|
|
 |
Importation
of Pets, Other Animals, and Animal Products into the United States
CDC regulations govern the importation of
dogs, cats, turtles, monkeys, other animals, and animal products capable
of causing human disease. Requirements for the importation of the most
common pets are described below. Pets taken out of the United States are
subject upon return, to the same regulations as those entering for the
first time. The U.S. government does not require general certificates
of health for pets. However, because airlines sometimes require health
certificates for pets traveling with them, you should check with your
airline prior to your travel date. Restrictions on the importation of
nonhuman primates, certain other animals, and certain animal products
capable of causing more serious human disease are described under Restricted
Animals, Agents, Hosts, and Vectors, below.
Dogs (Note: this section updated July 12,
2004)
Pet dogs are subject to inspection at ports of entry for evidence of
infectious diseases that can be transmitted to humans. If a dog appears
to be ill, further examination by a licensed veterinarian might be
required. In addition, dogs must be vaccinated against rabies at least
30 days prior to entry into the United States. Unvaccinated puppies
younger than 4 months of age must be confined by the importer until
at least 3 months of age, vaccinated against rabies, and confined for
30 additional days following vaccination. All dogs not accompanied
by proof of rabies vaccination may be admitted providing the importer
completes a confinement
agreement (form CDC 75.37) (  PDF
version formatted for print [76 KB/2 pages]). Such a dog must be kept
in confinement during transit to, and be vaccinated within 4 days of
arrival at, the U.S. destination and must remain in confinement for at
least 30 days after the date of vaccination. These requirements apply
equally to service animals such as Seeing Eye dogs. Unvaccinated dogs
originating from or located for the previous 6 months or more in areas that are free
of rabies are
exempt from this requirement at the time of importation. Following entry
into the United States, all dogs are subject
to state and local vaccination requirements. All pet
dogs arriving in the state of Hawaii and
the territory of Guam, even
from the U.S. mainland, are subject to locally imposed quarantine requirements. Additional
information can be found in the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention
and Control, which can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5309a1.htm.
Cats
Pet cats are subject to inspection at ports of entry for evidence of infectious
diseases that can be transmitted to humans. If a cat appears to be ill,
further examination by a licensed veterinarian might be required. There
is no rabies vaccination requirement for cats. Following entry into the
United States, all cats are subject to state and local vaccination requirements.
All pet cats arriving in the state of Hawaii
and the territory of Guam,
even from the U.S. mainland, are subject to locally imposed quarantine
requirements.
Turtles
Turtles with a carapace (shell) length of less than 4 inches may not be
imported for any commercial purpose. An individual may import as many
as six of these turtles for noncommercial purposes. Larger turtles are
not subject to CDC regulations.
Restricted Animals, Agents, Hosts,
and Vectors
Monkeys and other nonhuman primates may not
be imported as pets under any circumstances. Importation for permitted
purposes is strictly controlled through a registration process. CDC’s
Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Field Operations Branch administers
these regulations.
Etiological agents, hosts, or vectors of human disease, including microorganisms,
insects, biological materials, tissue, certain live animals (e.g., live
bats), and animal products may require a CDC permit for importation or
transfer within the United States. CDC's Office
of Health and Safety administers these regulations:
Additional Information
For information about the health-related risks of owning and caring for
animals (Healthy Pets, Healthy People site), see: http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/index.htm.
Certain animals and animal products are regulated by other Federal agencies,
and/or State and local authorities. The following sites
address some of these requirements of other federal agencies:
Traveling Outside the United
States With Your Pets
Before taking a pet to another country, contact that country’s consulate
or embassy
for information about their requirements.
|
Note: These sites are not
CDC sites and will be opened in a new browser window. CDC is not responsible
for the content of Web pages found at these links. Links to nonfederal
organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. These links
do not indicate an endorsement of these organizations by CDC or the federal
government.
|
|
Some
documents are available here in Adobe Acrobat Reader format (PDF).
To view or print them, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader (version
3.0 or higher) installed on your computer.
If you do not have the reader, you can obtain it free from Adobe Corporation.
Click on the icon below to download the program from their Web site. |
| |
|
|
(13 KB, 2 pages)