🔄 Updated : June 30, 2026📊 Difficulty : Easy

These rules apply to dogs arriving from a rabies-free or low-risk rabies country (France, for example, is low-risk).

Entry requirements

Requirement Details
💉 Readable microchip Detectable by a universal scanner.
🗓️ Minimum age 6 months On entry into the United States.
📝 CDC Dog Import Form Online form; the receipt is valid for 6 months and must be shown on arrival.
🩺 Apparent good health On arrival.
🟠
Double-check. Since August 2024, the CDC has simplified the rules for low-risk countries such as France: no rabies certificate and no quarantine.

👉 Check your situation and compare with other destinations using our dog entry requirements checker by country.

How to get there with your dog

You can travel by plane (compare the airlines that accept dogs). Prepare the trip with our can-my-dog-fly flight checker and, for the hold, size the crate with the IATA dog crate calculator.

Practical tips

Plan ahead: most refusals come from a missing document or a missed deadline (a vaccine given too recently, a rabies titer test, a tapeworm treatment outside the required window). Put together a file with all your supporting documents, and keep a copy. Also prepare your dog for the journey — see our advice on travel anxiety and the dog first aid kit.

🧰 Our tools to plan your trip

Dog flight checker Can my dog fly? 62 airlines compared, by departure airport, destination and your dog's weight. Open the checker → IATA crate calculator IATA crate calculator The airline-approved crate size for your dog, using the official IATA formula. Calculate the size → Entry requirements by country Entry requirements checker Country-by-country entry rules: paperwork, vaccines, lead times and official sources. Check the rules →

➡️ Next step : your journey

  1. Put together your dog’s health file
  2. Choose your mode of transport
  3. Prepare your dog for the journey

✈️ Which airlines fly to the United States? Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, United Airlines, Aegean Airlines, Aeromexico, Air Canada — compare them in our can-my-dog-fly flight checker.

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance should I prepare my dog's trip to the USA?
A few days (online form). Start the process as early as possible.
Is a rabies titer test required?
No. For this destination, no rabies titer test is required on the way in from a rabies-free or low-risk country such as France. Always check the requirements for your return trip — for example if you’re returning to the EU.

Sources

CDC — Dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries. Accessed June 2026; check before you travel, as the rules change.