Complete Guide to Animal Immigration

Having a pet is a wonderful experience, as a little animal can bring you infinite joy in your life. Therefore, you want to share every experience with your pet, including travel. But can you immigrate to the U.S. with your pet, and if you can, how does it work? This article will give you information on animal immigration and prepare you for when you want to take your furry friend to the United States.

Can Pets Immigrate to the U.S. with Their Owners?

The last thing you want to do when you travel to the U.S. is to leave your beloved pet at home. Not only would that mean finding someone to take care of it while you’re away, but it would also mean that you will not get to enjoy its company for a while. You and your pet will miss each other terribly. Besides, it’s hard to know whether your family member or friend will care for the animal the same way you do. You may not even be able to find someone to care for it at all, which will be quite problematic.

But the good news is that you don’t have to leave your pet at home. The United States allows pet owners to bring their furry friends along. The coolest thing is that you don’t even have to worry about quarantine. The process is pretty smooth and straightforward, and you will be able to enjoy your pet’s company. On top of that, the rules of the States are very simple and you can follow them easily, at least compared to the rules of other countries.

Of course, even though it’s easier to bring your pets into the U.S. in comparison to other countries, you will still have to make the right preparations. Depending on the pet you own, there are certain rules you have to follow.

Which Pets Can Immigrate?

People traveling to the United States can bring their dogs or cats along. Since dogs and cats are such common pets, they can easily be brought into the United States as long as they have the vaccines required, and if they are microchipped.

But it may be possible to bring other pets into the States as well. That being said, you may also bring rabbits, ferrets, hedgehogs, amphibians, rodents, reptiles, and pet birds. But it’s important to bear in mind that not all birds can qualify as pets. Some birds are considered poultry, meaning they will not be allowed to travel as pets. These include geese, ducks, chickens, doves, guinea fowl, swans, quail, turkeys, pigeons, peafowl, pheasants, partridges, and grouse.

If you have a pet that is not mentioned above, then it will not qualify for travel. For instance, if you transport semen or embryos from an animal, it cannot qualify as a pet and you will not be able to take it with you.

Immigrating Dogs

In order to immigrate with a dog, you will have to make sure that you get a health certificate from the veterinarian. This must state that the pet is healthy and can fly with you. Make sure you obtain this within 10 days before you travel. Then, it is mandatory to have your dog microchipped.

Also, your dog should get the required vaccines. For instance, it should have a rabies vaccine, and there should be proof of rabies vaccination from every country where rabies exists. Just bear in mind that if you have a puppy that is younger than 3 months old, it should not be vaccinated against rabies.

Moreover, they should get the vaccine at least one month before the trip. In order to enter the U.S., the little dog should be at least 4 months old. You should also get a rabies certificate in English, or else the dog might get sent back to your country. Other vaccines that you may want to give your dog include Hepatitis, Para-influenza, Distemper, Parvovirus, and Bordetella.

If you go to the U.S. from a country where screwworm is an issue, you should also get a certificate with a signature from a veterinarian that states the dog has been inspected for screwworm during the 5 days before the trip to the U.S. In the certificate, it should be mentioned whether the dog had screwworm and was quarantined and treated before leaving, or that the dog is not infected with screwworm.

Immigrating Cats

When it comes to cats, you should also get a certificate showing the health status of your pet. It should mention that the pet is healthy and can fly with you. Once again, you need this completed during the 10 days before you travel.

As for vaccinations, cats don’t really need any evidence of rabies vaccination to enter the U.S. Still, some states ask for this vaccination for cats as well, so you should consult the state and local health authorities there.

For cats, there are some optional vaccines that you may want to look into, such as Rhinotracheitis, Feline enteritis, and Calicivirus.

Immigrating Other Pets

If you have a pet that isn’t a dog or a cat, you need to make sure it meets the requirements before you travel. For instance, if you have a pet bird, you must bear in mind that the USDA APHIS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are involved in pet bird travel. You also need to make sure that your pet is not regulated as poultry to be able to bring it into the U.S.

Other Considerations

Before you travel with pets, there are some other things you may want to consider:

• It’s essential to find out export requirements for your pet before you travel, and you can do so by checking with your country of origin. There are countries that will require having a government export or endorsement permit to allow you to leave with your pet. You may also need to have the pet inspected by a vet before traveling.
• COVID-19 makes domestic flights more limited, and some options are not available for pets. In this case, you must look into ground transportation when moving within North America. The same applies if you have an international flight that only services larger airports.
• There are some airlines that ask for extra documents for live animals in certain situations. One example is the Delta airline. Therefore, you need to check with the airline before you leave. This will help you make sure that you deal with all the paperwork so you meet all the requirements.

Read More

• How Do I Speak to a Live Person at USCIS?
• How Many Citizenships Can You Have?
• How Do I Know Which USCIS Service Center?
• How Do I Know If USCIS Received My Application?
• What “Country of Residence” and How to Know Yours When on a Visa
• How to Check Dropbox Eligibility with the App

Conclusion

Traveling to the U.S. with your pet is possible, but there are some requirements to bear in mind depending on the pet you own. Pets like dogs and cats can easily get into the U.S. For other types of animals, you may require more paperwork, while others, such as certain types of birds, are considered poultry instead of pets and cannot enter the States.

Also, before you travel, check with the airline and with the authorities in both your country of origin and the U.S., so you can organize your trip accordingly.

Frank Gogol

I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

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