Pet Relocation Checklist: International Move to the U.S.

Moving a pet internationally involves a handful of steps that only make sense in a specific order — some documents expire if you get them too early, others need weeks of lead time to arrive at all. This checklist organizes everything into one timeline so you can see what to do and when, instead of piecing it together from a dozen different pages.

The requirements described here are current as of 2026. CDC updates its import rules periodically, so check the CDC Dog Import Form and Instructions page directly for the current rules before you travel.

A note before you start: the timeline below is built around the most demanding situation — a dog coming from a country the CDC considers high-risk for dog rabies, vaccinated abroad. If your pet is coming from a low-risk country, is already U.S.-vaccinated, or is a cat, your real timeline will be shorter than what’s shown here. Every country’s export process is different, too — some require little more than a vet visit, others require a formal government certificate with its own lead time. Check your specific country’s route guide for what actually applies to your move, and treat the timing below as a planning framework, not a guarantee.

Most pets will not need every step below. Items involving CDC rabies titers, foreign vaccination forms, registered animal care facilities, and restricted arrival airports apply only to certain dogs — not to cats, and not to most dogs coming from rabies-free or low-risk countries.

2–3+ Months Before Travel

• Decide how you’re handling the move — yourself, or with a professional pet relocation company. This affects how much of the rest of this list you’ll personally manage.
• Confirm your dog’s CDC pathway. Has your dog been in a CDC high-risk country for dog rabies in the last 6 months? If yes, was the rabies vaccine given in the U.S. or abroad? Your answer determines almost everything else on this list — see Bringing a Dog to the United States if you haven’t worked this out yet.
• If your dog needs a first rabies vaccine and is on the foreign-vaccinated high-risk pathway, start now. The microchip must go in before the vaccine — CDC won’t accept the vaccine otherwise. The vaccine itself requires your dog be at least 12 weeks old.
• If you plan to use a rabies titer to avoid the 28-day quarantine, start the process now. A titer isn’t required to enter — without one, your dog can still enter through the animal care facility, just with the mandatory 28-day quarantine. If you want to avoid that quarantine, CDC’s own guidance recommends starting the titer process at least 60 days before travel: the blood sample can’t be drawn until at least 30 days after the rabies vaccine, and the result has to be in hand at least 28 days before you travel. Lab turnaround time varies on top of that, which is exactly why this needs the longest lead time on this whole list.
• Reserve a spot at a CDC-registered animal care facility, if your dog is on the foreign-vaccinated pathway — required whether or not you have a titer result (without one, it must include a 28-day quarantine).
• Check your airline’s pet policy and start the booking process. Cabin space for pets is often limited and can sell out — book as early as you book your own seat if possible.
• Check your destination U.S. state’s pet entry requirements, on top of the federal rules.
• Check your origin country’s export requirements. This is the step that varies most by country — see your specific route guide.

4–8 Weeks Before

• Continue monitoring the titer test / lab result, if applicable.
• Confirm your animal care facility reservation is still valid and matches your current travel dates and airport.
• Start gathering your origin country’s export paperwork, per your route guide — some countries require a formal certificate process that itself takes weeks.
• Order or confirm your travel crate meets IATA and your airline’s specific requirements, if your pet will travel as checked baggage or cargo.
• Begin crate acclimation if your pet isn’t already comfortable in one — there’s no official timeline for this, but earlier is easier than rushing it in the final week.

2–4 Weeks Before

• Complete the Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form, if applicable — this form has a hard rule: it can’t be completed more than 30 days before travel, so it genuinely can’t happen earlier than this window.
• Lock in your flight booking and confirm your port of entry. For the foreign-vaccinated high-risk pathway, this has to be the specific airport where your animal care facility reservation is located — no other airport works.
• Double-check your crate against your airline’s specific size, ventilation, and labeling requirements.
• Confirm your origin country’s export certificate/paperwork is on track, per your route guide’s timeline.

Final Week

• Get any required health certificate. Your airline, destination state, or origin country may require one within a specific window before travel — check the exact timing before scheduling your appointment, since getting it too early can mean it’s expired by the time you fly.
• Complete the CDC Dog Import Form online. CDC’s own guidance says this can be done the day of travel, but recommends completing it a few days ahead — the receipt arrives by email within about 15 minutes of confirming your email address.
• Reconfirm your flight, crate, and (if applicable) animal care facility reservation one more time.
• Print your CDC Dog Import Form receipt and any other required documents — you’ll need to show them printed or on your phone.

Travel Day

• Bring every document with you, printed or accessible on your phone: your CDC Dog Import Form receipt, health certificate, vaccination/microchip forms, and your origin country’s export paperwork.
• Show your CDC Dog Import Form receipt to your airline before boarding, if requested.
• Arrive with extra time for pet check-in procedures, which typically take longer than standard check-in.

Arrival in the United States

• Your pet needs to appear healthy on arrival — U.S. Customs and Border Protection will review your CDC Dog Import Form receipt along with any other required documentation for your pathway.
• Foreign-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries go through their reserved animal care facility at the specific airport listed on their receipt — Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (JFK specifically), Philadelphia, or Washington, DC.
• Consider a first vet visit in your new location soon after arrival, especially if any part of your pet’s routine care was interrupted by travel.

Related Guides

This checklist gives you the general framework. For the details behind each step, see:

• Bringing a Dog to the United States
• Bringing a Cat to the United States
• CDC Dog Import Requirements
• Pet Health Certificates for International Travel
• How Much Does International Pet Relocation Cost?