Crossing the US land border from Canada or Mexico with a dog

In short

• Every dog crossing a US land border needs a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, even if it never leaves the car.
• From Canada: the form is usually all you need, and one receipt covers multiple entries for 6 months.
• From Mexico: the CDC form plus a USDA New World screwworm certificate, based on an inspection no more than 5 days before travel.
• Foreign-vaccinated dogs that have been in a high-risk country cannot enter by land.

Do you need the CDC form to drive across?

Yes. The CDC rule applies to dogs arriving by land exactly as it does to dogs arriving by air. That includes:

• a family driving back from Vancouver or Tijuana with their own dog;
• a dog that only passes through the US in a car, truck or bus, without ever getting out;
• US-resident dogs coming home from a day trip.

The CDC Dog Import Form is free and online. Fill it in before you reach the border, and keep the receipt on your phone or on paper for the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer. Your dog must also be at least 6 months old, have a microchip and look healthy.

Coming from Canada

Canada is not on the CDC high-risk list. If your dog has only been in Canada, the US or other low-risk countries during the last 6 months, you need the CDC Dog Import Form and nothing else for the CDC. No photo, no microchip number, no vet document on the form.

One receipt for many crossings

The low-risk receipt is valid for 6 months and covers multiple entries. Border families and snowbirds can use the same receipt for every crossing in that period.

The catch: the receipt is tied to the country of departure. If you file it for Canada and later drive in from Mexico, you need a new form for Mexico. See how long the receipt is valid.

Coming from Mexico: the USDA screwworm certificate

Mexico is not a high-risk country for the CDC either, so the CDC side is the same as for Canada: a low-risk receipt, valid for multiple entries from Mexico.

But a second agency is involved. Because of New World screwworm (a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on living tissue in wounds), the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) requires that dogs coming from Mexico travel with a health certificate that:

• is signed by an official government veterinarian, or by a Mexican clinical veterinarian trained and authorized by SENASICA (Mexico’s animal health authority) to sign on its behalf;
• is based on a screwworm inspection no more than 5 days before your dog travels to the US;
• states that your dog is free of screwworm, or was infested, kept in quarantine and treated until free before leaving.

APHIS has no required template: the certificate can be a standalone document or part of an export health certificate. It is checked at the port of entry, where your dog may be inspected. The APHIS page does not make an exception for US dogs coming home, so plan a vet visit in Mexico during the 5 days before your return. SENASICA publishes a directory of authorized vets, linked from the APHIS page.

Going into Mexico

This page covers entry into the US. Mexico sets its own rules for dogs entering Mexico. The USDA says Mexico has required a screwworm inspection certificate for pet dogs coming from the US since 3 August 2026, issued by a USDA-accredited vet no more than 5 days before entry, with no USDA endorsement needed. Check the current rules with the Mexican authorities before you drive south.

Dogs that have been in a high-risk country

The land border is open to a high-risk dog only if it was vaccinated in the US and has the right paperwork.

• US-vaccinated dogs with a valid, USDA-endorsed Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination can cross at any land port, as long as it matches the port on their receipt. This high-risk receipt is single entry, for the date and port you declare. See bringing your US dog back home.
• Foreign-vaccinated dogs that have been in a high-risk country in the last 6 months cannot enter by land. They must fly into a US airport with a CDC-registered animal care facility. Details in foreign-vaccinated dogs.

Example: a family moves from Guatemala to the US by road, through Mexico, with a dog vaccinated in Guatemala. Guatemala is on the high-risk list, so the dog cannot cross at the land border. It has to fly into one of the airports with a registered facility, with a titer test and a facility reservation.

Before you leave for the border

1. Check every country your dog has been in during the last 6 months.
2. Fill in the CDC Dog Import Form for the right departure country (Canada or Mexico).
3. From Mexico, get the screwworm certificate within 5 days of crossing.
4. Keep the receipt and the certificate on paper and on your phone.
5. If your dog was in a high-risk country, make sure it was vaccinated in the US and has the endorsed certification. Otherwise, plan a flight instead.