CDC announced that it will prohibit the entry of dogs into the United States from the countries listed below beginning on July 14, 2021 unless CDC provides advance written approval to bring in a dog from one of these high-risk countries.

Effective July 14, 2021, CDC is temporarily suspending the importation of dogs from countries classified by CDC as high risk for dog rabies AND countries NOT at high risk for dog rabies if the dogs have been in high-risk countries during the previous 6 months.

This suspension applies whether dogs are hand-carried, checked in as passenger baggage, or transported as cargo on flights to the United States. These rules apply to all dogs, including puppies, service animals, and emotional support dogs. These rules also apply whether you are (1) just visiting the United States with your dog, (2) importing dogs into the United States, or (3) traveling out of the United States and returning with your dog after a temporary visit, such as a vacation or holiday, or for visiting friends and relatives. If you do not follow CDC’s rules, your dog will not be allowed to enter the United States and will be returned to the country of departure at your expense. Airlines and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will verify dogs’ country of departure. Airlines will deny boarding and CBP will deny entry into the United States for any dog that has been in a high-risk country in the previous 6 months that does not have a valid CDC Dog Import Permit.

A “CDC Dog Import Permit” can be obtained online and must be submitted to CDC at least six (6) weeks prior to importation, and approval is not guaranteed.

The agency identified eligible and ineligible potential importers of dogs from the list of high-risk countries:

The following categories of importers are eligible to request a permit to import a dog into the United States:

  • A US government employee with permanent change of station or temporary duty orders;
  • A US citizen or lawful US resident relocating to the United States, such as for employment or education; or
  • An owner of a service dog that is trained to assist a person with a disability.
  • In accordance with US Department of Transportation regulations at 14 CFR part 382, emotional support animals, comfort animals, companionship animals, and service animals in training are not considered service animals.
  • Importers wishing to import dogs for science, education, or exhibition, as these terms are defined in 42 CFR 71.50, or for bona fide law enforcement.

CDC Dog Import Permits will NOT be issued for:

  • Dogs intended for other purposes, such as adoption, resale, or transfer of ownership.

  • Dogs that will accompany owners on short-term travel to and from high-risk countries. (This is a change from the Egypt dog suspension policy.)

Notably, the temporary suspension of dogs imported from Egypt, implemented on May 10, 2019, after three cases of rabid dog importation were diagnosed, continues.

This will undoubtedly have an impact on those animal rescue organizations who import dogs from overseas for adoption in the U.S.

CDC identified the following as high-risk countries/states:

  1. Algeria
  2. Angola
  3. Benin
  4. Botswana
  5. Burkina Faso
  6. Burundi
  7. Cameroon
  8. Central African Republic
  9. Chad
  10. Comoros
  11. Côte D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
  12. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  13. Djibouti
  14. Egypt (Temporary importation suspension of dogs from Egypt until further notice)
  15. Equatorial Guinea
  16. Eritrea
  17. Eswatini (Swaziland)
  18. Ethiopia
  19. Gabon
  20. Gambia
  21. Ghana
  22. Guinea
  23. Guinea-Bissau
  24. Kenya
  25. Lesotho
  26. Liberia
  27. Libya
  28. Madagascar
  29. Malawi
  30. Mali
  31. Mauritania
  32. Morocco
  33. Mozambique
  34. Namibia
  35. Niger
  36. Nigeria
  37. Republic of the Congo
  38. Rwanda
  39. Sao Tome
  40. Principe
  41. Senegal
  42. Sierra Leone
  43. Somalia
  44. South Africa
  45. South Sudan
  46. Sudan
  47. Tanzania
  48. Zanzibar
  49. Togo
  50. Tunisia
  51. Uganda
  52. Western Sahara
  53. Zambia
  54. Zimbabwe
  55. Belize
  56. Bolivia
  57. Brazil
  58. Colombia
  59. Cuba
  60. Dominican Republic
  61. Ecuador
  62. El Salvador
  63. Guatemala
  64. Guyana
  65. Haiti
  66. Honduras
  67. Nicaragua
  68. Peru
  69. Suriname
  70. Afghanistan
  71. Armenia
  72. Azerbaijan
  73. Bangladesh
  74. Belarus
  75. Bhutan
  76. Brunei
  77. Cambodia
  78. China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan)
  79. Georgia
  80. India
  81. Indonesia
  82. Iran
  83. Iraq
  84. Jordan
  85. Kazakhstan
  86. Kuwait
  87. Kyrgyzstan
  88. Laos
  89. Lebanon
  90. Malaysia
  91. Moldova
  92. Mongolia
  93. Myanmar (Burma)
  94. Nepal
  95. North Korea
  96. Oman
  97. Pakistan
  98. Philippines
  99. Qatar
  100. Russia
  101. Saudi Arabia
  102. Sri Lanka
  103. Syria
  104. Tajikistan
  105. Thailand
  106. Timor-Leste (East Timor)
  107. Turkey
  108. Turkmenistan
  109. Ukraine
  110. United Arab Emirates
  111. Uzbekistan
  112. Vietnam
  113. Yemen