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:
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Dogs intended for other purposes, such as adoption, resale, or transfer of ownership.
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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:
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Côte D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt (Temporary importation suspension of dogs from Egypt until further notice)
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini (Swaziland)
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome
- Principe
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Zanzibar
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Western Sahara
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Peru
- Suriname
- Afghanistan
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan)
- Georgia
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Malaysia
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Myanmar (Burma)
- Nepal
- North Korea
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Sri Lanka
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste (East Timor)
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Yemen
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