《Bringing Pets and Wildlife into》.pdfVIP

Bringing Pets and Wildlife into the United States Licensing and Health Requirements Visitors frequently inquire about traveling with their pets to the United States. All such importations are subject to health, quarantine, agriculture, wildlife, and customs requirements and prohibitions. Pets, except for pet birds, taken out of the United States and returned are subject to the same requirements as those entering for the first time. Returning U.S. origin pet birds are subject to different import restrictions than pet birds of non-U.S. origin entering the United States. For more information on importing pet birds into the United States, see the section on Birds, or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) web site at /NCIE. Importation of cats and dogs is regulated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC requires that dogs and cats be healthy upon arrival and that dogs are vaccinated against rabies, unless they are being imported from a rabies-free country. In addition to dogs and cats, CDC also restricts the importation of turtles with a shell length of less than 4 inches (linear measure). African rodents, bats, nonhuman primates, and civets may not be imported as pets under any circumstances. Pets excluded from entry into the United States must be sent back to the country of origin. While awaiting disposition, pets will be detained at the owners expense at the port of arrival. USDA does not inspect or detain pets at U.S. ports of entry. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is concerned with the importation, trade, sale, and taking of wildlife and with protecting endangered plant and animal species. Some wild species of dogs, cats, turtles, reptiles, and birds, although imported as pets, may be listed as endangered. Endangered and threatened animals and plants, migratory birds, marine mammals, and certain dangerous wildlife may not be imported without special federal permits. Sportsmen w