Flying a dog from the European Union to the United States
Scope and research limits · exclusions apply
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.
This guide covers the journey and pathways stated here. Residence, travel history and connections may change which requirements apply. Confirm these before using the countdown.
Conditional: yes, with 1 hard deadline
A dog can enter the United States from the European Union without quarantine when every condition is met.
To meet the entry rules
- an age of at least 6 months on arrival
- a CDC Dog Import Form receipt on or before arrival, within 6 months before arrival
- a microchip a universal scanner can read
- a healthy appearance on arrival
- clean fur and bedding (only from Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria or Romania)
If a requirement 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.
Full answer
A dog can enter the United States 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, within 6 months 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 any 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. Last verified 24 September 2026.
- Rules allow in 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. Each step says how long before arrival it falls. Pick an arrival date and your browser works out the calendar dates; it fetches nothing.
Lead time: 0 days
Pick an arrival date to see the calendar date of each step.
Birth
The calendar moves this: the deadline is 181 to 184 days before arrival, depending on the arrival date.
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.
Import form
The calendar moves this: the earliest day is 181 to 184 days before arrival, depending on the arrival date.
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.
Arrival day
Requirements without a countdown
These conditions still apply. Choosing an arrival date does not check them.
This assumes the dog has been only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries in the past 6 months.
This also assumes the dog does not clear customs during a layover in a high-risk country. If it does, it must meet CDC's high-risk rules, wherever its trip began.
This covers pet dogs. Dogs imported for resale or adoption follow APHIS Animal Care rules.
This assumes the dog will not be used to handle sheep or other livestock. Such a dog is inspected and held at the port of entry until it is shown to be free of tapeworm.
The dog has a microchip that a universal scanner can read.
Fails if: No microchip, or one a universal scanner cannot detect.
The dog must appear healthy on arrival and is inspected at the port of entry.
Fails if: Signs of a communicable disease when the dog is inspected on arrival.
The regulation also tells airlines to refuse boarding unless the importer shows documentation that the dog is over six months old, has a microchip and has been only in low-risk or rabies-free countries for the last six months. CDC's own pages name the Dog Import Form receipt as the only document required.
CDC strongly recommends a rabies vaccination, but the extra rules for dogs from high-risk countries do not apply.
The dog's fur and bedding are free of excessive dirt, hay or straw. On arrival it is bathed and kept away from all livestock for 5 days. No document is needed. Applies only from Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria or Romania.
Fails if: Fur or bedding with excessive dirt, hay or straw.
CDC does not require a general health certificate, but some states and airlines do.
Destination entry documents do not establish compliance with the departure country's rules. Confirm national departure documents with that member state's veterinary authority before booking. This shared EU planner has not researched every national export procedure.
Leaving Spain for a country outside the EU, the owner meets that country's requirements. Spain's agriculture ministry issues the certificates needed through its Agriculture Areas (Áreas de Agricultura). Applies only from Spain.
This plan assumes one air journey, with every step done before you leave. Unless you give a departure date, it assumes you leave the day before arrival or on arrival day. Times are local to the United States (America/New_York).
Which airlines carry dogs on this route
All 3 airlines carry dogs on this route: 2 in the cabin, 1 as manifest cargo.
This is what airlines offer. An airline can offer less than the rules allow.
Hold means checked baggage. Manifest cargo is a separate booking, even when the animal travels in the same aircraft hold.
| Airline | Cabin | Hold (checked baggage) | Manifest cargo | Fee from | Snub-nosed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | Quoted on request | ||||
| Delta Air Lines | 200 EUR | ||||
| Lufthansa | Quoted on request |
- 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.
- Lufthansa: Dogs and cats must be at least 12 weeks old, or 15 weeks for carriage from, to or via Germany. Dogs travelling to the United States must be at least 6 months old. Pregnant animals are not accepted.
- Lufthansa: Checked pets are not accepted on connecting flights via Munich. Through-checking checked pets is possible via Frankfurt, subject to reservation and the other carriage requirements.
- Lufthansa: Checked pets need a container compliant with current IATA rules, secured with metal screws. Ventilation openings must not exceed 25 × 25 mm for dogs or 19 × 19 mm for cats. Confirm the complete container specification before booking; non-compliant kennels are refused at check-in.
