CDC Dog Import Form: Requirements, Receipt, and Step-by-Step Guide

The dog import form CDC travelers must complete is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dog Import Form, a free online declaration required for every dog entering or returning to the United States. As of September 2026, you submit one form per dog, verify your email, and show the emailed receipt to the airline (if flying) and to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on arrival. Extra rabies paperwork applies only if the dog spent time in a CDC-listed high-risk country in the prior six months.

This guide explains what the CDC Dog Import Form is, how to fill it out, how receipt validity differs for low-risk versus high-risk itineraries, and how CDC rules relate to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements. It also distinguishes official U.S. import paperwork from Animal Passport’s biometric livestock identity product, which is not a government travel document.

What is the CDC Dog Import Form?

The CDC Dog Import Form is the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s official online form that creates a receipt for each dog brought into the United States. According to CDC’s Dog Import Form instructions page (updated 2026), a separate form is required for each dog, and the importer, owner, or shipper should complete it—or someone acting on their behalf may do so if the importer has difficulty completing it, including because of a disability.

CDC’s goal, stated on its “Bringing a Dog into the U.S.” page (2024), is to prevent reintroduction of dog-maintained rabies virus variants. Requirements depend on where the dog has been in the six months before entry and where it was vaccinated against rabies.

Who must complete the dog import form CDC requires?

CDC’s Frequently Asked Questions on Dog Importations (reviewed August 2026) state that all dogs entering or returning to the United States must be accompanied by a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. There is no CDC limit on how many dogs one person may bring, but each dog needs its own receipt and must meet entry requirements.

On the form, the person bringing the dog may be the owner, a shipper (consignor), a “flight parent” transporting dogs for rescue, resale, or adoption, or any other person importing the dog, per CDC’s form instructions (2026).

Is the form free?

CDC publishes the Dog Import Form as an online government form. Its instructions describe email verification and an emailed receipt after submission; CDC does not list a filing fee on the form instructions page. Airline and veterinary fees, USDA endorsement fees for certain certificates, and CDC-registered animal care facility costs are separate from the form itself when those documents or services apply.

How to complete the CDC Dog Import Form (step by step)

As of September 2026, CDC’s form instructions describe this workflow:

1. Open the official CDC Dog Import Form and choose whether the dog has been in a high-risk country for dog rabies in the last six months. CDC says that answer controls which fields appear next—verify against CDC’s High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies list before answering.
2. Section A — Person importing the animal: Enter date of birth plus one ID option: passport number and issuing country; driver’s license (U.S. or international) with issuing place; or an air waybill/bill of lading number. Enter a correct email for the receipt and a phone number. For shared ownership on some low-risk flows, CDC allows one consignee/additional owner so either listed person can travel with the dog.
3. Section B — Animal information: Enter name, age (years or months), sex, breed (or mixed breed/other), and color/markings. Select importation purpose: Personal Pet (includes emotional support animals on this form), Commercial, Service animal (only if meeting 14 CFR 382.3), Government-owned, or Education/Exhibition/Research, using CDC’s definitions on the instructions page.
4. High-risk animal extras (if applicable): Enter a readable microchip number and upload a face-and-body photo (.jpg, .jpeg, or .png, max 10MB). For dogs under one year, CDC says the photo should be taken within 15 days before arrival.
5. Section C — Travel information: Select air, land, or sea; country or area of departure; and arrival date (CDC allows an earliest approximate date). High-risk itineraries require matching documentation answers, port of entry aligned with eligibility, and carrier details (flight number, license plate, or vessel name). For air arrivals, indicate cargo, checked baggage, or hand-carried.
6. Section D — Signature: Read the attestations carefully—CDC warns they may carry penalties, including criminal penalties. Type your legal name (or “[your name] on behalf of [importer]”) and the date, then submit.
7. Verify email and save the receipt: CDC says a verification message comes from 1cdpwebsurvey@cdc.gov (check spam). After verification, an emailed receipt typically arrives within 15 minutes of initial submission. Print it or keep it on your phone for the airline and CBP.

On February 5, 2026, CDC updated the Dog Import Form web system’s look and receipt formatting. CDC states there were no changes to importation requirements, and prior receipts remain acceptable if the information is accurate and not expired.

Low-risk versus high-risk: what else you need besides the form

Use CDC’s Dog Importation Navigator concept: the path depends on whether the dog was only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries for six months, or in any high-risk country, and whether vaccination was U.S.-issued or foreign-issued.

High-risk country list

CDC’s High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies page lists countries and political units considered high risk for importing dog rabies into the United States. Dogs that have been in any listed place within the past six months must be vaccinated against rabies and meet additional age, microchip, documentation, and—when applicable—serology or facility requirements. If a country is not on that list, CDC says it is not considered high risk for this purpose, though CDC still strongly recommends rabies vaccination.

