A practical 2026 guide to moving pets from Thailand to the United States — CDC high-risk country rules, the USDA screwworm certificate, Thailand’s DLD export process, airline options, costs, and timeline.
Everything you need to navigate international pet relocation: import rules, customs, costs, timelines.
Difficult (foreign-vaccinated dogs) / Moderate (US-vaccinated dogs) / Easy (cats)
10–14 weeks
No authoritative total verified — varies significantly depending on the titer vs. quarantine pathway
Conditional — 28 days (dogs without a titer)
Thailand is on CDC’s high-risk list for dog rabies, which means a dog can’t use the simple low-risk pathway. Instead, your dog needs a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility regardless of titer result, either a passing rabies serology titer or the mandatory 28-day quarantine there, and a USDA screwworm certificate. Cats aren’t affected by CDC’s high-risk rules.
A practical 2026 guide to moving pets from Thailand to the United States — CDC high-risk country rules, the USDA screwworm certificate, Thailand’s DLD export process, airline options, costs, and timeline.
Thailand's DLD issues its own export health certificate alongside the ร.9 export permit. Dogs additionally need a CDC-specified certification — the Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form for a Thailand-vaccinated dog.
Thai Government Veterinarian (DLD) and Your Dog's Veterinarian, Endorsed by an Official Thai Government Veterinarian (CDC form)
The DLD certificate follows a DLD veterinary inspection no more than 2–3 days before travel. The CDC’s Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form is completed by your dog’s own veterinarian and must be endorsed by an official Thai government veterinarian.
Required (dogs)
Thailand is on USDA’s screwworm-affected country list and is not on USDA’s list of FMD-free regions, so this certificate — plus a routine post-arrival bathing/livestock-separation precaution — applies to dogs from Thailand specifically.
30 Days (CDC Foreign Rabies Certification)
The Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form must be completed no more than 30 days before travel and is valid for one entry within 30 days of signing.
Printed
The signed, endorsed CDC certification form and the DLD export documents must be printed and travel with your dog — CDC requires the printed, signed document to be shown to the airline and to Customs and Border Protection on arrival.
→ Thailand is on CDC’s high-risk list for dog rabies
→ Thailand is on USDA’s screwworm-affected list and is not FMD-free
→ Foreign-vaccinated dogs need a CDC-registered facility reservation regardless of titer result
→ Dogs need either a passing rabies titer or a 28-day quarantine at arrival
→ Foreign-vaccinated dogs can only land at one of six specific US airports
→ Cats don’t need CDC rabies-vaccination proof, but Thailand’s DLD export paperwork still applies
→ No airline flies nonstop between Thailand and the US
→ Assuming the simple, low-risk CDC pathway applies
→ Implanting the microchip after the rabies vaccine
→ Starting the rabies titer test too late
→ Booking arrival at the wrong US airport
→ Missing the USDA screwworm certificate
→ Applying Thailand’s pet-import rules to this export route
Follow this timeline to make sure you complete everything on time for a smooth, stress-free travel day.
Thailand is on CDC's high-risk list for dog rabies, so the single free CDC form used on many other routes isn't enough.
CDC treats the vaccine as invalid if the microchip comes after it.
The titer test has real lead time: 30 days after vaccination, 28 days before travel, plus 3–5 weeks for lab results.
A dog on the foreign-vaccinated pathway can only land where a CDC-registered animal care facility exists.
Costs vary based on pet size, airline, season, and any additional Services.
No single authoritative Thailand-to-US total was verified. Costs depend heavily on the titer-vs-quarantine pathway, your connecting airline, and crate choice.
Typical total cost
Price in USD, Estimate only.
→ CDC Dog Import Form receipt — dogs
→ Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form — dogs
→ Rabies serology titer report, if pursuing that pathway — dogs
→ USDA screwworm-freedom certificate — dogs
→ DLD export permit (ร.9) and Thai health certificate — dogs and cats
→ DLD form ร.1/1, passport copy, handler’s ID copy, and rabies vaccination certificate — dogs and cats
→ Microchip record — dogs
→ Airline confirmation
Start with your origin country guide for route-specific requirements, timelines, and common pitfalls.
→ Yes. Thailand is on CDC’s high-risk list.
→ Dogs need a fuller document chain than the simple low-risk pathway used on many other routes.
→ Only if you want to avoid the mandatory 28-day quarantine after arrival.
→ Both the titer pathway and the quarantine pathway are valid ways to bring your dog in.
→ Either way, you still need a CDC-registered animal care facility reservation.
→ No, not on the foreign-vaccinated pathway.
→ Your dog can only land at a US airport with a CDC-registered animal care facility — currently Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK, Philadelphia, or Washington-Dulles.
→ No. Cats don’t need CDC rabies-vaccination proof or a titer test, and USDA has no federal requirement for cats at all.
→ Thailand’s own DLD export paperwork, including a rabies vaccination certificate, still applies to cats.
→ No. No airline currently flies nonstop between Thailand and the US.
→ Every itinerary connects through a third country.
→ It’s a certificate from an official Thai government veterinarian confirming your dog was inspected for screwworm within 5 days of shipment and is free of it.
→ Thailand is on USDA’s screwworm-affected country list, which most other routes on this site aren’t.
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.
Thailand is one of the more involved routes covered on this site, driven by two independent factors that both apply to dogs.
Thailand’s CDC high-risk classification and its USDA screwworm/FMD designation stack on top of each other for dogs, adding a titer-or-quarantine choice, a landing-airport restriction, and a government-vet-certified screwworm inspection — none of which apply to most already-covered EU or East Asian routes. Cats avoid nearly all of this on the U.S. side, though Thailand’s own DLD export paperwork still applies to them.
Every Thailand-to-US itinerary connects through a third country — commonly Japan, Taiwan, or South Korea. This affects which airline’s pet policy actually governs your flight and adds a layover consideration at the connecting airport that a nonstop route wouldn’t have.
A passing rabies titer test lets your dog skip the 28-day quarantine, but the test itself has real lead time: 30 days after vaccination, 28 days before travel, plus 3-5 weeks for lab results. If that timeline doesn’t fit your move date, the alternative isn’t a dead end — it’s a reservation at a CDC-registered facility and a 28-day stay after arrival. Either path gets your dog into the country; they just move the wait to a different point in the process.
Given the document chain, the titer-test timing, and the landing-airport restriction, this is a route where professional help genuinely earns its cost for most owners — especially anyone managing a first international pet move or working with a tight timeline. A straightforward cat move, by contrast, is manageable without help for most owners.
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.
