CDC Animal Care Facility at Pender Pet Retreat
Importing a Dog into IAD from a High-Risk Rabies Country
Overview
Pender Pet Retreat is the only CDC-approved Animal Care Facility (ACF) for the Washington-Dulles (IAD) Port of Entry (POE) for dogs entering the United States from high-risk rabies countries or those who have been in any high-risk country during the previous 6 months. It is one of 5 POE’s in the US where such dogs can enter. Others include ATL, JFK, LAX, MIA, and PHL.
Dogs entering the US from a high-risk rabies country who do not need to enter through one of the 5 ACF include:
- Dogs who hold a current CDC import permit. With a CDC import permit, dogs may enter through any of the 18 US airports with a CDC quarantine station.
- Dogs who are at least 6 months of age, have an ISO compliant microchip implanted, have a current US-issued Rabies Vaccination Certificate, and who appear healthy upon arrival.
If your dog(s) does not fall into one of those categories above, you will need a reservation with a CDC- approved ACF and your reservation type will fall into one of two categories depending on your dog(s) available Rabies Titer Test status. The requirements for reservations for these two categories are outlined in this document.
Recommendations
As pet travel and animal care experts, we make the following strong recommendations to you, the pet parent or agent:
- Any dogs entering the US from high-risk Rabies countries that also require a reservation with a CDC- approved Animal Care Facility will also require the services of a customs broker to assist with clearance. It is our strong recommendation that pets travel as Manifest Cargo with an Air Waybill (AWB) to make clearance as smooth as possible. Our Pet Travel company, PenderAIR, is able to assist with Customs Clearance at IAD for dogs who travel as Manifest Cargo, saving you an additional step in an already confusing and stressful process. Additional fees apply and are outlined on page 3.
- Any traveling dogs should also be vaccinated for Distemper, Bordetella, and Canine Influenza, prior to travel. If you are unable to do so, our USDA-accredited veterinarian can provide these services upon arrival.
- If you are able and time allows, it is much more cost-effective to have your dog’s Veterinarian draw and run a Rabies Titer serology test for your dog, apply, and wait for a CDC Dog Import Permit. Currently, review of Import Permit applications is taking up to 8 weeks, but this can change and there is no guarantee on timing.
Reservation Requirements:
Reservation with Valid Rabies Titer
A dog who was vaccinated outside of the U.S., but who has a valid Rabies Titer, must enter the U.S. through a CDC-approved ACF and be examined by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and receive an updated Rabies vaccination, but is not necessarily required to quarantine for a full 28 days.
Requirements for a reservation for a dog who has a valid Rabies Titer:
- Rabies Titer test results from a CDC approved lab and above minimum levels
- Rabies Titer must have been drawn at least 30 days after initial Rabies vaccine and 45 days prior to arrival in the U.S. Titers are valid for 1 year following the date they are drawn.
- CDC Rabies Vaccination & Microchip Record form
- Arrival Date and Flight Number
- Air Waybill / AWB (if available)
- Pictures of your pet’s teeth
*All required documents must be in English or accompanied by a certified English translation
IMPORTANT: If your pet displays any sign of illness during the intake examination, the CDC may require additional testing, treatment, and quarantine at the importer’s expense.
PAYMENT IS DUE IN FULL TO RECEIVE RESERVATION CONFIRMATION
Reservation without Rabies Titer
A dog who was vaccinated outside of the U.S. and who does not have a valid Rabies Titer, is subject to a 28-day quarantine at a CDC ACF.
Requirements for a 28-day quarantine reservation:
- CDC Rabies Vaccination & Microchip Record form (in English or certified translation)
- Arrival Date and Flight Number
- Air Waybill / AWB (if available)
- Pictures of your pet’s teeth
- Proof of current Distemper, Bordetella, and Canine Influenza vaccination (if not current, the USDA veterinarian can update these for you upon arrival at our facility, see additional services for pricing)
*All required documents must be in English or accompanied by a certified English translation
IMPORTANT: If your pet displays any sign of illness at any time during quarantine, the CDC may require additional testing, treatment, and prolonged quarantine at the importer’s expense.