Examples on CDC’s published list include India, Brazil, China (excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan), Nigeria, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, and many others. Always check the live CDC list before travel; lists can change.

Canada and Mexico frequent travelers

CDC FAQs (August 2026) explain that for dogs that have not been outside Canada, Mexico, and the United States, you generally only need the CDC Dog Import Form online. The receipt remains valid for multiple U.S. entries for six months if the country of departure does not change. Switching the departure country (for example, from Canada travel to Mexico travel) requires a new receipt listing the new departure country.

USDA APHIS and state rules: how they fit with the CDC form

CDC’s hub page (2024) states that importers must also comply with USDA and destination-state regulations, and that dogs imported for commercial (resale) purposes have additional USDA requirements. The CDC Dog Import Form does not replace USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) commercial-import rules, state entry requirements, or airline pet policies.

For U.S.-vaccinated dogs that visited high-risk countries, CDC’s form instructions (2026) require a Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian before the dog leaves the United States, endorsed by USDA and viewable in USDA’s database (via the Veterinary Export Health Certification System, VEHCS). As a transitional option, CDC accepts certain USDA-endorsed export health certificates issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian no later than July 31, 2025, if they meet CDC’s listed content rules (age at least six months, microchip, valid U.S. rabies vaccination after microchip implantation, USDA endorsement in the database). Certificates issued after July 31, 2025, are not accepted for CDC re-entry under that transitional path, per CDC FAQs (2026).

Common mistakes that delay boarding or entry

• Wrong high-risk answer: Selecting “no” when the dog visited a listed high-risk country in the past six months produces the wrong receipt path.
• Wrong or unreachable email: Without verification, you may not receive the receipt CDC requires at boarding and CBP.
• One form for multiple dogs: CDC requires one receipt per dog.
• Expired or wrong-country low-risk receipt: Changing departure country or waiting past six months requires a new form (CDC instructions, 2026).
• Port mismatch for high-risk dogs: CDC FAQs require the arrival port to match the receipt; foreign-vaccinated high-risk dogs must use an airport with their reserved CDC-registered animal care facility.
• Unreadable microchip: For high-risk dogs, CDC warns that a microchip that cannot be scanned on arrival may lead to denial of entry and return at the importer’s expense.
• Confusing “service animal” and emotional support: On the form, emotional support animals are classified under Personal Pet; “Service animal” is limited to dogs meeting 14 CFR 382.3, per CDC instructions (2026).

Official import paperwork vs. Animal Passport’s biometric ID

U.S. dog entry hinges on CDC (and, where applicable, USDA APHIS and state) documents. That official pathway is separate from the digital animal and livestock passport product described on animalpassport.co.

Animal Passport uses phone-based muzzle (nose print) biometrics—unique like a fingerprint—to bind an animal record to owner, breed, estimated age, body condition, and vaccination history. Age can be estimated from a dental photograph with a confidence score, and body condition can be scored 1–5 from a side-profile photo. In August 2025, the technology was used in livestock flood rescue in Pakistan so farmers could reclaim animals after paper tags washed away. More field notes appear on the Animal Passport blog.

Animal Passport is not a substitute for the CDC Dog Import Form, USDA-endorsed rabies certificates, CBP inspection, or airline acceptance. It does not provide veterinary diagnosis or legal advice, and it is not a government-issued U.S. travel document unless an official source expressly says otherwise—which CDC’s dog importation pages do not.

Practical checklist before you fly or cross the border

1. Confirm the dog’s six-month country history against CDC’s high-risk list.
2. Confirm age (at least six months for entry under CDC’s stated rules) and a universally scannable microchip.
3. Complete the CDC Dog Import Form early; CDC FAQs highly recommend finishing before travel day.
4. If high-risk and U.S.-vaccinated, arrange USDA-accredited veterinarian certification and USDA endorsement before leaving the United States when that path applies.
5. If high-risk and foreign-vaccinated, obtain government-endorsed foreign vaccination/microchip certification, arrange titer or quarantine as required, and reserve a CDC-registered animal care facility at the correct airport.
6. Save the receipt on your phone and as a printout; show it to the airline when flying and to CBP on arrival.
7. Check USDA commercial rules if the move is for sale, rescue transfer, or other commercial purposes, plus destination-state requirements.

For ongoing coverage of identity, vaccination records, and field use of biometric animal ID—always separate from U.S. border forms—see https://www.animalpassport.co/blogs.

Byline: Animal Passport. Last updated September 15, 2026. This article summarizes publicly posted CDC guidance and is not legal advice; verify current rules on official CDC and USDA pages before travel.