The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of the United States, issued this final rule to provide clarity and safeguards that address the public health risk of Dog-Maintained Rabies Virus Variant (DMRVV) associated with the importation of dogs into the United States.

This final rule addresses the importation of cats as part of overall changes to the regulations affecting both dogs and cats, but the final rule does not require that imported cats be accompanied by proof of rabies vaccination and does not substantively change how cats are imported into the United States.

The effective date of this Final Rule is 1 August 2024.

• Summary of major provisions

In this final rule, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aligns U.S. import requirements for dogs with the importation requirements of other DMRVV-free countries by requiring proof of rabies vaccination and adequate serologic test results from a CDC-approved laboratory. The final rule requires for all dog imports: a microchip, six-month minimum age requirement for admission, and importer submission of a CDC import form ( CDC Dog Import Form). The rule requires airlines to confirm documentation, provide safe housing for animals, and assist public health officials in determining cause of animal illness or death.

• Microchip – CDC requires that all dogs arriving from any country, including dogs returning to the United States after traveling abroad, be microchipped with an International Standards Organization (ISO)-compatible microchip prior to travel into the United States. The microchip information must be included on importation documents to help ensure that dogs presented for admission are the same dogs as those listed on the rabies vaccination records or other documents.

To address concerns about importations of puppies that are too young to be properly vaccinated against rabies, the CDC requires that any dog arriving in the United States be at least six months of age.

• CDC Dog Import Form – CDC also requires all dog importers to submit a CDC Dog Import Form ( e., an online form that includes the importers’ contact information and information related to each dog being imported) via a CDC-approved system prior to travel to the United States. This requirement would apply to all imported dogs (including dogs arriving from DMRVV-free and DMRVV low-risk countries) arriving in the United States by air, land, or sea.

Importers arriving by air must present the receipt to the airline prior to boarding.

• CDC´s required form must be endorsed by veterinarians – To improve vaccination verification systems and deter fraud, CDC’s required forms (not including the electronically submitted CDC Dog Import Form) need to be endorsed by official government veterinarians in the country of export. Importers should contact their local veterinarian who can submit the required form to an official government veterinarian in the exporting country. Importers may also use the USDA pet travel website or IPATA website to contact a pet shipper to request assistance.
• Air waybill (AWB) – All dogs arriving by air are required to have an air waybill (AWB), which is a legally binding document issued by a carrier to a shipper or importer that details the type, quantity, and destination of the goods ( e., dogs) being carried. It serves as a tracking number that can assist Federal agencies in monitoring the dog throughout the lifecycle of the dog’s travel from the point of origin to the final destination.

Additionally, a bill of lading serves as undisputed proof of shipment, and it represents the agreed upon terms and conditions for the transportation of the goods. All commercial airlines and many private cargo aircraft are capable of generating AWB. Additionally, CDC has successfully piloted the generation of AWB for dogs transported as hand-carried or excess baggage with several foreign air carriers during the temporary suspension to ensure air carriers can generate AWB for dogs transported as hand-carried or excess baggage.

Please find below the specific requirements that airlines that travel to the U.S. must comply with from 1 August, 2024 onwards:

• Dog´s import documentation – the final rule further requires that an airline, prior to accepting a dog for transport, confirm that the dog possess all required import documentation based on the country of origin. Airlines must also ensure that foreign-vaccinated dogs from DMRVV high-risk countries are entering the United States only through a designated U.S. airport with both a CDC quarantine station and a CDC-registered ACF and that the importer possesses a reservation with the CDC-registered Animal Care Facility (ACF) for examination, vaccination, and quarantine (if required).

Air carriers are required to create bill of lading (e.g., air waybill (AWB)) for all dogs entering the United States via air, including dogs transported as cargo, hand-carried and checked-baggage. As needed, CDC will coordinate with the airline regarding transport of the dog to the CDC-registered ACF. These regulatory actions help ensure that dogs arriving in the United States from DMRVV high-risk countries are adequately protected against rabies and do not pose a public health threat.

• Denial of entry to the U.S. – The final rule requires that airlines return dogs or cats denied admission to the country of departure within 72 hours after arrival, unless the animal is ill or injured and CDC has approved delaying the return of the animal. The responsibility for a dog or cat pending admission into the United States or awaiting return to the country of departure has been a point of confusion for many airlines, resulting in delayed care and improper housing for numerous animals.

CDC requires that the airline that flew a dog or cat to the United States must arrange for and ensure transportation, housing, and care until the animal is either returned to the county of departure or cleared for entry into the United States.

• Death of the dog or cat en route – the final rule includes a provision regarding dogs and cats that die en route to the United States or that die while detained pending determination of their admissibility. This provision is primarily directed at airlines and requires that they arrange for transportation of deceased dogs and cats and for necropsy requiring gross and histopathologic examination and any subsequent infectious disease testing based on the findings.

The importer is responsible for all costs associated with transportation, necropsy and testing and providing the CDC quarantine station with the final necropsy report and all test results. The airline is also required to notify the CDC quarantine station of jurisdiction prior to transporting a dead dog or cat for a necropsy to determine whether rabies testing is required.

This provision will also apply to other carriers transporting such dogs and cats in the very rare event when the death of a dog or cat occurs en route to the United States, or the animal dies while detained pending determination of admissibility.

• Confirmation of vaccination from a DMRVV high-risk country – The final rule requires airlines to confirm prior to boarding a foreign-vaccinated dog from a Dog-Maintained Rabies Virus Variant (DMRVV) high-risk country that the dog is scheduled to arrive at an approved U.S. airport and the importer has documentation confirming a reservation at the CDC-registered Animal Care Facility (ACF).

It is also required for airlines to arrange transportation of all sick or dead animals (regardless of vaccination status and country of origin) to a CDC-registered ACF or, under certain conditions, to another CDC-approved veterinary clinic as soon as possible.

• Denial admission of healthy-appearing animals – Airlines must transport healthy-appearing animals that are denied admission and awaiting return to their country of departure, or are awaiting a determination as to their admissibility, to a CDC-registered ACF within 12 hours.