This is information, not legal advice. Petipedia is not a law firm and cannot tell you what to do about your own situation. Everything below names the body that published it so you can read the original. Where something depends on which state you are in, it says so, and you will need to check your own state or talk to a lawyer there.
Federal sources read on 16 September 2026. Import rules and country lists change, so check the originals close to the date you travel.
There is no federal rule. The US Department of Agriculture says so itself.
“APHIS doesn’t regulate the interstate movement of pets by their owners.”
USDA APHIS, pet travel between US statesWhat exists instead is fifty sets of state entry rules. Many states want a health certificate from a vet, written within a set number of days before you arrive, and proof of rabies vaccination. The number of days is different from state to state. APHIS keeps a lookup for the state you are heading to, and says to confirm with that state’s own animal health official, because its tool is a pointer rather than the law.
Almost everything that decides whether your pet can fly is the airline’s own policy, not law. Whether they take pets in the cabin at all, which breeds they refuse, what the carrier has to fit under, what it costs. None of that is federally required.
Two things are federal. If the airline takes custody of the animal as cargo or checked baggage, USDA rules apply: the crate has to let the animal stand, turn around and lie down normally, at least 14 percent of the wall area has to be ventilation, and the temperature has to stay between 45 and 85 degrees. Those rules do not apply to a pet in the cabin with you, because the airline never takes custody.
And every airline has to report animal deaths, injuries and losses in transport to the Department of Transportation, which publishes them. That is worth reading before you book a cargo flight.
This changed on 1 August 2024 and the old version is still all over the internet.
Every dog entering the US now needs four things: to look healthy on arrival, to be at least six months old, to have an ISO-compatible microchip, and to have a CDC Dog Import Form submitted online before departure. The form is free and the receipt has to be shown to the airline and at the border.
After that it depends on where the dog has been in the previous six months.
If the dog has only been in a country the CDC treats as rabies-free or low risk, the import form is the only paperwork needed. No rabies certificate. That is the part most articles still get wrong, because the old temporary rules did require one.
If the dog has been in a high-risk country, it is a great deal more involved: a rabies vaccination certificate endorsed by a government vet, a blood test showing rabies antibodies from an approved laboratory, arrival only at certain ports, a booked appointment at an approved animal care facility, and possibly up to 28 days of quarantine. Which countries count as high risk changes, so check the CDC list rather than an article.
Look up your destination state at the APHIS page below, and then call the state animal health official if anything is unclear.
Read the airline’s own current pet policy, because that is the document that decides whether your animal gets on the plane.
If you are coming into the US, use the CDC’s own Dog Importation Navigator rather than working it out from a summary, including this one.