Everything you need to navigate international pet relocation: import rules, customs, costs, timelines.
Difficult
2-3 Months
$500-$3,000
28-Day Quarantine (Avoidable)
Brazil is also classified by the USDA as not free of screwworm or foot-and-mouth disease (except the state of Santa Catarina), so dogs need the standard rabies paperwork, a separate screwworm-freedom certification, and specific arrival handling steps that most routes don’t require.
Brazil issues an official export health certificate, the Certificado Veterinário Internacional (CVI), endorsed by VIGIAGRO, Brazil's agricultural inspection service.
Veterinarian, Endorsed by VIGIAGRO/MAPA
A veterinarian completes your pet’s health attestation, and Brazil’s VIGIAGRO service reviews and endorses it as the CVI.
Required
This is a specific CDC form, not your pet’s regular vaccination certificate.
Within 30 Days
The Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form must be completed no more than 30 days before travel. A separate screwworm-freedom inspection has its own 5-day window.
Required
Bring original, signed copies of your pet’s certificates when you travel.
→ CDC Dog Import Form receipt (every dog)
→ Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form, endorsed by an official Brazilian government veterinarian (dogs vaccinated in Brazil)
→ Rabies serology titer test from a CDC-approved lab (recommended for dogs vaccinated in Brazil, to avoid quarantine)
→ Screwworm-freedom certification, inspected within 5 days of shipment (dogs from outside Santa Catarina; unconfirmed for Santa Catarina-origin dogs)
→ Bathe your dog on arrival and keep it away from livestock for 5 days (FMD rule, dogs from outside Santa Catarina, no paperwork required)
→ Reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility (dogs vaccinated in Brazil)
→ Assuming a major U.S. airline will fly your pet like a routine domestic trip
→ Missing the screwworm-freedom certificate
→ Vaccinating before microchipping
→ Skipping the rabies titer test and getting surprised by a 28-day quarantine
Follow this timeline to make sure you complete everything on time for a smooth, stress-free travel day.
Major U.S. airlines restrict pet travel on this specific route.
This certificate is specific to Brazil and easy to overlook.
The order of these two steps matters for U.S. entry.
$500–$3,000
No — if a valid rabies titer test is on file (otherwise a 28-day quarantine applies)
Costs vary based on pet size, airline, season, and any additional Services.
$500-$3,000 (Estimated)
Typical total cost
Price in USD, Estimate only.
→ Veterinary health certificate
→ Certificado Veterinário Internacional (CVI)
→ Proof of rabies vaccination
→ Microchip documentation
→ Anti-parasitic treatment records
→ Screwworm-freedom certification (dogs from outside Santa Catarina; unconfirmed for Santa Catarina-origin dogs)
→ CDC Dog Import Form receipt (every dog)
→ Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form (dogs vaccinated in Brazil)
→ Rabies serology titer test result, if you want to avoid quarantine (dogs vaccinated in Brazil)
→ Reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility (dogs vaccinated in Brazil)
Start with your origin country guide for route-specific requirements, timelines, and common pitfalls.
→ Yes, for dogs. Brazil is not currently free of screwworm (except the state of Santa Catarina).
→ U.S. rules require a screwworm-freedom inspection within 5 days of shipment, signed by a full-time government veterinarian.
→ Not easily. Delta does not allow in-cabin pet travel for pets originating in Brazil.
→ American does not include Brazil in its in-cabin-eligible destinations, though American Airlines Cargo does accept pets as cargo.
→ LATAM appears to be the more practical option for both cabin and cargo transport on this route.
→ Only if you don’t have a valid rabies serology titer test result from a CDC-approved lab before arrival.
→ With a valid titer, quarantine isn’t required, though your dog still needs a reservation and exam at a CDC-registered animal care facility.
→ If your dog was vaccinated in Brazil, it must arrive by air at one of six airports with a CDC-registered animal care facility.
→ These are Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK (not Newark or LaGuardia), Philadelphia, or Washington-Dulles.
→ No. Cats have no federal U.S. import requirement at all.
→ Dogs face the CDC rabies rules and the USDA screwworm requirement because Brazil is classified as high-risk for both.
Our pet relocation experts are here to guide you every step of the way.
If a regulation changes after this page was published, the official source always takes precedence over this guide — check the links above for the current rules before you travel.
Most international pet moves only involve standard rabies paperwork. Brazil is different because it triggers two separate federal requirements: CDC’s high-risk-country rabies pathway, and USDA’s screwworm-freedom certification. These apply to dogs; USDA APHIS has no federal animal-health requirement for cats, though CDC or U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service rules may still apply and were not confirmed in this research.
American Airlines does not include Brazil among its in-cabin-eligible destinations. Delta explicitly excludes pets originating in Brazil from in-cabin travel. United’s general cargo program is reported by secondary sources to have been limited to military and State Department personnel since 2018, though this could not be independently confirmed from United’s own official site. In practice, American Airlines Cargo (PetEmbark) and LATAM Airlines are the most realistic options for most pet owners on this route, though LATAM’s exact current fees could not be independently confirmed and should be checked directly with the airline.
Brazil’s Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA), through its VIGIAGRO service, issues the Certificado Veterinário Internacional (CVI) free of charge. The United States is one of the countries for which Brazil offers electronic CVI submission, but MAPA recommends starting the process at least 60 days before travel.
USDA’s own country-status data shows that the state of Santa Catarina is free of both foot-and-mouth disease and screwworm, while the rest of Brazil is not. This research did not confirm whether pets originating specifically in Santa Catarina face different documentation requirements, so if this applies to you, confirm directly with USDA APHIS or a licensed veterinarian before assuming the standard Brazil requirements are reduced.
Given the airline access complications and the extra screwworm certificate most pet owners haven’t dealt with before, a professional international pet relocation service can be genuinely useful on this specific route, more so than on routes with straightforward airline access and standard paperwork. If you’d like help managing it, compare vetted international pet relocation services to find the right fit.
If a regulation changes after this page was published, the official source always takes precedence over this guide — check the links above for the current rules before you travel.
