US-vaccinated dogs returning from a high-risk country

In short

• A dog vaccinated against rabies in the US that has been in a high-risk country needs a Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination, a specific CDC form.
• It is completed by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by USDA before the dog leaves the US. It cannot be done from abroad.
• The first vaccine must be given at 84 days (12 weeks) of age or older, and the certification completed at least 28 days after it. Boosters with no lapse are valid immediately.
• The certification is reusable while the vaccine stays valid. Carry 3 copies.
• No certification? Your dog falls into the much longer foreign-vaccinated pathway.

Who this page is for

This pathway is for a dog that:

• has been in a high-risk country in the last 6 months (see the list), and
• received its current rabies vaccine in the United States, from a US-licensed vaccine.

In practice, that is mostly dogs that live in the US: a family spending the summer in Brazil, a military family posted in Turkey, a snowbird spending the winter in the Dominican Republic. Many owners assume “my dog is American, so nothing applies”. It does: a US dog coming back from a high-risk country needs paperwork prepared before it leaves.

If your dog has only been in low-risk countries, none of this applies: see dogs from low-risk countries.

The Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination

This is a specific CDC form, not the usual rabies certificate from your vet. It records your dog’s microchip and its US rabies vaccination, so border officers can check them on the way back.

Who fills it in

A USDA-accredited veterinarian: the vet who gave the vaccine, or another accredited vet at the same clinic. Not every vet is accredited, so ask before you book the appointment.

Who endorses it

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Your accredited vet submits the form to USDA on your behalf, and USDA endorses it. The endorsement must be done before your dog leaves the United States.

USDA endorsement can take weeks. Do not leave it to the last week before your trip. The process on the vet’s side is explained in USDA endorsement.

The vaccine timing rules

Three dates matter.

1. Age at first vaccination. The first rabies vaccine must be given when your dog is at least 84 days (12 weeks) old. A vaccine given earlier does not count.
2. Wait after a first vaccination. The certification can only be completed at least 28 days after a first rabies vaccination.
3. Boosters. CDC says a booster is valid immediately as long as there has been no lapse in coverage, meaning it was given before the previous vaccine expired.

What if the previous vaccine had already expired when the booster was given? CDC does not say so explicitly. Our conservative reading: treat that booster as a first vaccination, and wait 28 days before the certification is completed.

The microchip must also be implanted before the rabies vaccine, or the vaccine does not count. See age and microchip.

An example

Your puppy was born on 1 February 2026. It is microchipped on 20 April and vaccinated against rabies on 1 May 2026 (older than 84 days). The earliest date the vet can complete the certification is 28 days later, 29 May 2026. Then USDA endorses it. Your dog can leave the US once the endorsed certification is in hand, and it must be at least 6 months old when it comes back, so not before 1 August 2026.

Reuse, copies and the trip back

• Reusable. The certification works for several trips back to the US, as long as the rabies vaccine it lists is still valid. US rabies vaccines usually last 1 or 3 years. Plan the next booster before the old one expires.
• 3 copies. CDC recommends traveling with at least 3 copies of the endorsed document, because the destination country or the return airline may keep one.
• The CDC Dog Import Form. Your dog still needs a form for each return, with a photo and the microchip number. For a high-risk dog, the receipt covers one entry, on the date and at the port you declare. See receipt validity.
• Any port. Your dog can come back through any airport, land crossing or seaport, as long as it matches the receipt. No animal care facility is needed.

The old export health certificate

Before the current system, many owners used a USDA-endorsed export health certificate (the document you get to take a dog abroad). CDC still accepts one in place of the certification, but only if it was issued on or before 31 July 2025, and only if it:

• was endorsed by USDA and can be viewed in USDA’s database;
• shows that the dog is at least 6 months old;
• shows the microchip number;
• shows a current, unexpired US rabies vaccination, given after the microchip was implanted.

An export health certificate issued after 31 July 2025 is not accepted for this purpose. For recent trips, you need the Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination.

Without the certification

If your dog has been in a high-risk country and has neither the endorsed certification nor an eligible export certificate, CDC treats it as foreign-vaccinated, even though its vaccine came from the US. That means:

• a certification signed abroad and endorsed by an official government vet of that country;
• a rabies titer test (a blood test that measures rabies antibodies) from a CDC-approved laboratory;
• a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility, with an exam and a rabies booster on arrival;
• a direct international flight into that facility’s airport.

It is possible, but it is longer and more expensive. See foreign-vaccinated dogs.

Before you leave the US: a checklist

1. Microchip implanted and readable, before the rabies vaccine.
2. Rabies vaccine valid for the whole trip, given at 84 days of age or older.
3. If it was a first vaccination: at least 28 days passed before the certification.
4. Certification completed by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by USDA.
5. 3 copies packed, plus a copy on your phone.
6. Destination country’s own entry rules checked separately.

The full picture for US families is in returning to the US with your dog.