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The US Authorities have issued a list of countries and political units considered high risk for importing dog rabies into the United States.

Starting July 14, 2021, there is a temporary one-year suspension, which prohibits the entry of dogs into the United States arriving from the countries in this list. This includes if you took your dog from the US to any of these countries and then try to return.

On an extremely limited basis, CDC has the authority to issue advance written approval (CDC Dog Import Permit) to bring a dog from a high-risk country. Dogs that arrive from high-risk countries without advance written approval from CDC will be denied entry and returned to the country of departure at the importer’s expense.

Countires in the Americas & Caribbean

• Belize
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Cuba
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Nicaragua
• Peru
• Suriname
• Venezuela

For more information, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/high-risk.html

There has been an update on this procedure to allow dogs that originated in the USA to be returned from a country considered to be at high risk. However, you need to be careful to ensure full compliance:

1) Dogs vaccinated in the United States by a US-licensed veterinarian may re-enter the United States from a high-risk country without a CDC Dog Import Permit if the dog:
has a valid US-issued rabies vaccination certificate;
has proof of a microchip;
is at least 6 months old;
is healthy upon arrival; and
arrives at an approved port of entry
Expired US-issued rabies vaccination certificates will not be accepted. If the US-issued rabies vaccination certificate has expired, you must apply for a CDC Dog Import Permit, if eligible.

2) All dogs that have been in a high-risk country in the past 6 months may only enter the United States through an approved port of entry, which includes all 18 airports with a CDC quarantine station: Anchorage (ANC), Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Detroit (DTW), Honolulu (HNL), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Minneapolis (MSP), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Philadelphia (PHL), San Francisco (SFO), San Juan (SJU), Seattle (SEA), and Washington DC (IAD).
All dogs imported into the United States must be healthy on arrival.