Red Tape Travel

Flying a dog from Northern Ireland to the United States

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

Last verified 19 primary sources

Conditional: yes, with 1 hard deadline

A dog can enter the United States (Federal rules for pets entering the US mainland) from Northern Ireland 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 and 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
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
United AirlinesNoNoNoNoNo

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.