If you’ve fallen in love with a puppy overseas and are planning to bring it home, understanding the actual puppy and kitten import rules matters more than you’d expect: a dog must be at least 6 months old to enter the United States, with no exception. This catches a lot of people off guard, especially anyone who assumes “vaccinated and healthy” is enough. Kittens face a completely different situation — no federal age requirement exists for cats at all. This guide walks through both.
Current as of 2026: These are CDC and USDA APHIS federal rules, current as of this guide’s research date. Confirm directly at cdc.gov before you move, since this framework has changed materially in recent years.
The Two Age Rules Dogs Must Meet
Dogs face two separate, unrelated age gates — mixing them up is where most confusion happens.
1. Minimum vaccination age: 12 weeks. A dog’s first rabies vaccination must be given on or after 12 weeks (84 days) of age, or later if that specific vaccine’s manufacturer license requires it (some products are licensed only from 16 weeks).
For a dog that’s been in a high-risk country in the last 6 months, a vaccine given before 12 weeks is never accepted — no exception for manufacturer labeling.
2. Minimum entry age: 6 months. Separately, and regardless of vaccination status, every dog on every pathway must be at least 6 months old at the actual moment of U.S. entry.
A puppy can be legally vaccinated at 12 weeks and still have to wait another 3+ months before it’s old enough to enter the country at all.
Why There’s No Way Around the 6-Month Rule
Since CDC’s rule overhaul effective August 1, 2024, the 6-month minimum applies identically across all three entry pathways — low-risk country, U.S.-vaccinated from a high-risk country, and foreign-vaccinated from a high-risk country. No confinement agreement, quarantine option, or waiver lets an underage puppy in.
This comes up often enough that USDA APHIS addresses it directly in its own FAQ, responding to the exact “I bought/adopted a puppy overseas” scenario: “CDC import requirements stipulate that dogs imported into the United States be a minimum of 6 months of age and meet all CDC import requirements.”
A 28-day quarantine option does exist at a CDC-registered Animal Care Facility, but it’s unrelated to age. It’s for foreign-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries that don’t have a valid rabies titer. A dog going through that quarantine still has to be 6 months or older to be admitted in the first place. See Rabies Vaccination Requirements for the full pathway breakdown.
A related documentation nuance also applies: foreign-vaccinated dogs from high-risk countries under 1 year old need their CDC Dog Import Form photo taken within 15 days of travel — adult dogs don’t face that tight a window.
Kittens: No Federal Age Requirement
Cats are a completely different situation. CDC requires no rabies vaccination and no age-related document of any kind for a cat entering the U.S. — only that it appear healthy at the port of entry. USDA APHIS confirms it has no import health requirements for pet cats at all. There’s currently no federal minimum-age rule for kittens, full stop. (A destination state may have its own separate rule, which is worth checking, but that’s a state matter, not a federal age requirement.)
Airline Age Minimums Layer On Top
Even once your puppy or kitten clears the federal floor, the airline you book with sets its own age minimum — always confirm directly with your specific carrier before booking.
Delta Air Lines
- Domestic cabin: at least 8 weeks old
- International cabin: dogs must be 6 months old (matching CDC); cats must be at least 16 weeks old
- Travel to the EU: at least 15 weeks old
- Special note: a nursing mother may travel with her litter (8 weeks to 6 months old), with no litter-size cap if all fit safely in the kennel
United Airlines
- Domestic: puppies and kittens must be at least 2 months old
- International: dogs must be at least 6 months old; kittens must be at least 4 months old
American Airlines
- Cargo (American PetEmbark): pets must be older than 8 weeks
- Special note: two puppies or kittens may share one kennel only if each is under 20 lbs and under 6 months old
- Cabin/carry-on: American’s official cabin page does not clearly publish a confirmed minimum age. Check directly with the airline before booking.
