Foreign-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries, step by step

In short

• This pathway is for a dog that has been in a high-risk country in the last 6 months and whose rabies vaccine was given outside the US.
• Your dog needs a Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip, endorsed by an official government veterinarian, completed no more than 30 days before travel.
• Strongly recommended: a titer test (a blood test that measures rabies antibodies) from a CDC-approved lab. Without it, your dog spends 28 days in quarantine.
• You need a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility, and a direct international flight to its airport. No land entry.
• Count on at least two to three months of preparation from the rabies vaccine to the flight.

Is this your dog’s pathway?

Your dog follows this pathway if:

• it has been in a country on the CDC high-risk list at any time in the last 6 months, and
• its rabies vaccination was given outside the United States.

It also applies to a US dog that left the country without a USDA-endorsed Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination (see US-vaccinated dogs).

This is the longest pathway, and the one where a missed date costs the most. It is also very doable when you plan it in the right order.

What your dog needs

The certification

The Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip is a CDC form. A veterinarian fills it in, and an official government veterinarian of the exporting country endorses it (a vet working for that country’s government veterinary service). One person may do both if they hold both roles.

• It must be completed no more than 30 days before your dog travels, and it can be used once.
• Bring the printed original, and travel with two copies in case the airline keeps one.
• The microchip number must appear on every document.

Language

All documents must be in English, or come with a certified English translation. CDC defines it as a signed statement from a licensed translator on professional letterhead, with the translator’s name, address and contact details, and a stamp or seal showing the license number.

The titer test

A titer test checks that your dog’s rabies vaccine actually worked. The blood must be drawn at least 30 days after the vaccination and at least 28 days before your dog enters the US, and analyzed by a laboratory on the CDC-approved list. A passing titer stays valid for the dog’s life, as long as its rabies vaccination never lapses and the lab stays on the approved list.

The titer is not strictly mandatory, but without it your dog faces a 28-day quarantine at the facility. The labs, the timing and a worked example are in the rabies titer test.

The animal care facility

An animal care facility (ACF) is a private kennel registered with CDC, next to an international airport. Every dog on this pathway must have a reservation there before travel. At the facility:

• a vet examines your dog;
• your dog gets a US-licensed rabies booster;
• without a valid titer, your dog stays for a 28-day quarantine after that booster.

All costs are paid by you, at each facility’s own prices. Book well in advance, and ask the facility to review your documents before you travel. The list of facilities and airports, with their constraints, is in animal care facilities.

Shortening the quarantine

CDC describes an option called prospective serologic monitoring that can shorten the quarantine. It is open only to personal pets and service dogs (not dogs imported for rescue, resale, adoption or a change of owner). According to the CDC FAQ, it requires at least 2 documented rabies vaccinations, a healthy exam, CDC approval of the facility’s request, a US rabies vaccine and a titer from a CDC-approved US laboratory. The dog stays until CDC authorizes its release, you pay the costs, and a dog that fails completes the full quarantine. Ask the facility whether your dog could qualify.

The flight and arrival

• No land entry. A foreign-vaccinated dog from a high-risk country cannot cross from Mexico or Canada by road.
• Sea: only service dogs on this pathway may arrive by sea. They must meet every other requirement, travel with the person they assist, and do not need a facility reservation. Emotional support animals are not service dogs. See service dogs.
• Alaska, Hawaii and US territories: none of the registered facilities is there, so dogs on this pathway cannot arrive there directly.

A realistic timeline

Times are counted backwards from your arrival date. The dates are minimums: build in margin.

Day 0Rabies vaccination

Day 30Blood draw for the titerat least 30 days after vaccination

Day 58Earliest arrivalat least 28 days after the blood draw

1. Day 0Rabies vaccination
2. Day 30Blood draw for the titerat least 30 days after vaccination
3. Day 58Earliest arrivalat least 28 days after the blood draw

1. Months before: microchip and vaccine

Check the microchip with your vet. If it is missing or unreadable, implant one first. Then the rabies vaccine (at 84 days of age or older). If the vaccine came before the chip, your dog needs a new one.

2. At least 30 days after the vaccine: titer blood draw

Your vet draws blood and sends it to a CDC-approved lab. Results take time to come back, so do this as early as the rules allow.

3. As soon as the titer passes: book the facility and the flight

Book the facility and a direct flight to its airport together. Facilities fill up, and some only take dogs traveling as cargo.

4. At least 28 days after the blood draw: earliest arrival

Your dog can enter the US no earlier than 28 days after the blood was drawn.

5. Within 30 days of travel: the certification

Your vet completes the certification and the official government vet endorses it. Do it late enough to stay inside the 30-day window, early enough to absorb a delay.

6. The week of travel: the CDC form

Fill in the high-risk Dog Import Form with the photo, the microchip number, the facility reservation and the exact flight and airport. The receipt covers one entry. See receipt validity.

7. Arrival: the facility

Your dog goes to the facility for the exam and booster, then is released to you (or stays for the quarantine without a valid titer).

From the rabies vaccine to the earliest arrival, the minimum is 30 plus 28 days, before counting lab delays and bookings. That is why two to three months is a realistic planning window.