Why dogs get refused at the US border, and how to avoid it
The most common reasons a dog is refused boarding or entry into the United States, what happens next, and a checklist to run before you leave.
In short
- Most refusals come from a small number of avoidable mistakes: age, microchip, vaccine dates, the wrong airport, or a missing document.
- The airline checks first, at check-in. US Customs and Border Protection and the CDC check on arrival.
- A refused dog is sent back to its departure country within 72 hours, at the owner’s cost.
- Run the checklist at the bottom of this page a few weeks before travel, and again the day before.
Who can refuse your dog, and when
There are two checkpoints:
- At check-in, the airline must look at the CDC Dog Import Form receipt and, for high-risk dogs, the vaccination document or the animal care facility reservation. It must refuse boarding to any dog without the required documents, any dog that looks sick and any dog that looks under 6 months old.
- On arrival, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can check the receipt, scan the microchip and review the documents. A dog that does not meet the rules can be denied entry.
What happens to a refused dog
- The dog goes to a CDC-registered animal care facility or, if none is available, another veterinary clinic or kennel. It cannot be kept in a cargo warehouse for more than 12 hours.
- It must be returned to its country of departure within 72 hours of the refusal.
- You pay: care, housing and the return flight. If an owner abandons the dog, the airline has to cover those costs, which is why airlines check carefully.
A dog that fails the blood monitoring at a facility, or whose monitoring was not done correctly, is not sent back but must complete a 28-day quarantine.
The common causes, and how to avoid each one
The dog itself
| Cause | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Dog under 6 months old, or looks it | Check the date of birth against your arrival date, not your departure date. |
| Dog looks sick | Book a vet check before travel, and keep your dog calm and hydrated. |
| Microchip cannot be read | Ask your vet to scan the chip before you leave. CDC requires a chip readable by a universal scanner. |
| Microchip implanted after the rabies vaccine (high-risk dogs) | The chip must come first. If it did not, your dog needs a new rabies vaccination given after the chip. Ask your vet how the timing rules apply. |
More in age and microchip.
Vaccination and documents
| Cause | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Vaccine given before 84 days old, or 28-day wait after a first vaccine not met | Count the days before you book. A booster given with no gap in coverage counts straight away. |
| US dog left for a high-risk country without the USDA-endorsed Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination | Get it before leaving the US. See US dogs coming home. |
| Relying on a USDA export health certificate issued after 31 July 2025 | Only certificates issued on or before that date are accepted. Use the CDC certification instead. |
| Titer from a lab that is not CDC-approved, or blood drawn too late | Use a lab on the CDC list. Draw blood at least 30 days after vaccination and at least 28 days before entry. See the titer test. |
| Foreign certification completed more than 30 days before travel | Book the government vet appointment close to your departure date. |
| Coming from Mexico without the USDA screwworm certificate | Get it from an official or SENASICA-authorized vet, no more than 5 days before travel. See Canada and Mexico. |
The receipt
| Cause | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Departure country differs from the one on a low-risk receipt | File a new form whenever your dog comes from a different country. See receipt validity. |
| High-risk receipt with the wrong date or port (Newark instead of JFK, an airport without a facility) | Copy the exact arrival airport from your ticket. File a new form if the flight changes. |
| Typo in the email address, so the receipt never arrives | Type the address carefully and open the confirmation code right away. |
The itinerary
| Cause | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Clearing customs during a layover in a high-risk country | Ask your airline whether your dog will clear customs. If it does, plan for the high-risk rules. |
| Cabin travel or a change of airline during a US connection | The layover exemption only covers cargo or checked baggage with one airline. See layovers. |
| Foreign-vaccinated dog arriving at a land border | These dogs must fly into an airport with a CDC-registered animal care facility. |
| Foreign-vaccinated dog flying into Hawaii, Alaska or a US territory | No registered facility exists in those places, so these dogs cannot enter through them. See Hawaii and Guam. |
| Emotional support dog presented as a service dog | Only trained service dogs under 14 CFR 382.3 qualify. See service dogs. |
Pre-departure checklist
A few weeks before travel
- List every country your dog has been in during the last 6 months, including layovers where it clears customs.
- Check your dog will be at least 6 months old on the arrival date.
- Have a vet scan the microchip.
- For high-risk dogs: check vaccine dates, the chip-before-vaccine order and the document your pathway needs.
- For foreign-vaccinated dogs: confirm the titer lab is CDC-approved and book the animal care facility.
In the days before travel
- Fill in the CDC Dog Import Form with the right departure country, date and arrival port.
- Confirm the receipt arrived in your inbox.
- From Mexico: get the screwworm certificate.
- Print the receipt and documents (3 copies of any USDA-endorsed document) and keep them on your phone.
On the day
- Check that the flight still lands at the airport on your receipt.
- Keep documents with you, not in checked luggage.
Questions travelers ask
What happens if my dog is refused entry into the US?
The dog is sent back to the country it departed from, at the owner’s cost. While waiting, it is kept at a CDC-registered animal care facility or, if there is none, at another vet clinic or kennel.
Can the airline refuse my dog before the flight?
Yes. Airlines must refuse dogs without the required documents, dogs that look sick and dogs that look younger than six months.
I never received my CDC receipt. What should I do?
Check your spam folder first, then the email address you typed. A typo is the most common reason a receipt never arrives. If needed, submit the form again with the correct address.
My flight was moved to another airport. Is my receipt still valid?
A low-risk receipt does not depend on the airport. A high-risk receipt is valid only for the date and port you declared, so you need a new form.
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: Guidance for airlines (opens in a new tab), CDC: Dog importation FAQ (opens in a new tab), CDC: Dog Import Form instructions (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: Layovers and connecting flights (opens in a new tab), USDA APHIS: Bringing dogs into the US (New World screwworm, Mexico) (opens in a new tab)