Service dogs and the CDC Dog Import Form

In short

• Service dogs need the CDC Dog Import Form and the same documents as any other dog from the same countries.
• The CDC uses the federal aviation definition of a service animal: a dog individually trained to do work or tasks for a person with a disability.
• Emotional support dogs and dogs in training are pets for the CDC.
• The main difference: a foreign-vaccinated service dog can arrive by sea without an animal care facility reservation.
• Airlines may also ask for the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, a separate document.

What counts as a service dog

The CDC does not write its own definition. It uses the one in 14 CFR 382.3, the federal rule on air travel for passengers with disabilities. Under that rule, a service animal is:

a dog, regardless of breed or type, that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.

The same rule lists what does not count:

• emotional support animals;
• comfort animals;
• companionship animals;
• service animals in training;
• any animal that is not a dog.

Service dogs still need the form

Being a service dog does not exempt your dog from anything basic. It needs:

• a CDC Dog Import Form receipt (free, one per dog);
• an age of at least 6 months, a microchip and a healthy appearance;
• the documents that match the countries it has been in during the last 6 months.

For a service dog that has only been in low-risk countries, that means the form only. For a service dog that has been in a high-risk country, the vaccination rules are the same as for any other dog: a USDA-endorsed Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination for US-vaccinated dogs, or the full foreign-vaccinated pathway for the others.

What is different for service dogs

Arriving by sea without a facility reservation

Foreign-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries normally must fly into an airport with a CDC-registered animal care facility (a private facility where the dog is examined and vaccinated on arrival). Service dogs have one exception: they may arrive at a seaport without an animal care facility reservation, if:

• they meet all other requirements, including a valid titer test (a blood test that measures rabies antibodies) from a CDC-approved laboratory and the Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip;
• they travel with the person with a disability they are trained to assist;
• the receipt lists the arrival seaport.

A service dog that stays on board while a cruise ship docks in a high-risk country is not considered to have been in that country. See cruises and sea arrivals.

Arriving by air

By air, a foreign-vaccinated service dog still needs an animal care facility reservation at its arrival airport. The CDC mentions possible accommodations, such as the airline or the facility transporting the handler with the dog to the facility, depending on availability and conditions. Ask the facility when you book.

If your service dog does not have a valid titer, it faces a quarantine of 28 days at the facility. The CDC describes a monitoring option that can shorten this for personal pets and service dogs: ask the facility about it. See foreign-vaccinated dogs.

Airline forms: a separate step

The CDC form is about rabies and entry into the US. Airlines have their own rules for service dogs in the cabin, based on US Department of Transportation (DOT) rules.

• US airlines may ask you to complete the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, which covers your dog’s behavior, training and health.
• For flights of 8 hours or more, they may also ask for a DOT form attesting that your dog can avoid relieving itself during the flight, or can do so in a sanitary way.
• An airline can ask for these forms up to 48 hours before your flight if you booked earlier than that.

These DOT forms do not replace the CDC Dog Import Form, and the CDC form does not replace them. Check your airline’s own page, as procedures differ. More in airlines and pets.

Checklist for service dog handlers

1. Confirm your dog meets the 14 CFR 382.3 definition (trained dog, not an emotional support dog or a dog in training).
2. Fill in the CDC Dog Import Form for your dog.
3. If your dog has been in a high-risk country, prepare the same vaccination documents as any dog with the same history.
4. If foreign-vaccinated and arriving by air, book an animal care facility; if arriving by sea, have the titer and certification ready before disembarking.
5. Ask your airline which DOT forms it needs, and when.