Moving a Pet From Canada to the United States
We provide international pet transport from Canada to the United States, planned around its entry rules, the Canadian winter and your move date.
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- The travel crate
- The CFIA export paperwork
- Check-in at your Canadian airport
- Pickup in the United States with delivery to your new address
The United States at a glance
Full requirementsFor a dog whose last six months were all spent in Canada, the CDC asks for its Dog Import Form receipt, an age of at least six months, good health and a microchip readable by a universal scanner, and the dog may enter through any US port of entry, whether an airport, a seaport or a land crossing.
- 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
Bringing a pet into the United States is mainly governed by the CDC for dogs and by the USDA for broader animal health. 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.
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. CDC asks where a dog has been rather than where it lives, though, and a stay in a listed country inside that window can rule out a flight from Toronto altogether, as the eligibility section below sets out. We settle that question first.
Route details: bringing a pet to the United States
- Route
- Canada to the USA
- Arrival airports
- Any U.S. airport, seaport or land border crossing, for a dog that has been only in low-risk countries such as Canada for 6 months
- How the pet flies
- Cabin, checked or cargo: CDC has airlines make an air waybill for each dog unless they hold a CDC waiver. Road and sea crossings too
- Before you travel
- A CDC Dog Import Form receipt for each dog, shown to the airline before boarding and to CBP. CDC says it can be done on the day of travel
- Age and microchip
- A dog must be at least 6 months old, appear healthy and carry a microchip a universal scanner detects, says CDC
- Health certificate
- CDC requires no general certificate of health; states and airlines may. For a cat, CFIA says its endorsement is not required
- USDA APHIS
- Its dog rules turn on screwworm and FMD. Its region list of 27 October 2026 has Canada free of FMD and not on the screwworm list
- On arrival
- CBP: a pet that looks sick may need a vet exam at the owner’s expense; one refused entry goes back at the owner’s expense
- After a high-risk country
- CFIA says a dog also in a CDC high-risk country in the last 6 months cannot enter the U.S. directly from Canada until 6 months pass
- Cats
- CDC: must appear healthy, no rabies proof required. APHIS sets no animal health rule; the receiving state sets its own
Work out your pet’s dates for this route
From official sources, read 29 October 2026: CDC, Entry Requirements for Dogs from Dog Rabies-Free or Low-Risk Countries; CDC, High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies; CFIA, Dogs travelling to the United States; CDC, Information for Air Carriers on Dogs Being Imported into the U.S.; CDC, Frequently Asked Questions on Dog Importations; CDC, CDC Dog Import Form and Instructions; CDC, Bringing an Animal into the U.S.; CFIA, Export of cats and ferrets to the United States; USDA APHIS, Bringing a Pet Dog into the United States; USDA APHIS, Animal Health Status of Regions; CBP, Bringing Pets and Wildlife into the United States; USDA APHIS, Bringing a Pet Cat into the United States.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to the USA?
The short answer
From Canada, the CDC needs nothing but its form receipt from a dog whose previous six months were spent there, and APHIS’s own dog page, read 16 September 2026, sets veterinary requirements only for dogs from countries affected by foot-and-mouth disease or screwworm.
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. A stay in a listed country inside that window changes the route rather than the paperwork. The CFIA’s page on dogs travelling to the United States, read 29 October 2026, says that at this time such a dog is not eligible to enter the US directly from Canada: it either waits six months in Canada first or enters the US directly from the high-risk country. We check your pet’s exact path and prepare the documents that path needs.
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.
What vet work and documents does a pet need for the USA?
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, though each of the six states below asks for one for a dog. Where one is required, the order matters, since CDC treats a vaccine given before the chip went in as invalid. 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 |
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.
Does a US state add its own rules for a pet from Canada?
