Flying a dog from Great Britain to the United States
Scope and research limits
USA: Federal rules for pets entering the US mainland. Each state can add its own entry rules.
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 Great Britain 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
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 Great Britain 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; and a healthy appearance on arrival. 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.
CDC does not require a general health certificate, but some states and airlines do.
From 1 August 2024, a dog needs Great Britain export health certificate 8860 only for certain US states, such as Massachusetts. Check the state's own import rules before applying.
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
2 of 5 airlines carry dogs on this route, both 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 | ||||
| British Airways | Quoted on request | ||||
| Delta Air Lines | |||||
| United Airlines | |||||
| Virgin Atlantic |
- 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.
- American Airlines: American's pets page lists a checked-pet fee for flights from the United Kingdom.
- American Airlines: American's fee table has no checked-pet fee for Europe or the United Kingdom.
- American Airlines: American's filed international tariff says checked pets are accepted through AA Cargo.
- British Airways: IAG Cargo asks for live animals to be checked in 4 hours before departure, subject to the station; some stations set their own cut-off.
- British Airways: IAG Cargo takes no dangerous dogs at Heathrow or Gatwick, and restricts some snub-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds there.
- British Airways: No live-animal exports from Phoenix (PHX) from 15 March to 31 October, and no live-animal imports there at weekends.
- British Airways: IAG Cargo's St. Louis (STL) flight is seasonal, from 19 April until 23 October 2026.
- British Airways: IAG Cargo takes no live-animal imports at Denver (DEN) on days 6 or 7, and restricts live animals at Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) on days 6 and 7 and on holidays. Neither page defines the day numbering.
- British Airways: Collect the pet on the day it lands at New York (JFK), which has no storage, and on arrival at Philadelphia (PHL).
- British Airways: British Airways' Conditions of Carriage still allow checked baggage; its current pet pages say cargo, which is what we show.
- 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.
- Virgin Atlantic: Trained assistance dogs still fly in the cabin on all Virgin Atlantic routes. They cannot be booked online, and Virgin Atlantic asks for its assistance dog form at least 72 hours before the flight.
1 change recorded since
Certificate 8860 needed only for dogs going to certain US states
- Was
- A dog going to the USA travelled on export health certificate 8860.
- Now
- A dog needs certificate 8860 only for certain states, such as Massachusetts.
Source: GOV.UK (APHA) · found at our first read
Where every rule above came from
- eCFR (14 CFR Part 382, U.S. Department of Transportation)ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-09-22/title-14.xmlVirgin Atlantic: snub-nosed
- 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
- USDA APHISaphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/another-country-to-us-import/dogsThis covers pet dogs
- 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…
- 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
- GOV.UK (APHA)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a3a338ce1fd0da7b592df2/8860NFG.pdfFrom 1 August 2024, a dog needs Great Britain export health certificate 8860 only for…
- GOV.UK (APHA)gov.uk/export-health-certificates/export-dogs-to-usa-certificate-8860From 1 August 2024, a dog needs Great Britain export health certificate 8860 only for…
- 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/Cargo/catalog/products/petsDelta Air Lines: route, manifest cargo, fee from; 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
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/products/live-animalsIAG Cargo asks for live animals to be checked in 4 hours before departure, subject to…
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/products/petsBritish Airways: fee from, snub-nosed
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/denIAG Cargo takes no live-animal imports at Denver (DEN) on days 6 or 7, and restricts live animals at Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) on days 6 and 7 and on holidays
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/dfwIAG Cargo takes no live-animal imports at Denver (DEN) on days 6 or 7, and restricts live animals at Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) on days 6 and 7 and on holidays
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/jfkCollect the pet on the day it lands at New York (JFK), which has no storage, and on arrival at Philadelphia (PHL)
