Red Tape Travel

Flying a cat from the European Union to the United States

USA: Federal rules for pets entering the US mainland. Each state can add its own entry rules.

Last verified 23 primary sources

Yes

A cat can enter the United States (Federal rules for pets entering the US mainland) from the European Union without quarantine when every condition is met. It needs a healthy appearance on arrival. If a condition is missed: An animal refused entry after a flight is returned by the airline to the country it left, on the next available flight and at the importer's expense.

Cabin
Airline decidesA cat may arrive through any US airport. The federal rules we read set no cabin, hold or cargo limit for cats, so the airline decides.
Quarantine
NoneIf a rule is missed: An animal refused entry after a flight is returned by the airline to the country it left, on the next available flight and at the importer's expense.
Rabies titer
Not required
Lead time
0 days

Your deadlines, counted back from arrival

None of these steps is a hard deadline. Changing the date re-dates the plan in your browser; it fetches nothing.

Lead time: 0 days

  1. Arrival

    Arrive on

This plan assumes one air journey, with every step done before you leave. It assumes you leave the day before arrival or on arrival day. Where a rule counts hours, it assumes you land at 12:00 local time. Times are local to the United States (America/New_York).

Which airlines carry cats on this route

Fees are per animal, one direction, as published on .
AirlineCabinHoldManifest cargoFee fromSnub-nosed
American AirlinesNoRestrictedYesQuoted on requestRefused
Delta Air LinesYesRestrictedRestricted200 EURRefused
  • American Airlines: From May 1 to September 30, no pets outside the cabin to, through or from Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas or Palm Springs.
  • American Airlines: American Airlines Cargo will not carry animals when the ground temperature at the origin, a connection or the destination is above 85 or below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Between 20 and 44 degrees it needs a vet's acclimation letter, and even then carriage is not guaranteed.
  • American Airlines: American Airlines Cargo will not carry animals on any single flight of 12 hours or more.
  • American Airlines: Pets cannot be booked through to another airline, including codeshare flights with an American flight number that another airline operates. American Eagle and American Connection flights are not affected.
  • American Airlines: A pet shipped from outside the United States must be booked through an IATA-regulated freight forwarder or professional pet shipper.
  • Delta Air Lines: Delta's travel-agency site lists Ireland among places Delta takes no cabin pets to or from, while delta.com gives the steps for a cabin pet to Ireland. Check with Delta before booking a cabin pet to or from Ireland.
  • Delta Air Lines: Delta Cargo accepts no pets at Amsterdam (AMS), Paris (CDG), Frankfurt (FRA) or London Heathrow (LHR), even for military and Foreign Service families.
  • Delta Air Lines: Pets do not fly in the hold or as cargo if it is above 80°F (27°C) or below 20°F (-7°C) while they are on the ground at any point. Between 20°F and 45°F they need a Certificate of Acclimation.
  • Delta Air Lines: No animals in the hold or as cargo on any Delta-operated Boeing 767 or Airbus A330-200.
  • Delta Air Lines: No warm-blooded animals in the hold or as cargo on Boeing 757 flights to or from Europe.

No rule changes in 12 months

We have recorded no change to the rules on this page in the last 12 months. See every recorded change.

Where every rule above came from

Rules change without notice. Confirm each item against the linked official page before you book: we re-check weekly and date every check, but the official page is the authority.

See everything that applies in United States, or what changed across the site.