mexican directory of authorized veterinarians from its page.
Does a US dog coming home from a Mexican vacation need the screwworm certificate?
USDA’s page does not make an exception for US dogs returning from Mexico, so plan for the certificate. Book the inspection close to your return date.
What does Mexico ask when my dog travels from the US?
SENASICA asks for an inspection document showing the dog is free of screwworm, signed by a USDA-accredited vet within five days before the trip, plus a physical inspection on arrival.
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), USDA APHIS: Bringing dogs into the US (New World screwworm, Mexico) (opens in a new tab), SENASICA: Requisitos y procedimientos para viajar a México con tu mascota (opens in a new tab)