It can. APHIS’s page on bringing a pet into the United States, read 13 October 2026, says that depending on the destination state, a pet may need to meet state entry requirements as well as the federal ones. Here is what six states publish, each read the same day.
| State | What the state’s own page asks for |
|---|---|
| Florida | The Department of Agriculture’s FAQ points a pet coming from outside the United States to the USDA’s rules and asks for proof of current rabies vaccination once it is in Florida. Its main page asks a dog or cat entering Florida for a health certificate issued within 30 days, unless it is a privately owned pet travelling with its owner, and a current rabies vaccination from 3 months of age. |
| Arizona | The Department of Agriculture’s entry sheet of March 2025 asks every dog and cat entering Arizona for a certificate of veterinary inspection from an accredited veterinarian, valid for 30 days, showing a current rabies vaccination from 12 weeks of age. It does not accept rabies titres for entry. |
| California | The Department of Public Health asks a dog coming from another country for a signed and dated rabies vaccination certificate if it is over four months old, along with the federal documents, and says no documents are required for a pet cat. |
| Texas | The Department of State Health Services says a certificate of veterinary inspection is not required for dogs and cats entering Texas, and asks for a rabies vaccination from 12 weeks of age, with the certificate travelling with the pet. |
| New York | The Department of Agriculture and Markets asks a dog or cat from outside the United States for a health certificate issued by your veterinarian 30 days or less before entry, and a current rabies vaccination from 3 months of age, and says the CDC’s requirements must also be met. |
| Washington | WAC 16-54-170 asks a dog or cat entering Washington for a certificate of veterinary inspection showing a current rabies vaccination, and a dog six months or older for a negative heartworm test or a current preventive. Both are waived for a family pet travelling with its owner, on conditions the rule sets out, and a certificate expires 30 days after it is issued. |
Arizona’s sheet asks for an accredited veterinarian and Washington’s code defines the certificate as an official form from the state of origin or from USDA APHIS, and neither says how that applies to a veterinarian in Canada, while Florida’s answer for a pet from outside the United States does not mention the certificate its main page asks for. In those cases the state veterinarian’s office is the place to confirm which certificate it accepts, and its answer sets the vet visit. Moving to Hawaii? It sets its own entry rules, covered in our Hawaii guide.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to the USA
For a dog whose last six months were all Canadian, the steps run in this order: a check of your pet’s travel history and route, the microchip and any rabies vaccination a US state or the route calls for, the CDC Dog Import Form, booking the flight, getting the crate ready, a vet certificate only where your US state or airline asks for one, a document review, and travel. On its animal importation page, read 29 October 2026, CDC states that it asks no general health certificate of pets entering the United States. A dog that has been in a high-risk country in that window follows the CFIA rule set out above before any of this starts.
Planning the budget? See what shipping a pet from Canada to the United States costs, fee by fee.
How we move a pet to the US
The move runs in three parts, booked together or one at a time. Driving across with your pet yourself? Our guide to driving to the US with a pet from Canada covers the crossing.
Cargo out of Pearson or YVR
We book your pet’s cargo flight out of Toronto Pearson or Vancouver (YVR), or another gateway where the route needs one, size the crate and check your pet in with the airline. A partner driver can collect your pet from home first.
The CDC Dog Import Form
For a dog, the form is completed before travel and its receipt goes with the paperwork. We prepare it with you and check that the microchip number and the dates match across every document.
Delivery in the US
Your pet is met at the US arrival airport and driven to the new address. Book the whole move, or only the flight and the papers.
Questions about moving a pet to the United States
Request a QuoteWhich 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. Your airline may ask for a recent veterinary certificate of its own, so we confirm what the carrier wants as well.
When is the best time to fly a pet from Canada to the United States?
Both ends of the trip set the season. Air Canada Cargo’s live animal page, read 13 October 2026, accepts no cats or dogs between Canada and the United States from 15 December to 12 January, no warm-blooded animals to or from Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando or Phoenix from 15 May to 30 September, and none as cargo on some of its narrowbody aircraft, whose holds are not heated, from 1 November to 31 March. We plan the date around those windows and the forecast at both ends.
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, any vet certificate your airline or US state asks for, the CDC form for a dog, and arrival. You get a single plan and a single point of contact from start to finish.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.