The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is urging pet owners to consult a USDA-accredited veterinarian before taking a dog out of the United States, framing accredited veterinarians as the primary local resource to determine and meet destination entry requirements.

APHIS’s guidance, published as part of the agency’s step-by-step materials on exporting pets, emphasizes that an accredited veterinarian can help identify what paperwork, vaccinations and health checks a destination country requires and assist owners in navigating those steps. The agency also warns that entry rules can change at any time, which places a premium on contacting an accredited veterinarian early in trip planning.

Practically, APHIS lays out the overall federal framework for export procedures from the United States while directing owners to the accredited veterinarian for country-specific details. The guidance notes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention serves as the primary federal authority for dogs imported into the United States and that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the relevant agency for pet birds and other exotic animals.

Accredited veterinarians play several roles under the APHIS framework: they determine the destination country’s specific entry requirements, issue or help prepare official veterinary health certificates, verify vaccination status and advise on any additional testing or permits that may be needed. Among the most common health requirements for pets traveling internationally are an official veterinary health certificate issued shortly before departure, proof of current rabies vaccination—often with a waiting period and sometimes a rabies antibody titer test—and permanent identification such as a microchip. For more information, see 7 Pet International Travel Requirements for 2025 – Passpaw.

APHIS’s materials and industry resources outline concrete steps for owners preparing to travel. Pet owners are advised to contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian early to understand destination-specific requirements, ensure all vaccinations are current and obtain a health certificate dated within 10 days of departure, when required. The accredited veterinarian typically coordinates the timing of vaccinations and certificates so paperwork will be accepted by the destination country.

International rules vary widely. APHIS and supplemental resources highlight that countries differ on required vaccinations, microchipping, health certificates, import permits and quarantine periods. Some rabies-free countries—for example Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan—impose mandatory quarantine or other strict pre-entry conditions that can include antibody testing and extended waiting periods. That variation is one reason APHIS stresses reconfirming requirements for each trip rather than relying on past guidance. For further details, refer to International Pet Quarantine Requirements | Pet Travel Rules.

The agency points owners to practical checklists and summaries from industry sources to supplement federal instructions. APHIS references materials such as Passpaw’s summary of international travel requirements and notes that coverage of new U.S. entry rules appears on sites like Petadvocacy. The CDC’s updated rabies vaccination requirements for dogs entering the United States took effect on July 31, 2025, as confirmed by CDC documentation stating ‘On July 31, 2025, CDC’s one-year transition period from the dog importation regulation update ended.’ APHIS’s official guidance remains the principal federal reference for exporting a pet from the United States to another country, but the agency expects accredited veterinarians to interpret and implement those requirements locally.

For U.S. inbound travel, the CDC’s designation as the primary authority for dogs means that any health standards or vaccination rules from the CDC are central to whether a dog may be imported into the country. For owners of birds or exotic species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service governs permits and requirements related to cross-border movement. APHIS explicitly directs owners to consult the appropriate federal agencies in conjunction with their accredited veterinarian to ensure compliance with all applicable rules.

Because entry rules can change on short notice, APHIS’s guidance makes clear that verification should occur for each trip and that an accredited veterinarian is the first point of contact for confirming destination rules and preparing required documentation. Owners planning international travel with a dog are therefore advised to begin the process well ahead of departure so that vaccinations, testing and paperwork can be completed in the windows required by both the destination country and U.S. authorities.

Source

Original reporting: view the original article.