High-risk countries for dog rabies, the full CDC list

In short

• A dog is on a high-risk pathway if it has been in a country from the CDC list at any time in the last 6 months, even for a few days.
• “Been in” includes a layover where the dog cleared customs in that country.
• Special cases: China excludes Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan; Israel includes the West Bank and Gaza; Morocco includes Western Sahara; Ceuta and Melilla are listed, mainland Spain is not.
• Not on the list: Mexico, Canada and the countries of the European Union.
• What your dog needs next depends on where it was vaccinated against rabies: in the US, abroad, or not at all.

What “been in” a high-risk country means

The rule looks back 6 months from the day your dog arrives in the United States. If, at any point in that window, your dog was in a country on the CDC list, it follows the high-risk rules. It does not matter how long it stayed, or whether that country is where your trip starts.

Example: your dog lives in Germany. In March it spent a weekend with you in Morocco. If you fly to the US in July, your dog has been in a high-risk country within the last 6 months, so it is a high-risk dog for that trip, even though it is flying from Frankfurt.

Layovers

A connection can count too. CDC considers that a dog has entered a country when it clears customs there. That can happen if your dog travels in the cabin, or if you change airlines during the connection. A dog that clears customs during a layover in a high-risk country has been in that country.

Whether your dog clears customs depends on the airport, the airline and how the dog travels. If you are not sure, ask your airline before you book. The details are in layovers and connecting flights.

The full list

This is the CDC list of high-risk countries for dog rabies, in CDC’s own wording. Type a country name to search it. CDC does not say how often it is updated, so check it again before you travel.

Any country or territory that is not on this list counts as low risk. See dogs from low-risk countries.

The special cases

Some entries are easy to misread.

Ceuta and Melilla are the trap for travelers in Spain: they are Spanish cities on the North African coast, a short ferry ride from the mainland. A day trip there with your dog puts it on a high-risk pathway for the next 6 months.

Mexico is not high risk for CDC, but the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has its own rule for dogs coming from Mexico: a New World screwworm certificate. See crossing the land border with a dog.

The three high-risk cases

Once your dog has been in a high-risk country, the question becomes: where was it vaccinated against rabies?

If your dog…What you need

1. If your dog… has not been in a high-risk country in the last 6 months

   Low risk

   The form only. Any airport, land or sea. Receipt valid 6 months.

2. If your dog… has been in a high-risk country and has a US rabies vaccination with the USDA-endorsed certification

   High risk, US-vaccinated

   The form, a photo and the USDA-endorsed certification. Any airport.

3. If your dog… has been in a high-risk country and was vaccinated outside the US, or in the US without the USDA-endorsed certification

   High risk, vaccinated abroad

   An endorsed certificate, a booking at an animal care facility and a direct flight to one of 8 airports. A titer test is strongly advised.

4. If your dog… has been in a high-risk country and is not vaccinated against rabies

   Not admissible yet

   Vaccinate first, then follow the rules for dogs vaccinated abroad.

Find my dog’s pathway

US-vaccinated dogs

This is mostly about dogs that live in the US and travel abroad. The key is the timing: the certification must be endorsed by USDA before departure. A US dog that left without it is treated as foreign-vaccinated on its way back. See US-vaccinated dogs.

Foreign-vaccinated dogs

The longest pathway. It involves a government-endorsed certificate, a blood test, a booked facility and a fixed arrival airport, and takes weeks to months to prepare. See foreign-vaccinated dogs.

Unvaccinated dogs

A dog that has been in a high-risk country and has no valid rabies vaccination cannot enter the United States. This includes dogs whose vaccine was given before 84 days (12 weeks) of age, or before the microchip was implanted. The way forward is to vaccinate (after the chip) and follow one of the two pathways above.

What changes on the form

For a high-risk dog, the CDC Dog Import Form asks for more than the low-risk version:

• a photo of the dog (see the dog photo);
• the microchip number;
• a US address;
• every country visited in the last 6 months;
• the flight or travel details;
• the vaccination certification, or the animal care facility reservation.

The receipt covers one entry only, on the date and at the port you declared. See how long the receipt is valid.