Importation of Dogs and Cats

Definitions. For the purposes of this Part, the following definitions apply:

Cat means any member of the species Felis catus, regardless of age, sex, or breed.

Dog means any member of the species Canis familiaris, regardless of age, sex, or
breed.
Health certificate means a certificate issued and signed by a veterinarian,
legally qualified to practice in the state or country of origin.

Importation prohibited without a health certificate.

No person shall bring or ship or cause to be brought or shipped into the State of
New York any nonresident dog or cat without providing a health certificate. The
health certificate may accompany the dog or cat or may be placed in the mail for
delivery to the consignee prior to entry of the dog or cat into the State of New
York
A common carrier accepting dogs or cats for delivery to a destination in the State
of New York shall not be held responsible for violation of subdivision (1.) of
this section.
A copy of the health certificate addressed to the Director, Division of Animal
Industry, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Albany, NY 12235
shall be placed in the mail prior to entry of the dog or cat into the State of New
York.

Form of Health Certificate

The health certificate shall list the date of examination, the breed, sex, and age
of the dog or cat, the state or country of origin, and the full name and complete
post-office address of the consignee and consignor.
The health certificate shall state that the examination revealed no clinical
evidence of infectious or communicable disease, including external parasites and
fungi, and that to the best of the veterinarian�s knowledge, the dog or cat has
not recently been exposed to such infectious or communicable disease.
The health certificate shall state that the dog or cat has been properly immunized
against rabies by a vaccine approved by the United States Department of
Agriculture within 12 months prior to the date of importation into the State of
New York. The three-year vaccine is acceptable, but MUST be noted as such on the
health certificate. The immunization requirement shall not apply if the dog or cat
is under the age of 3 months or if a veterinarian certifies in writing that
because of old age or other reason, the life of the dog or cat would be endangered
by the administration of the rabies vaccine.

Time limitation of health certificate

The health certificate shall show that the dog or cat was examined by a
veterinarian within 30 days of entry of the dog or cat into the State of New York.

Dogs or cats exempt from the health certificate requirement:

N E W Y O R K

Health Requirements Governing the Admission Of Animals

For More Information on Current Regulations Please Contact

Dr. John P. Huntley, Director

Division of Animal Industry

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets

10B Airline Dr.

Albany, New York 12235

Telephone: (518) 457-3502

Permits: (518) 457-3971
FAX: (518) 485-0839

Dogs or cats passing through the State of New York to points beyond, dogs or cats
which are brought into the State of New York for temporary residence for purposes
of exhibition, and dogs or cats which enter the State of New York for delivery to
research institutions, dealers or other persons registered or licensed and
regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture pursuant to the
provisions of this Part, provided that such dogs or cats are at all times properly
restrained and under the immediate control of the owner or custodian; that such
dogs or cats are accompanied with proof of proper immunization against rabies; and
that those dogs or cats entering the State of New York pursuant to U.S. Public Law
89-544, as amended, remain subject to its provisions.

CATS AND DOGS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has regulations on the
importation of dogs and cats into the United States. In general, they require that
dogs be vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days prior to entry, except for
puppies younger than 3 months and dogs originated or located for 6 months in areas
considered to be free of rabies. A dog with an unexpired health certificate meets
these requirements. We strongly suggest you visit the CDC web site at:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/animal.htm or call them at 404-639-
3441 , for more information on their regulations. There is no vaccination
regulation for cats.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has certain restrictions on the importation of

dogs. Collies, shepherds, and other dogs that are imported from any part of the
world except Canada, Mexico, and regions of Central America and the West Indies
and that are to be used in the handling of livestock must be inspected and
quarantined at the port of entry for a sufficient time to determine their freedom
from tapeworm.

APHIS VS requirements for all dogs imported or returning from countries affected
with screwworm:

Pet and other types of dogs (commercial, breeding, etc.) that are returning,
and/or are presented for US entry, from countries or regions where screwworm is
known to exist, may enter the US if they meet the following requirements:

The dog must be accompanied by a certificate signed by a full-time salaried

veterinary official of the region of origin stating that the dog has been
inspected for screwworm within 5 days prior to shipment to the United States.
The certificate must state that the dog is either free from screwworm or was found
to be infested with screwworm and was held in quarantine and treated until free
from screwworm prior to leaving the region.
Other General Information for Pets

In order to expedite entry into the United States, we suggest that you do not use
straw, hay, grass, or other natural bedding. Our Plant Protection and Quarantine
Division does not allow the importation of these materials as they may harbor
various plant pests.

We also suggest you contact your State, county, municipal authorities for local
restrictions on importing dogs. Some airlines require health certificates for dogs
traveling with them. You should contact the airlines prior to your travel date.

Cats and dogs being imported into Hawaii will be quarantined for 130 days. Please
visit the website for the Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture at:
http://www.hawaiiag.org/hdoa/doa_importing.htm

All cats and dogs are subject to inspection at ports of entry for evidence of
infectious diseases that can be transmitted to humans.

As a help to both domestic and international travelers, The American Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals web site has a wealth of pertinent
information.

Owners of dogs imported from countries or regions affected with Foot-and-Mouth

Disease (FMD) are advised to take the following precautions to prevent the
introduction of FMD from pets entering the United States:

The feet, fur, and bedding of the pets should be free of any excessive dirt or
mud.
The pet's bedding should be free of any straw or hay, or other natural bedding.
The pet should be bathed as soon as it reaches its final destination.
The pet should be kept separate and apart from all livestock for at least 5 days
after entry into the United States.
If you need more information contact the Import Animals Program at
(301) 734-8364 .