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/lgwIAG Cargo takes no dangerous dogs at Heathrow or Gatwick, and restricts some snub-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds there
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/lhrIAG Cargo takes no dangerous dogs at Heathrow or Gatwick, and restricts some snub-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds there
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/msyBritish Airways: route
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/phlCollect the pet on the day it lands at New York (JFK), which has no storage, and on arrival at Philadelphia (PHL)
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/phxNo live-animal exports from Phoenix (PHX) from 15 March to 31 October, and no…
- IAG Cargoiagcargo.com/en/contact-us/stlIAG Cargo's St. Louis (STL) flight is seasonal, from 19 April until 23 October 2026
- Virgin Atlantic Cargo (division of Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd)virginatlanticcargo.com/gb/en/contact-us/faqs.htmlVirgin Atlantic: manifest cargo, fee from
- Virgin Atlantic Cargo (division of Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd)virginatlanticcargo.com/gb/en/our-network/flight-schedule.htmlVirgin Atlantic: route
- Virgin Atlantic Cargo (division of Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd)virginatlanticcargo.com/global/en/book/pets2.htmlVirgin Atlantic: manifest cargo, fee from
- 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.pdfAmerican Airlines: hold (checked baggage); 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/customer-service/support/optional-service-fees.htmlAmerican Airlines: hold (checked baggage)
- 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
- British Airwaysbritishairways.com/content/information/disability-assistance/travelling-with-your-assistance-dogBritish Airways: route, cabin
- British Airwaysbritishairways.com/content/information/legal/conditions-of-carriage/general-conditions-of-carriageBritish Airways: hold (checked baggage)
- British Airwaysbritishairways.com/content/information/travel-assistance/travelling-with-petsBritish Airways: route, cabin
- British Airwaysbritishairways.com/content/en/us/information/legal/us-optional-extrasBritish Airways: hold (checked baggage), manifest cargo, fee from
- Delta Air Linesdelta.com/us/en/pet-travel/international-connection-pet-travelDelta Air Lines: route, cabin, hold (checked baggage)
- Delta Air Linesdelta.com/us/en/special-circumstances/military-travel/petsDelta Air Lines: hold (checked baggage), fee from, snub-nosed
- Delta Air Linesdelta.com/us/en/pet-travel/overviewDelta Air Lines: fee from
- Delta Air Lines (Delta Professional, travel-agency site)pro.delta.com/content/agency/us/en/products-and-services/pet/pet-policies.htmlDelta Air Lines: route, fee from
- Delta Air Linesdelta.com/us/en/pet-travel/shipping-your-petDelta Air Lines: fee from, snub-nosed
- United Airlinesunited.com/en/us/fly/contract-of-carriage.htmlUnited Airlines: route, cabin, fee from, snub-nosed
- United Airlinesunited.com/en/us/fly/travel/trip-planning/military-pet-program.htmlUnited Airlines: manifest cargo
- United Airlinesunited.com/en/us/fly/travel/accessibility-and-assistance/service-animals.htmlUnited Airlines: route
- United Airlinesunited.com/en/us/fly/travel/traveling-with-pets.htmlUnited Airlines: route, cabin, hold (checked baggage), manifest cargo, fee from, snub-nosed
- United Cargo (United Airlines, Inc.)media.united.com/assets/m/75be4c49b532e3f5/original/TACT-rules-section-8-3-United-Airlines-PDF.pdfUnited Airlines: manifest cargo
- Virgin Atlanticvirginatlantic.com/en-us/policies/conditions-of-carriage/article-16Virgin Atlantic: cabin, fee from
- Virgin Atlantic (help centre)virginatlantic.com/en-US/help/articles/how-do-i-book-my-assistance-or-guide-dog-on-a-flight----ad760b0a-ad24-4767-8f05-ba6900dda1f1Trained assistance dogs still fly in the cabin on all Virgin Atlantic routes
- Virgin Atlantic (help centre)virginatlantic.com/en-US/help/articles/what-are-the-accepted-assistance-dog-breeds----41436c69-a357-4b23-8478-c9e972a1bf30Virgin Atlantic: snub-nosed
- Virgin Atlantic (help centre)virginatlantic.com/en-US/help/articles/can-i-travel-with-my-assistance-dog----85525d4c-e521-4eea-a2a8-fd214e1bb5f6Virgin Atlantic: cabin; Trained assistance dogs still fly in the cabin on all Virgin Atlantic routes
- Virgin Atlantic (help centre)virginatlantic.com/en-US/help/articles/what-routes-accept-assistance-dogs----130929b8-ce49-4a92-8961-eff956909247Trained assistance dogs still fly in the cabin on all Virgin Atlantic routes
- Virgin Atlantic (help centre)virginatlantic.com/en-US/help/articles/can-i-book-a-flight-to-travel-with-my-pet----291a6729-8e4d-4ada-92b3-c8553503694aVirgin Atlantic: route, hold (checked baggage), fee from
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.