PAYMENT IS DUE IN FULL TO RECEIVE RESERVATION CONFIRMATION
Fees for Reservations
Reservations with a Valid Rabies Titer = $858
Included with a reservation for a dog who has a valid Rabies Titer:
- Transport from IAD to Pender Pet Retreat
- Holding Care & Accommodation
- USDA-accredited Veterinary Exam
- Rabies Vaccination booster
- Customs Clearance (up to 2 pets on same AWB)
- Additional fees:
- Airline fees = $100 – $250 (varies by airline and method of travel)
- Crates taller than 32″ = add $75
- Weekend and after-hours arrival = $150
- Weekend veterinary services = $150
- Customs clearance for > 2 pets = $100 per additional pet on same AWB
Reservations without Rabies Titer = $3,900
Included with a reservation for a dog who does NOT have a valid Rabies Titer:
- Transport from IAD to Pender Pet Retreat
- Holding Care & Accommodation
- USDA Veterinary Exam
- Rabies Vaccination
- Internal and External Parasite Treatment
- 28-day Quarantine
- USDA Veterinary Exam for release
- Customs Clearance (up to 2 pets on same AWB)
- If your pet is not up-to-date on the following required vaccines, ADD:
- Distemper Vaccine = $33
- Bordetella Vaccine = $33
- Canine Influenza Vaccine = $50
- Additional fees:
- Airline fees = $100 – $400 (varies by airline and method of travel)
- Crates taller than 32″ = $75
- Weekend and after-hours arrival = $150
- Weekend veterinary services = $150
- Additional quarantine = $125 / dog / night
- Customs clearance for > 2 pets = $100 per additional pet on same AWB
PAYMENT IS DUE IN FULL TO RECEIVE RESERVATION CONFIRMATION
Expedited Services & Cancellation Policy
While we cannot guarantee reservation availability, we understand that the nature of air travel is unpredictable and can change frequently. We will do everything we can to accommodate all new reservation requests and requested changes to existing reservations. As soon as you request a reservation, a significant amount of logistics coordination time and research goes into arranging your pet’s importation. For this reason, the following policies apply to urgent reservation requests and reservation cancellations:
- Reservations confirmed within 5 business days of arrival = $250 Expedited Fee
- Reservations confirmed within 48-hours of flight arrival = $500 Expedited Fee
- Reservations cancelled after booking confirmation receive a full refund minus $250 Cancellation Fee
Helpful Resources
The 3 options for bringing your dog into the US from a High-risk rabies country:
All dogs must be healthy, at least 6 months old, and must have an ISO-compliant microchip implanted. Then…
- Option A: U.S.-Issued, valid Rabies Vaccination Certificate. Any number of dogs allowed.
- Option B: CDC Import Permit. Limit 2 per person for the duration of the CDC suspension.
- Option C: Non-US issued Rabies Vaccine and no CDC Import Permit, also for anyone importing more than 2 dogs at a time. This option is where Animal Care Facilities are required!
*This is a VERY brief overview. More information can be found HERE.
CDC Dog Import Permit Application Requirements:
- For dogs to be eligible for a permit:
- they must be at least 6 months old, verifiable by pictures of their teeth
- they must have an International Standards Organization (ISO) compliant microchip implanted
- they must have a valid Rabies Vaccination Certificate that was issued in another country
- they must hold a valid Rabies serologic titer test from one of the CDC’s approved labs
- With a permit, dogs must enter through one of 18 US airports with CDC quarantine stations
- Dogs entering the US under this permit are required to be re-vaccinated for Rabies within 10 days of
arrival
Rabies Serology Titer Tests:
- Must be in English or have a certified translation
- Must have been drawn a minimum of 30 days after initial Rabies vaccination and at least 45 days prior to arrival in the U.S.
- Results are good for 1 year from the date the sample was drawn
- Without a titer test, all dogs imported into the U.S. from high-risk Rabies countries must undergo revaccination followed by 28-day quarantine at a CDC-approved Animal Care Facility.
- Test results are only accepted from CDC-approved laboratories
See CDC-Approved Laboratories List
CDC Rabies Vaccination & Microchip Record (RVMR) form:
Effective March 1st, 2023, the CDC no longer accepts any alternate form of proof of rabies vaccination (ie. vaccine passports, rabies certificates, etc.), so ALL dogs entering the U.S. under options B or C must have a completed Form RVMR. Our reservation request form includes a link directly to a fillable version of this form, but it can also be found on the CDC’s website HERE.
A few things to note about the RVMR:
- All dates are in MM/DD/YYYY format and many international veterinarians are not used to this, so please make sure to point this out to them, as it will need to be redone if not completely correctly the first time, costing you extra time and potential travel delay.
- Digital signatures from the veterinarian are currently acceptable for this form. Additionally, if the originally veterinarian who administered your dog’s rabies vaccine is no longer with the practice, another veterinarian from the same practice may complete the form instead. Formal guidance from the CDC on these is forthcoming on their website.
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