OTHER

APHIS does not have animal health requirements for the importation of fish,
reptiles, lions, tigers, bears, mink, rabbits, sugar gliders, foxes, monkeys,
endangered species, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice, rats, chinchillas,
squirrels, mongoose, chimpmunks, ferrets, or other rodents provided they have not
been inoculated with any pathogens for scientific purposes. If the latter is the
case, they require an import permit (VS Form17-129) and can only be released to an
approved laboratory.

The CDC has responsibilities pertaining to the importation of primates.

The U.S. Department of the Interior, Law Enforcement Division, Fish and Wildlife
Services , has responsibility pertaining to the importation of reptiles, fish, and
endangered species.
Countries/Regions Free of Foot-And-Mouth Disease (FMD) and Rinderpest

9 CFR 94.1Australia
Iceland

*Austria
*Ireland, Republic of

*Bahamas, The
*Italy

Barbados
Jamaica

*Belgium
*Japan

Belize (British Honduras)

*Latvia

Bermuda
*Lithuania

Canada
*Luxembourg

*Channel Islands
Mexico

*Chile
*Namibia (excluding the region north of the Veterinary Cordon Fence)

Costa Rica
*Netherlands, The

*Czech Republic
New Caledonia

*Denmark
New Zealand

Dominican Republic
Nicaragua

El Salvador
*Norway

*Estonia
Panama

Fiji
*Papua New Guinea

*Finland
*Poland

*France
*Portugal

*Germany
*Spain
*Greece
Territory of St. Pierre and Miquelon
Greenland
*Sweden

Guatemala
*Switzerland

Haiti
Trinidad and Tobago

Honduras
Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands

*Hungary
*United Kingdom (except for Surrey County, England)

*Special categories CFR 94.11 (meat imports/land borders)

*SPECIAL CATEGORY REGARDING RINDERPEST AND FMD BECAUSE, EVEN THOUGH THE
COUNTRY/AREA HAS BEEN DETERMINED BY THE USDA TO BE FREE OF RINDERPEST AND FMD, ONE
OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS OCCUR:

(1) They supplement their national meat supply through the importation of fresh,
chilled, or frozen meat of ruminants or swine from countries/regions that are NOT
designated in Title 9, CFR, Part 94.1(a) (hereafter known as The Regulations) as
free of rinderpest or FMD; or
(2) They have a common land border with countries/regions that are NOT designated
in The Regulations as free of rinderpest or FMD; or
(3) They import ruminants or swine from countries/regions that are NOT designated
in The Regulations as free of rinderpest or FMD under conditions less restrictive
than would be acceptable for importation into the United States.

Countries/Regions NOT Recognized Free of FMD but permitted to export fresh

(chilled or frozen) beef under specific conditions:
9 CFR 94.22
Uruguay

Countries/Regions Free of Rinderpest

Republic of South Africa
Uruguay
ATTENTION: ON-LINE PERMITTING IS HERE FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE SIGN UP NOW!!

We are pleased to announce the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services (VS), National Center
for Import and Export (NCIE), deployment of the ePermits system. ePermits is a
web-based system that allows users to submit import permit applications, track
applications, apply for renewals and amendments, and receive a copy of the import
permit � all while on-line. Users are required to sign up for an eAuthentication
account to access ePermits.

For your convenience, VS will continue to offer both the ePermits system and the
manual process to our users. However, we encourage you to take advantage of the
ePermits option. This option will help to expedite the entire permitting process
and enable users to track the status of their permits, confirm receipt, and easily
renew existing permits.

Apply for a VS Permit

Veterinary Biologics Permits

Veterinary Biological Product Permits - The Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service, Center for Veterinary Biologics requires a permit for each shipment of
veterinary biological products to be imported, and for each transit shipment of
biological products moved through the United States. Each person making
application to import veterinary biologics shall reside and/or operate a business
establishment in the United States or both.

Biotechnology Permits

BRS requires a permit or notification for the importation, interstate movement, or

release of genetically engineered organisms considered to be regulated articles.
Learn more about the BRS permitting and notification processes by clicking on the
"More" link above.

Apply Online for a BRS Notification or Permit

Plant Health Permits

Plant Protection and Quarantine requires permits for importation into and transit
though the United States of plants and plant products; and the importation into,
transit through, and interstate movement within the United States of plant pests
(plant feeding insects, mites, snails, slugs, and plant pathogens), biological
control organisms of plant pests and weeds, parasitic plants and Federally listed
noxious weeds under regulatory authorities.

Apply for a PPQ Permit

Countries that USDA Considers to be Affected with Screwworm:Angola Haiti
Philippines
Argentina India Qatar
Bahrain Indonesia Rwanda
Bangladesh Iraq Saudi Arabia
Benin Isla de Pascua (Easter Island, part of Chile) Senegal
Bolivia Ivory Coast Sierra Leone
Botswana Jamaica Singapore
Brazil Kenya South Africa
Brunei Kuwait Spratly Islands
Burkina Faso Laos Sri Lanka
Burundi Lesotho Surinam
Cambodia Liberia Swaziland
Cameroon Macau Taiwan
Central African Republic Malawi Tanzania
China Malaysia Thailand
Columbia Mali Togo
Congo Mauritania Trinidad and Tobago
Dominican Republic Mozambique Uganda
Ecuador Myanmar United Arab Emirates
Equatorial Guinea Namibia Uruguay
French Guinea Nigeria Venezuela
Gabon Oman Vietnam
Gambia Pacific Islands (Palau) Zaire
Ghana Papua New Guinea Zambia
Guinea Paraacel Islands Zimbabwe
Guinea-Bissau Paraguay
Guyana Peru