The USDA's own instruction is the honest one: "your destination country sets the entry requirements for pets, which can change at any time. You must verify the country requirements every time you plan to travel with your pet." So this page does not restate any country's rules. It explains the five things nearly every country asks for, so the official page makes sense when you read it, and it links the official page for each destination. Links checked September 5, 2026.
A 15-digit chip to ISO 11784 and 11785. The order matters: the EU, Great Britain, Japan and now the United States all require the chip to be implanted before (or on the day of) the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination does not count. An older non-ISO chip means carrying your own scanner or chipping again and starting over.
The EU and Great Britain: at least 21 days after a first vaccination before travel, none after a booster given on time. The pet must be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated (GB). Japan wants two vaccinations at least 30 days apart. Hawaii wants two in the pet's lifetime, more than 30 days apart.
Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii want a rabies antibody titer of at least 0.5 IU/ml from an approved laboratory, and then a wait: 180 days from the blood draw for Japan and Australia; for New Zealand the sample must be 3 to 12 months old and the first vaccine at least 6 months old; Hawaii, 30 days, with the result good for 36 months. Miss the wait and it is quarantine: up to 180 days in Japan, 120 in Hawaii.
Issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and endorsed by APHIS through its online system (VEHCS), inside a window that differs by country: the EU endorses within 10 days of arrival, the Philippines and Thailand want it issued within 10 days of departure, Australia 5, New Zealand 2, Hawaii 14. Endorsement costs $101 with no tests on the certificate, up to $275 with seven or more (rates from January 10, 2025).
Separate from the country's, and stricter. Small cats and dogs in a soft carrier under the seat (Delta and American recommend 18 by 11 by 11 inches; American caps pet plus carrier at 20 pounds in some cabins); Delta charges $150 domestic and $200 international since April 2025. Cargo is the hard part: Delta and American currently ship pets in the hold only for military and State Department moves, snub-nosed breeds are refused in the hold widely, and there are temperature embargoes (Delta: nothing above 80°F or below 20°F on the ground). Book the animal before you book yourself.
The CDC rewrote the dog rules on August 1, 2024, replacing regulations that dated from the 1950s. Every dog entering or returning must be at least 6 months old, have a microchip, look healthy, and travel with a receipt for the free online CDC Dog Import Form, which is good for 6 months. That is the whole list for dogs coming from rabies-free or low-risk countries, which includes the EU, the UK, Japan, Australia and Canada. From a country on the CDC's high-risk list, a dog also needs proof of rabies vaccination; a dog vaccinated abroad needs a serology titer from a CDC-approved lab or 28 days of quarantine at a CDC-registered facility, at the importer's expense. Cats have no federal rabies requirement to enter, though airlines and states may ask.
| Destination | Start no later than | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Japan, Australia, New Zealand | 7 to 8 months before | Two vaccinations, the titer, then 180 days (Japan, Australia) or the 3-to-12-month sample window and 6 months from the first vaccine (NZ). Japan also wants 40 days' notice to the quarantine office. |
| Hawaii | 3 to 4 months before | Two rabies vaccinations more than 30 days apart, the FAVN test, then 30 days after the lab receives the sample; certificate within 14 days of arrival. |
| EU and Great Britain | 5 weeks before if the pet still needs its first rabies shot; about 2 weeks if a valid vaccination is on record | 21 days after a first rabies vaccination, then the certificate. The EU certificate is valid to travel around the EU for 6 months. |
| Canada, Mexico, Philippines, Thailand | 3 to 4 weeks before | Certificates within about 10 days of travel; Mexico requires a screwworm inspection certificate for dogs since August 3, 2026; the Philippines and Thailand need an import permit first. |
These are the pages that set the rules. Read the one for your destination, then the airline's, then the USDA's page for the same country, which says what the US side of the paperwork is.
| Where | Official source | |
|---|---|---|
| Any country, from the US | USDA APHIS Pet Travel, by country | Each country page carries a "last modified" date. The endorsement fees are here too. |
| Back into the US, dogs | CDC: bringing a dog into the U.S. | The high-risk country list and the Dog Import Form. |
| Back into the US, cats | CDC: cats | |
| European Union | European Commission: bringing a pet from a non-EU country | New regulation from April 22, 2026; new certificate forms from October 1, 2026. |
| Great Britain | gov.uk: bring your pet to Great Britain | |
| Japan | MAFF Animal Quarantine Service | Designated labs only; some microchip numbers refused. |
| Australia | DAFF: cats and dogs | Rules changed March 1, 2023. Identity check before the blood draw, or 30 days' quarantine instead of 10. |
| New Zealand | MPI: bringing cats and dogs to NZ | New import standard from July 1, 2026. |
| Canada | CFIA: importing and traveling with pets | |
| Mexico | USDA APHIS: Mexico | Screwworm certificate for dogs from August 3, 2026. |
| Philippines | Bureau of Animal Industry: pet import | Import permit valid 60 days; certificate within 10 days. |
| Thailand | USDA APHIS: Thailand | Import permit 7 to 60 days before departure. |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Animal Quarantine | $185 direct airport release, $244 for the 5-day-or-less program. |
| Guam | Guam Department of Agriculture | Papers 30 days ahead. |
| The container | IATA traveler's pet corner | Container requirement CR1: room to stand, turn and lie down; snub-nosed breeds need 10% more. |
Per country, every few years. The US dog rule was essentially unchanged from 1956 until a temporary suspension in 2021 and the new rule in 2024. The EU's framework changed in 2014 and again in April 2026. Great Britain's changed with Brexit in January 2021 and again in April 2026. Australia's changed in March 2023, New Zealand's in July 2026. But there are two hundred countries and dozens of airlines, and the small things move faster: USDA fees in January 2025, Delta's fees in April 2025, Air Canada's carrier rule in June 2025, the EU's certificate forms in October 2026, and two screwworm rules in the summer of 2026 (Hawaii, Mexico) with a few weeks' notice. That is why this page links and does not copy.
The cost of a mistake is the reason to check twice. Great Britain: "your pet may be put into quarantine for up to 4 months if you do not follow these rules." Japan: "up to 180 days." The CDC: a dog that cannot be identified "may be denied entry and returned to the country of departure at the importer's expense," within 72 hours, and violations carry fines of up to $100,000.