CDC Prohibits Entry Of Dogs Into The United States From 113 High-Risk Rabies-Endemic Countries/States

CDC announced that it will prohibit the entry of dogs into the United States from the countries listed below beginning on July 14, 2021 unless CDC provides advance written approval to bring in a dog from one of these high-risk countries.

Effective July 14, 2021, CDC is temporarily suspending the importation of dogs from countries classified by CDC as high risk for dog rabies AND countries NOT at high risk for dog rabies if the dogs have been in high-risk countries during the previous 6 months.

This suspension applies whether dogs are hand-carried, checked in as passenger baggage, or transported as cargo on flights to the United States. These rules apply to all dogs, including puppies, service animals, and emotional support dogs. These rules also apply whether you are (1) just visiting the United States with your dog, (2) importing dogs into the United States, or (3) traveling out of the United States and returning with your dog after a temporary visit, such as a vacation or holiday, or for visiting friends and relatives. If you do not follow CDC’s rules, your dog will not be allowed to enter the United States and will be returned to the country of departure at your expense. Airlines and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will verify dogs’ country of departure. Airlines will deny boarding and CBP will deny entry into the United States for any dog that has been in a high-risk country in the previous 6 months that does not have a valid CDC Dog Import Permit.

A “CDC Dog Import Permit” can be obtained online and must be submitted to CDC at least six (6) weeks prior to importation, and approval is not guaranteed.

The agency identified eligible and ineligible potential importers of dogs from the list of high-risk countries:

The following categories of importers are eligible to request a permit to import a dog into the United States:

• A US government employee with permanent change of station or temporary duty orders;
• A US citizen or lawful US resident relocating to the United States, such as for employment or education; or
• An owner of a service dog that is trained to assist a person with a disability.
• In accordance with US Department of Transportation regulations at 14 CFR part 382, emotional support animals, comfort animals, companionship animals, and service animals in training are not considered service animals.
• Importers wishing to import dogs for science, education, or exhibition, as these terms are defined in 42 CFR 71.50, or for bona fide law enforcement.

CDC Dog Import Permits will NOT be issued for:

• Dogs intended for other purposes, such as adoption, resale, or transfer of ownership.

• Dogs that will accompany owners on short-term travel to and from high-risk countries. (This is a change from the Egypt dog suspension policy.)

Notably, the temporary suspension of dogs imported from Egypt, implemented on May 10, 2019, after three cases of rabid dog importation were diagnosed, continues.

This will undoubtedly have an impact on those animal rescue organizations who import dogs from overseas for adoption in the U.S.

CDC identified the following as high-risk countries/states:

1. Algeria
2. Angola
3. Benin
4. Botswana
5. Burkina Faso
6. Burundi
7. Cameroon
8. Central African Republic
9. Chad
10. Comoros
11. Côte D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
12. Democratic Republic of the Congo
13. Djibouti
14. Egypt (Temporary importation suspension of dogs from Egypt until further notice)
15. Equatorial Guinea
16. Eritrea
17. Eswatini (Swaziland)
18. Ethiopia
19. Gabon
20. Gambia
21. Ghana
22. Guinea
23. Guinea-Bissau
24. Kenya
25. Lesotho
26. Liberia
27. Libya
28. Madagascar
29. Malawi
30. Mali
31. Mauritania
32. Morocco
33. Mozambique
34. Namibia
35. Niger
36. Nigeria
37. Republic of the Congo
38. Rwanda
39. Sao Tome
40. Principe
41. Senegal
42. Sierra Leone
43. Somalia
44. South Africa
45. South Sudan
46. Sudan
47. Tanzania
48. Zanzibar
49. Togo
50. Tunisia
51. Uganda
52. Western Sahara
53. Zambia
54. Zimbabwe
55. Belize
56. Bolivia
57. Brazil
58. Colombia
59. Cuba
60. Dominican Republic
61. Ecuador
62. El Salvador
63. Guatemala
64. Guyana
65. Haiti
66. Honduras
67. Nicaragua
68. Peru
69. Suriname
70. Afghanistan
71. Armenia
72. Azerbaijan
73. Bangladesh
74. Belarus
75. Bhutan
76. Brunei
77. Cambodia
78. China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan)
79. Georgia
80. India
81. Indonesia
82. Iran
83. Iraq
84. Jordan
85. Kazakhstan
86. Kuwait
87. Kyrgyzstan
88. Laos
89. Lebanon
90. Malaysia
91. Moldova
92. Mongolia
93. Myanmar (Burma)
94. Nepal
95. North Korea
96. Oman
97. Pakistan
98. Philippines
99. Qatar
100. Russia
101. Saudi Arabia
102. Sri Lanka
103. Syria
104. Tajikistan
105. Thailand
106. Timor-Leste (East Timor)
107. Turkey
108. Turkmenistan
109. Ukraine
110. United Arab Emirates
111. Uzbekistan
112. Vietnam
113. Yemen

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