- Lufthansa: Use a securely fastened soft carrier at most 55 × 40 × 23 cm in size. The total weight of the transport container, including the animal, must not exceed 8 kg. The animal must stand naturally, lie down and turn in the closed carrier.
- Lufthansa: For cabin pets on flights from or to the USA, register online at least 72 hours before departure. The Service Center cannot register these cabin pets.
- Lufthansa: For checked pets on flights to the USA, register online at least 72 hours before departure.
- Lufthansa: New US-bound dog bookings are limited to Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK, Philadelphia and Washington DC. Newark is possible only if the dog has not been in a rabies high-risk area during the preceding six months; confirm eligibility with Lufthansa.
- Lufthansa: Lufthansa may refuse pet bookings on particular routes, including Ireland. Confirm acceptance for the exact destination before buying a ticket.
- Lufthansa: Snub-nosed dogs and cats are barred from the checked hold. They may use the cabin within its limits; separate freight requires a forwarder’s confirmation.
2 changes recorded since
Dates are when a change took effect. Some took effect before our log began; we recorded them afterwards.
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
- eCFR (Office of the Federal Register / GPO)ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-09-22/title-42.xmlImport form; Birth; The dog must appear healthy on arrival and is inspected at the port of entry; The regulation also tells airlines to refuse boarding unless the importer shows…; and 3 more
- eCFR (Office of the Federal Register / GPO)ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-09-22/title-9.xmlThis assumes the dog will not be used to handle sheep or other livestock
- Official Journal of the European Union (Publications Office CELLAR; EUR-Lex ELI http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2026/131/oj)publications.europa.eu/resource/cellar/12bce2c0-297f-11f1-8803-01aa75ed71a1.0006.03/DOC_1No EU-wide exit procedure is published; each destination's own rules apply
- USDA APHISaphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/dog-imports-country-disease-status.csvAPHIS's dog disease-status table lists Germany as not free of foot-and-mouth disease…; APHIS's dog disease-status table lists the Canary Islands as not free of foot-and-mouth…
- USDA APHISaphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/another-country-to-us-import/dogsThis covers pet dogs; The dog's fur and bedding are free of excessive dirt, hay or straw
- USDA APHISaphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/another-country-to-us-importFederal rules for pets entering the US mainland
- CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-us/index.htmlCDC does not require a general health certificate, but some states and airlines do
- CDC (US)cdc.gov/importation/dogs/high-risk-countries.htmlCDC strongly recommends a rabies vaccination, but the extra rules for dogs from…; Dogs from a CDC high-risk country follow extra CDC rules this site does not cover yet
- CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)cdc.gov/importation/php/dog-importation-airlines/index.htmlImport form
- CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)cdc.gov/importation/dogs/faqs.htmlThe dog has a microchip that a universal scanner can read
- CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)cdc.gov/importation/dogs/dog-import-form-instructions.htmlA dog may fly to the United States in the cabin, as checked baggage in the hold, or as…; Import form
- CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)cdc.gov/importation/dogs/layovers.htmlThis also assumes the dog does not clear customs during a layover in a high-risk country
- CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)cdc.gov/importation/dogs/rabies-free-low-risk-countries.htmlThis assumes the dog has been only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries in the past…; A dog may fly to the United States in the cabin, as checked baggage in the hold, or as…; Import form; The dog has a microchip that a universal scanner can read; and 2 more
- European Commission (DG SANTE, Food Safety)food.ec.europa.eu/animals/live-animal-movements/dogs-cats-and-ferrets/listing-territories-and-non-eu-countries_enNo EU-wide exit procedure is published; each destination's own rules apply
- European Commission (DG SANTE, food.ec.europa.eu)food.ec.europa.eu/animals/live-animal-movements/dogs-cats-and-ferrets/eu-countries-specific-information_enDestination entry documents do not establish compliance with the departure country's rules; Leaving Spain for a country outside the EU, the owner meets that country's requirements
- Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (Spain)mapa.gob.es/es/ganaderia/temas/comercio-exterior-ganadero/desplazamiento-animales-compania/default.aspxLeaving Spain for a country outside the EU, the owner meets that country's requirements
- European Union (Your Europe portal, European Commission)europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/carry/pets-and-other-animals/index_en.htmNo EU-wide exit procedure is published; each destination's own rules apply
- American Airlines Cargo (American PetEmbark)aacargo.com/learn/animals.htmlFrom May 1 to September 30, no pets outside the cabin to, through or from Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas or Palm Springs; No new cargo bookings for dogs from a CDC high-risk country for rabies, or for dogs that…
- American Airlines Cargo (American PetEmbark)aacargo.com/learn/animals-policy-and-restrictions.htmlAmerican Airlines: route, manifest cargo, snub-nosed; American Airlines Cargo will not carry animals when the ground temperature at the…; American Airlines Cargo will not carry animals on any single flight of 12 hours or more; A pet shipped from outside the United States must be booked through an IATA-regulated…
- American Airlines Cargo (American PetEmbark)aacargo.com/downloads/know_before_you_go_FEB2026.pdfAmerican Airlines Cargo will not carry animals on any single flight of 12 hours or more
- American Airlines Cargoaacargo.com/downloads/rates/International_to_International_Live_Animal_v1.09.pdfAmerican Airlines: route
- Delta Cargo (Delta Air Lines)deltacargo.com/content/dam/cargo/images/delta-cargo-news/Aircraft_Crate_Compatibility%20March%202025.pdfNo warm-blooded animals in the hold or as cargo on Boeing 757 flights to or from Europe
- Delta Cargo (Delta Air Lines)deltacargo.com/Cargo/catalog/products/petsDelta Air Lines: route, manifest cargo; Delta Cargo accepts no pets at Amsterdam (AMS), Paris (CDG), Frankfurt (FRA) or London…
- Delta Cargo (Delta Air Lines)deltacargo.com/Cargo/catalog/restricted-animalsDelta Air Lines: snub-nosed
- American Airlines (Tariff No. AA1, published by Airline Tariff Publishing Company as agent)aa.com/content/images/tariff/american-airlines-general-rules-of-the-international-tariff.pdfPets cannot be booked through to another airline, including codeshare flights with an American flight number that another airline operates
- American Airlinesaa.com/web/i18n/travel-info/special-assistance/pets.htmlAmerican Airlines: cabin, hold (checked baggage), manifest cargo, fee from, snub-nosed; From May 1 to September 30, no pets outside the cabin to, through or from Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas or Palm Springs; Pets cannot be booked through to another airline, including codeshare flights with an American flight number that another airline operates
- American Airlinesaa.com/web/i18n/travel-info/special-assistance/service-animals.htmlAmerican Airlines: cabin
- Delta Air Linesdelta.com/us/en/pet-travel/international-connection-pet-travelDelta'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
- Delta Air Linesdelta.com/us/en/special-circumstances/military-travel/petsDelta Air Lines: hold (checked baggage), snub-nosed; 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
- Delta Air Linesdelta.com/us/en/pet-travel/overviewDelta Air Lines: route, cabin, fee from
- Delta Air Lines (Delta Professional, travel-agency site)pro.delta.com/content/agency/us/en/products-and-services/pet/pet-policies.htmlDelta'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; No animals in the hold or as cargo on any Delta-operated Boeing 767 or Airbus A330-200; No warm-blooded animals in the hold or as cargo on Boeing 757 flights to or from Europe
- Delta Air Linesdelta.com/us/en/pet-travel/shipping-your-petDelta Air Lines: snub-nosed; 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
- Lufthansalufthansa.com/us/en/tiere-als-handgepaeckLufthansa: fee from; Use a securely fastened soft carrier at most 55 × 40 × 23 cm in size
- Lufthansalufthansa.com/us/en/tiere-als-uebergepaeckChecked pets are not accepted on connecting flights via Munich; Checked pets need a container compliant with current IATA rules, secured with metal screws
- Lufthansalufthansa.com/us/en/dangerous-dogsLufthansa: snub-nosed; Snub-nosed dogs and cats are barred from the checked hold
- Lufthansalufthansa.com/us/en/travelling-with-animalsLufthansa: route, cabin, hold (checked baggage), manifest cargo; Dogs and cats must be at least 12 weeks old, or 15 weeks for carriage from, to or via…; For cabin pets on flights from or to the USA, register online at least 72 hours before…; For checked pets on flights to the USA, register online at least 72 hours before departure; and 2 more
Rules change without notice. Confirm each item against the linked official page before you book: we date every check, but the official page is the authority.
Related pages
See everything that applies in the United States, or what changed across the site.