Bringing your dog to the US from the Philippines

In short

• The Philippines 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 family visit.
• The official export papers come from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), through its National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division (NVQSD).
• One Philippine laboratory is on the CDC approved list for the titer test: the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila.
• Manila has long-haul nonstops to Los Angeles, Seattle and New York JFK, all of which have a CDC-registered animal care facility.

Before you leave the Philippines

Check the microchip date against the rabies vaccination first: for a dog vaccinated outside the US the chip comes first, and a dog vaccinated before it was chipped needs a new shot. The full sequence is 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 the Philippines, export certificates for dogs are issued by the BAI’s National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division. Its Citizen’s Charter lists, for the export of dogs:

• a veterinary health certificate;
• an up-to-date vaccination record (rabies, distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus);
• an ISO 15-digit microchip;
• any other document or test the destination country asks for.

You file in person at BAI NVQSD, Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, or by email to nvqsd@bai.gov.ph. Staff check the microchip with a reader before preparing the certificate, so bring your dog’s chip number and make sure the chip reads. Ask NVQSD how it endorses the CDC certification together with its own export certificate.

Titer test: one laboratory in the country

The CDC list includes one Philippine laboratory: the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), in Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila. That is a real advantage over Colombia, India or the Dominican Republic, where the sample has to leave the country. The BAI charter mentions antibody tests at other institutions for some destinations, but for the US a result from any laboratory outside the CDC list counts as no titer at all.

We could not confirm from public sources whether RITM takes samples from private owners, what it charges or how long it takes, so ask it directly before you plan around it. Thailand’s National Institute of Animal Health is also on the CDC list and is the closest approved laboratory outside the country. The interval rules are on the rabies titer test.

Flights from Manila to a US facility

Philippine Airlines flies Manila (MNL) nonstop to three US cities that have a facility, according to route reports:

• Los Angeles (LAX): two facilities, Kennel Club LAX and Rue’s Kennels at LAX.
• Seattle (SEA): the route started in October 2024 with three weekly flights; the facility, Dog Gone Taxi, accepts cargo only, so a dog traveling in the cabin cannot book it.
• New York (JFK): The ARK Pet Oasis, which accepts landings at JFK only.

These reports date from 2024 and earlier, so confirm current frequencies with the airline, and ask whether the flight carries dogs in cargo, since most long-haul carriers restrict pets in the cabin on these distances. Choose the facility, book its reservation, then book the flight. Facility contacts are on animal care facilities. If you connect in another country, keep your dog airside: clearing customs in a high-risk country counts as having been there.

A US dog with the Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination, endorsed by USDA before it left the US, does not need the facility and can return through any US port that matches its receipt. See US-vaccinated dogs.

Coming back to the Philippines

Every dog entering the Philippines needs an approved import permit, the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC), issued by BAI before arrival. You apply online through the DA trade system, and BAI gives a processing time of 11 working days. Its page also sets conditions that catch families by surprise:

• the dog must be at least 4 months old at application, and an importer may bring in a maximum of 3 animals a year;
• the rabies vaccine must be given by a licensed vet in the source country, at least 14 days before the application;
• a layover under 24 hours needs no new permit if the dog stays in the cargo area and the airline does not change.

BAI also states that from 1 January 2027, SPSIC applications must comply with antibody titer test requirements, without giving the details on the page we read. Apply well before your return flight, and keep your dog’s RITM or other approved titer report with its papers.