Bringing Your Pet to the USA
Moving a pet from Canada to the United States takes careful planning, and every step is shaped by where in Canada you start and what the United States requires on arrival. From the CFIA export paperwork to the right airline, crate, and travel window, the details have to line up, and that is the part we take off your hands.
At Pet Travel Advisors, one coordinator manages the whole journey from your Canadian home to the United States: the routing through a major Canadian gateway such as Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, or Montréal-Trudeau, the timing around Canadian winters and the United States’s rules, and the documents that have to be exact. Tell us your city and your timing, and we will build the plan around your pet.
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because the requirements depend on where your pet is travelling from, we build a plan that fits your pet and your route.
Destination-Focused Planning
We use the CDC and USDA import rules as the baseline, then turn them into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
Smart Routing and Logistics
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Personalized Support
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Bringing Your Pet to the USA
Bringing a pet into the United States is mainly governed by the CDC for dogs and by the USDA for broader animal health, and the steps depend on whether your pet has been in a high-risk rabies country. Planning early keeps it simple. If you would like a simple overview of international moves first, start with our guide to international pet shipping destinations.
- confirm what applies to your pet and route
- map out a realistic timeline
- coordinate vet steps and paperwork
- support crate readiness and routing
confirm what applies to your pet and route
How Bringing Your Pet to the USA Works
To keep everything clear, we break the process into steps:
Verify requirements and timing
We confirm what rules apply based on your pet and travel details.
Build your plan and timeline
We map out what happens when, so steps are completed in the right order.
Coordinate vet preparation
We help keep appointments and timing aligned with what’s required.
Review documents for consistency
We check the details that cause delays (microchip digits, dates, names, signatures).
Confirm crate readiness and routing
We help align crate setup and routing with airline handling expectations.
Travel and arrival processing
We guide you on travel-day handoff and what to expect on arrival.
We keep your checklist aligned with the official rules. For dogs, we follow the CDC dog import requirements. For the broader animal-health side, we follow USDA APHIS guidance on bringing a pet into the United States.
Approved Routes and Entry into the USA
Most pets travel by air, though the border is open to them on the ground too. Canada is absent from the high-risk roll CDC published when it was read on September 16, 2026, and CDC states that any nation missing from it is not treated as high risk. For a dog that has spent its last six months here, that removes the port restriction entirely: airports, seaports and road crossings are all available, and one receipt covers repeat trips for half a year while the departures keep being Canadian ones. What does catch people is that CDC asks where a dog has been rather than where it lives, so a stay in a listed country inside that window changes the rules even on a flight out of Toronto. We settle that question first.
- routing options can change based on airline availability and season
- we confirm the best practical route before booking
- we make sure your plan matches what’s expected at intake
Entry Requirements and Documentation for the USA
Import Eligibility for Pets
Whether your pet enters smoothly comes down to its travel history and the paperwork that follows. CDC published on September 16, 2026 that since August 1, 2024 the import form receipt is the only documentation it requires of a dog whose previous six months were spent wholly in countries it rates free of dog rabies or low risk, Canada among them. The dog must still be six months of age, appear well, and wear a chip a universal scanner picks up. Should a listed country appear in that window, more is asked, and how much more turns on the nation in which that vaccination happened. We check your pet’s exact path and prepare the right set of documents.
Before scheduling vet steps or flights, we confirm what rules apply to your pet and whether airline policies affect travel. Most moves are dogs and cats, though we handle other pets too, and the requirements can differ by species. Eligibility can come down to your pet’s type and health, airline rules for certain breeds or conditions, the documentation and timing, and which routes are available. Ready to start? Request a quote.
Health Preparation and Documentation
Age, health, a chip and the receipt are constant wherever the dog has been: six months of age at the border, a well animal, identification a universal scanner picks up, and the form completed beforehand. A rabies vaccination is not among them for a dog whose whole six months were Canadian. Where one is required, the order matters, since CDC treats a vaccine given before the chip went in as invalid. Beyond CDC, APHIS published on its own dog import page, read September 16, 2026, that its veterinary requirements arise only for dogs out of countries touched by foot-and-mouth disease or screwworm. We line these steps up in the right order and check that microchip numbers, dates, names, and signatures all match across the paperwork.
| Requirement | United States, for a dog arriving from Canada |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | At least 6 months old |
| Microchip | Identification a universal scanner picks up. Any rabies vaccination that a route calls for must come after it, not before |
| CDC paperwork | A CDC Dog Import Form receipt, completed before travel |
| Rabies vaccination | Required for dogs coming from a country CDC lists as high risk for rabies |
| Rabies titre | Not part of a Canadian departure. It belongs to dogs vaccinated outside the United States after a stay in a listed country |
| Cats | APHIS Veterinary Services sets out nothing that an imported cat has to meet. Carrier conditions and the destination state still stand |
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to the USA
Bringing a pet to the United States can move quickly for pets from low-risk countries and needs more lead time for high-risk ones. A typical timeline runs like this: a consultation and a check of your pet’s origin and route, the microchip and rabies vaccination if needed, the CDC Dog Import Form, any extra rabies documentation or facility reservation for high-risk countries, then booking the route, getting the crate ready, the health certificate, a document review, and travel.
Planning the budget? See what shipping a pet from Canada to the United States costs, fee by fee.
Which Canadian airports will my pet fly from to the United States?
Most pets heading to the United States depart from one of Canada’s major international gateways, Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR), or Montréal-Trudeau (YUL), with Calgary (YYC) and Halifax (YHZ) serving some routes. We choose the routing with the fewest connections from your city and the best conditions for your pet.
What does Canada require to send my pet to the United States?
Two US agencies publish what they want and neither asks Canada for an endorsed export certificate. CDC stated on September 16, 2026 that its import form receipt is the sole documentation it requires of a dog whose last six months were spent in countries free of dog rabies or low risk for it. APHIS stated the same day that its veterinary requirements arise only where a dog comes out of a country touched by foot-and-mouth disease or screwworm. Dogs still need a chip, that receipt, six months of age and good health at the border. Your airline may ask for a recent veterinary certificate of its own, so we confirm what the carrier wants as well.
What does the United States require for a pet arriving from Canada?
The United States requires pets to be healthy and, for dogs, to meet the CDC’s current entry rules, including the CDC Dog Import Form, a microchip, and proof of rabies status depending on recent travel history. We prepare the CDC and CFIA paperwork for the move south.
When is the best time to fly a pet from Canada to the United States?
Canadian winters are the main scheduling factor: airlines apply cold-weather limits, so we plan around the season and the forecast at both ends, choosing departure windows that keep your pet safe.
How much does it cost to move a pet from Canada to the United States?
Every move is priced individually, because the route from Canada, airline fees, your pet’s size and crate, the season, and the United States’s requirements all change the total. Tell us your city and timing and we’ll put together an estimate: request a quote.
How does Pet Travel Advisors handle a Canada-to-the United States move?
One coordinator manages the whole move from your Canadian home: routing, airline booking, the crate, the CFIA export paperwork, the United States’s import requirements, and arrival. You get a single plan and a single point of contact from start to finish.