Immigrating With Pet

[Miller Family 330]

My Fiancee lives in Panama and has a dog.  We plan to bring the dog to the U.S. with us (at some point).

 

I plan to attend the interview with her, which will hopefully take place in July or August.  I will also return to Panama after she receives the Visa to help her move her things to the U.S.

 

Is there anything that I should know regarding bringing a pet back to the U.S. with me?  Are there any examinations required?

 

I think that I should bring that dog back with me when I return from her interview, rather than her have to worry about her dog during the POE process, etc.  That will give the dog roughly 2 weeks to get acclimated to the new environment. 

 

Does anyone have any experience with this?  Am I missing something?

 

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Roel 7,192]

Check with the airlines you will be traveling with and they will tell you their requirements for pets. 

 

Overall, yes absolutely examinations and vaccines are required. 

[Ben&Zian 4,398]

4 minutes ago, TandClaudia said:

My Fiancee lives in Panama and has a dog.  We plan to bring the dog to the U.S. with us (at some point).

 

I plan to attend the interview with her, which will hopefully take place in July or August.  I will also return to Panama after she receives the Visa to help her move her things to the U.S.

 

Is there anything that I should know regarding bringing a pet back to the U.S. with me?  Are there any examinations required?

 

I think that I should bring that dog back with me when I return from her interview, rather than her have to worry about her dog during the POE process, etc.  That will give the dog roughly 2 weeks to get acclimated to the new environment. 

 

Does anyone have any experience with this?  Am I missing something?

 

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/dogs.html

https://www.pettravel.com/immigration/unitedstates.cfm

 

There are obviously vaccination requirements. As for continental US states, don't know if there is much more than that really.

I know in Hawaii they actually have (or did at least) a quarantine at initial entry, anywhere from 2-4 weeks, to ensure animal was not sick, all at the owners expense.

Edited June 5, 2019 by Ben&Zian

[IPDR 10]

Hi!

 

We are in the process of bringing a dog back that we adopted in the Dominican Republic when my husband had his interview in May.  In our case: the dog has to be UTD on all shots required (dogs coming from DR have to have rabies shot and they have to be free from screw worm, I did not see Panama on the list of high risk rabies countries or for the countries with a high risk of screw worm,  but it may be required by the state you are taking the dog to) and they need to appear healthy.  We also have to have a valid certificate of health that is dated within 30 days of our dog arriving to the U.S.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/dogs.html

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/bring-pet-into-the-united-states/pet-travel-dogs-into-us

 

Again, you must make sure you check your state guidelines to see if they require anything above what the federal guidelines are.

 

Side note: If the dog has never had a rabies shot and you do end up getting it, just know that the dog has to wait 28 days to travel.  Also, I am not sure how old the dog is but puppies can't have a rabies shot before 4 months of age.

 

I hope this helps!

Edited June 5, 2019 by IrelandLynne
Added info about Rabies Shot

[Mezyan 149]

If you have any layovers in other countries, you will be required to meet those countries import laws. So in my experience it is best to book a direct flight.

 

Coming from panama, where it isn't a high risk country you do not need a rabies certificate. But you will need to show your dog has lived there since birth. It is almost easier to just go to the vet and get the dog a rabies shot and certificate IMO.

[dentsflogged 352]

Recent “issues” on flights (someone was attacked and left disfigured by an improperly restrained dog in cabin) means you will very likely end up flying the dog in the cargo hold as I’ve seen plenty of articles recently with airlines saying they will be heavily restricting the type, number and breed of animals allowed in cabin. 

 

If that’s the case I’d highly recommend flying yourself with carryon only as it will reduce the time the animal spends waiting without familiar faces. 

 

I imported my cat a few months ago and honestly for me it was so much less stressful to pay a specialised pet transport company than to worry about doing it myself. There’s paperwork required to be sighted on import and if it’s not filled in 100% correctly then the pet is either refused entry and sent back or will sit in quarantine (at your cost, and it’s expensive) for however long it takes to get the paperwork done right. 

[Miller Family 330]

@dentsflogged I saw that news article.  I believe it was Delta Airlines, who will probably get sued. 

 

I saw someone in the Orlando airport in the month of May preparing to board a flight with a Bull Mastiff "support animal."

 

Thanks for the heads up regarding the pet transport companies.

[dentsflogged 352]

21 minutes ago, TandClaudia said:

@dentsflogged I saw that news article.  I believe it was Delta Airlines, who will probably get sued. 

 

I saw someone in the Orlando airport in the month of May preparing to board a flight with a Bull Mastiff "support animal."

 

Thanks for the heads up regarding the pet transport companies.

Yes, Delta. I believe I saw something a few days later saying in light of that, American Airlines will be “investigating our onboard pet policy” or something similar. 

 

I personally think the whole support animal thing is BS. I understand they can be a comfort. Someone else’s comfort should not negate my allergies, fears or the potential for my face to be chewed off by an ill trained unrestrained animal.