How to Travel With a Dog Internationally

Step 1: Find out what your destination requires

Every country sets its own entry rules for dogs, and they change. APHIS, the part of the USDA that handles pet travel, advises contacting a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as you decide to travel, so they can confirm the destination's requirements, including any vaccinations, tests or treatments. Some rules have waiting periods, so a late start can mean a missed trip.

Common requirements include a microchip, a current rabies vaccination given after the microchip was implanted, a rabies antibody blood test for some destinations, parasite treatments timed before arrival and an import permit. A few places also require quarantine on arrival. Write down every date and deadline, and keep copies of everything.

Step 2: Get a USDA-endorsed health certificate

Most countries want an international health certificate completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and then endorsed by the USDA, which APHIS explains on its pet travel pages. The certificate usually has to be issued within a short window before travel, and the destination decides how short. Your accredited vet will know how to time it.

Ask whether the destination needs the original paperwork, a specific form or a translation. Budget for the visit, any tests and the endorsement fee. If something on the certificate is wrong, the dog can be refused at the border, so check names, microchip number and dates carefully.

Step 3: Check your airline's international pet rules

Airlines have their own international rules on top of the country's. Delta, for example, charges $200 each way for an in-cabin pet on international routes, requires dogs traveling to the European Union to be at least 15 weeks old, and does not allow in-cabin pets to or from several countries, including Australia and New Zealand. Some destinations only accept dogs as manifest cargo.

Book your dog's place before your own ticket, choose nonstop flights where possible, which the ASPCA recommends, and confirm the carrier or crate size. The AKC notes that airlines generally do not allow sedated pets, and warns sedatives can raise the risk of heart and breathing problems. Ask your vet before giving anything.

Step 4: Plan your dog's return to the U.S.

The CDC is the main authority for dogs entering the U.S., including dogs returning home, as APHIS notes. The rules depend on whether your dog has been in a high-risk country for dog rabies in the past 6 months and where your dog was vaccinated. A dog that has been in a high-risk country and is not vaccinated will not be allowed in, according to the CDC.

The AKC summarizes the general CDC requirements as a dog at least 6 months old with an ISO-compatible microchip, rabies vaccination and the CDC Dog Import Form. APHIS adds that a U.S.-vaccinated dog visiting a high-risk country needs a Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination form submitted by a USDA-accredited vet before the dog leaves. Check the CDC site before you book.

Preparing your dog for a long trip

Get your dog used to the carrier or crate weeks ahead: feed meals in it, add a worn T-shirt and build up to car rides inside it. Long-haul flights are hard on flat-faced breeds, senior dogs and dogs with heart or breathing problems, so ask your vet honestly whether your dog should make the journey.

Pack copies of all documents in your carry-on, plus food for the whole journey, a leash, poop bags, wipes and a travel water bottle. Make sure your dog's microchip is registered with your current phone number and that the collar tag works abroad. Find a vet near where you are staying before you arrive. For the trip itself, see our dog travel gear.

When to talk to your vet

Talk to your vet as soon as an international trip is possible, not when it is booked, because timing is the most common thing that goes wrong. Ask them about health risks at the destination, such as parasites and diseases that are rare at home, and what prevention your dog needs.

When you get back, book a checkup if your dog seems unwell or picked up ticks abroad.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.