A practical 2026 guide to moving pets from Poland to the United States — CDC low-risk pathway, GIW export guidance, LOT Polish Airlines options, costs, and timeline.
Everything you need to navigate international pet relocation: import rules, customs, costs, timelines.
Easy
4–8 weeks
No authoritative total verified
None required (mainland US)
Poland’s veterinary authority, GIW, doesn’t publish its own requirements for pets leaving Poland for the United States — its page links straight to CDC’s own page, and GIW’s own guidance states the destination country’s rules control. Confirm current requirements directly with GIW, CDC, and USDA regardless.
A practical 2026 guide to moving pets from Poland to the United States — CDC low-risk pathway, GIW export guidance, LOT Polish Airlines options, costs, and timeline.
No U.S. federal certificate applies to the standard low-risk pathway, and no separate Polish export certificate was identified in the researched GIW guidance — GIW's own page for the US pathway links directly to CDC's page. Confirm directly with GIW. Your airline or destination state may still ask for standard veterinary health documentation.
None Identified — Confirm Directly with GIW
GIW’s own guidance for the standard USA pathway is a direct link to CDC’s page, and no Polish government certificate or intervention was identified in the researched guidance — but confirm directly with GIW, since no source states outright that none is required. Any veterinary health documentation your airline requests comes from your own treating veterinarian.
Not Required
Poland is in a USDA-declared FMD-free tier (with a restriction scoped to meat/animal-product trade, not pet dogs), is not on the smaller temporary-restriction list (only Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, and Slovakia are), and is not on the screwworm-affected list, so no extra APHIS disease certificate applies to dogs.
Set by Your Airline, If Documentation Is Requested
There’s no federal validity window for this pathway. If your airline requests health documentation, confirm its validity window with them directly.
Printed or Digital
The CDC receipt can be printed or shown on your phone — CDC doesn’t require a unique paper original. Carry the microchip record and any airline-requested documentation too, plus an offline backup either way.
→ Poland is not on the CDC high-risk dog-rabies list
→ The dog-specific USDA FMD/screwworm precautions don’t currently apply to Poland
→ No Polish export certificate was identified for the standard USA pathway — GIW’s own page links directly to CDC’s page
→ Every dog needs a readable microchip and CDC Dog Import Form receipt
→ The dog’s full 6-month travel history controls the pathway
→ LOT requires dogs’ CDC-category documents and rabies vaccination proof no later than 48 hours before departure
→ LOT Polish Airlines is the carrier confirmed to fly Warsaw-US nonstop with its own aircraft
→ Assuming Poland requires an export certificate
→ Assuming the EU pet passport replaces the CDC form
→ Ignoring the dog’s 6-month travel history
→ Skipping the destination-state check
→ Booking a codeshare without checking who operates the flight
Cabin & Checked Hold
$120 (cabin)
8 kg / 17.6 lbs (cabin, pet + carrier)
Nonstop Warsaw flights
Follow this timeline to make sure you complete everything on time for a smooth, stress-free travel day.
GIW's own guidance links directly to CDC's page for the standard USA pathway, rather than publishing a Polish certificate requirement — no certificate was identified in the researched guidance.
Poland's low-risk status only applies if the dog hasn't visited a CDC high-risk country in the prior 6 months.
United markets seats on the Warsaw-US route, but LOT's own aircraft actually operates it.
Costs vary based on pet size, airline, season, and any additional Services.
No single authoritative Poland-to-US total was verified. Costs depend on your airline, cabin vs. hold, and crate choice.
Typical total cost
Price in USD, Estimate only.
→ CDC Dog Import Form receipt — dogs
→ Microchip record — dogs
→ Proof of rabies vaccination — dogs; not a CDC requirement for this pathway, but required by LOT for a dog flying to the US
→ EU Pet Passport with current rabies vaccination, if you have one (not a U.S. federal entry document; useful supporting paperwork)
→ Standard veterinary health documentation, only if required by your airline or destination state
→ Airline confirmation, including CDC-category documents submitted to LOT for verification no later than 48 hours before departure (dogs), carried to the airport
Start with your origin country guide for route-specific requirements, timelines, and common pitfalls.
→ No. Poland is not on the CDC’s high-risk list.
→ The dog’s complete 6-month travel history still controls which pathway applies.
→ No Polish export certificate was identified in the researched GIW guidance.
→ GIW’s own page for the standard pathway links directly to CDC’s page and directs U.S.-bound travelers to U.S. requirements.
→ Confirm directly with GIW before travel.
→ Healthy appearance, minimum age of 6 months, readable microchip, and CDC Dog Import Form receipt.
→ This assumes exclusively low-risk travel history.
→ Yes. LOT Polish Airlines flies nonstop from Warsaw to six US cities, operating the aircraft itself.
→ United’s Warsaw itinerary is a codeshare on LOT’s own flight.
→ Confirm current cities directly with LOT, since route lists can change.
→ Poland is not on USDA’s current temporary FMD-restriction list (only Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, and Slovakia are) or the screwworm-affected list, so no extra APHIS disease certificate applies to pet dogs on this route.
→ Poland’s broader USDA FMD-free tier carries a restriction scoped to meat/animal-product trade, not pet dogs.
→ Not for a compliant mainland-US arrival.
→ Hawaii and Guam have separate programs.
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.
Moving pets from Poland to the United States is close to the simplest case this site covers, for a few concrete reasons.
Compared to routes with airline restrictions or a formal origin-country certificate process, Poland to the US is close to the simplest case this site covers: a clean CDC pathway, no dog-specific USDA disease precaution, and no Polish export certificate identified in GIW’s guidance.
GIW’s own page for the US pathway doesn’t host any Poland-specific guidance at all, linking straight to CDC’s page instead — GIW’s own text states the destination country’s rules control. That’s a lighter touch than several other EU routes on this site, where the origin country’s veterinary authority at least publishes its own information sheet even when no certificate is ultimately required. Confirm current requirements directly with GIW before travel.
LOT Polish Airlines flies nonstop from Warsaw to six US cities: Chicago, New York-JFK, Newark, Miami, Los Angeles, and — seasonally, May through October — San Francisco. United markets seats on the Warsaw route through a codeshare with LOT, so LOT’s pet policy is what actually applies if you’re flying that itinerary regardless of which airline you booked through. Confirm current nonstop cities directly with LOT.
Owners may be able to manage a straightforward cabin move with a healthy pet themselves. Professional help becomes more valuable for a large dog needing hold transport, a multi-leg itinerary, or a restricted breed.
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.
Select your origin and destination countries.
Select your pet type, size, and breed characteristics.
Select how your pet will travel and any additional services.
Review your itemized breakdown and quote below, then submit your details.
