Red Tape Travel

Flying a dog 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. This page does not cover Ceuta and Melilla. Dogs from a CDC high-risk country follow extra CDC rules this site does not cover yet. This page does not cover Germany. APHIS's dog disease-status table lists Germany as not free of foot-and-mouth disease, but its regions page lists Germany as free and no current import alert names it. We publish neither answer. This page does not cover Canary Islands. APHIS's dog disease-status table lists the Canary Islands as not free of foot-and-mouth disease, but its regions page lists Spain as free and does not say whether that includes the Canary Islands. We publish neither answer.

Last verified 32 primary sources

Conditional: yes, with 1 hard deadline

A dog 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 an age of at least 6 months on arrival, a CDC Dog Import Form receipt on or before arrival, a microchip a universal scanner can read, a healthy appearance on arrival and clean fur and bedding (only from Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria or Romania). 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
AllowedA dog may fly to the United States in the cabin, as checked baggage in the hold, or as cargo.
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

1 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. By 184 days before arrival

    Birth

    No later than

    The dog is at least 6 months old on the day it arrives. Timing: at least 6 months before arrival.

    Fails if: Done less than 6 months before arrival.

  2. Arrival day

    Import formHard deadline

    Between and

    The importer submits a complete CDC Dog Import Form before the dog arrives; it can be filled in on the day of travel. Timing: on or before arrival.

    Fails if: Done after arrival.

    The receipt is valid for 6 months from when it is issued, so the form is submitted no more than 6 months before the dog arrives. A visit to a high-risk country, or to a different low-risk country, in that time needs a new form. Timing: within 6 months before arrival.

    Fails if: Done more than 6 months before arrival.

  3. 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 dogs on this route

Fees are per animal, one direction, as published on .
AirlineCabinHoldManifest cargoFee fromSnub-nosed
American AirlinesAssistance dogs onlyRestrictedYesQuoted 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: No new cargo bookings for dogs from a CDC high-risk country for rabies, or for dogs that were in one at any point in the 6 months before travel.
  • 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.

2 changes in 12 months

  • Foot-and-mouth disease conditions for dogs from Greece

    Was
    No APHIS foot-and-mouth disease restrictions on Greece.
    Now
    Dogs from Greece need clean fur and bedding and are kept away from livestock for five days after entry.

    Source: USDA APHIS VS · found at our first read

  • Foot-and-mouth disease conditions for dogs from Cyprus

    Was
    No APHIS foot-and-mouth disease restrictions on Cyprus.
    Now
    Dogs from Cyprus need clean fur and bedding and are kept away from livestock for five days after entry.

    Source: USDA APHIS VS · found at our first read

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.