The United States has tightened its entry requirements for dogs. The file is now prepared ahead of departure, and the arrival airport is no longer a matter of indifference.
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The usual foundation — identification, rabies vaccination, health certificate — applies here as elsewhere. It is set out in the general requirements guide. Three requirements set the United States apart from most European destinations.
The US health authorities require a dog's arrival to be declared in advance, through an online form. This is not something done at the airport: it must be completed before the flight, and the receipt presented on arrival.
Deadline and exact form: to be confirmed with the CDC before every departure.
A dog must be at least six months old when it enters the United States, however good its vaccination record. The rule catches out families relocating with a young animal.
The microchip must be readable by the scanners used in the United States and its number must appear on every document. An old or unusual chip can cause problems on arrival: have it tested before departure.
This is the least understood point, and the one that causes the most refusals.
The United States does not treat all dogs the same way: it classifies countries by rabies risk and applies very different requirements depending on where the animal is arriving from, and where it has stayed in previous months.
A dog leaving France is therefore not subject to the same file as a dog leaving a country classified as high-risk, even if it is the same animal with the same record. And a French dog that has stayed in a high-risk country can fall into the most demanding category.
Remember: before any paperwork, work out which category your situation falls into. That is what determines the list of documents, not the owner's nationality.
Depending on the category your dog falls into, entry may only be permitted through a limited number of airports, those with animal inspection facilities.
This has a direct consequence for your choice of flight: an airport that is convenient for you as a private aviation user is not necessarily one for your dog. We check this systematically before confirming a flight, because it cannot be fixed once airborne.
List of approved airports: to be confirmed with the CDC according to the applicable category.
Teterboro is 12 miles, roughly 19 km, from Midtown Manhattan (Port Authority of New York and New Jersey). For US customs, CBP, it belongs to the New York/Newark port of entry, number 4601. Your dog is a New Jersey dog first: New York rules only apply once you have crossed the Hudson.
CBP inspects aircraft arriving from abroad seven days a week, from 07:30 to 23:15 Eastern Time, and processes all crew and passengers inside its federal inspection station (CBP Teterboro fact sheet, 1 December 2025).
A long delay leaving Paris can therefore move the time, and possibly the place, of clearance, and lengthen your dog's time on board.
New Jersey requires a health certificate completed and signed by a veterinarian licensed in the country of origin (N.J.A.C. 8:23-1.1). Its Department of Health advises drawing it up within the 30 days before travel, though the regulation sets no deadline; New York State requires one issued 30 days or less before entry. Aim for 30 days.
An unlicensed dog staying in New Jersey for more than 10 days must immediately apply for a licence in the municipality where it is kept.
The document exempts dogs in transit, but no official source says whether a dog that lands at Teterboro and leaves straight for New York qualifies. Carry the certificate.
Landing permission, which the pilot obtains from CBP at least two hours before departing, notifying live animals on board and having an operator's representative in the inspection area until the dogs are cleared are matters for the operator.
So is the air waybill, the AWB. The CDC requirements for air carriers, updated on 7 April 2026, apply to private flights and require one for each dog, even in the cabin, unless the CDC grants a waiver. Without either, the dog is inadmissible, even with a complete file. You have nothing to file: we confirm this point with the operator before you book.
The CDC form receipt is shown to the crew before boarding, then to CBP. Keep it with the EU pet passport, the vaccination record and the veterinary certificate issued less than 30 days earlier.
The federal regulation accepts the EU pet passport as a veterinary record, but New York State writes: "We do not accept the Pet Passport."
A CBP page last modified in March 2025 still calls for a rabies certificate at least 30 days old, apparently a leftover of the rule before 1 August 2024. Vaccinating your dog settles the question.
Proof at boarding. Federal regulation 42 CFR 71.51 requires documentation proving the dog's age, its microchip and six months spent in low-risk countries; the CDC guidance to airlines settles for a visual check, with no microchip scan.
The port of entry. The regulation requires boarding to be denied if the dog is due to arrive at a port other than the one on the receipt. Yet the CDC page for airlines states that, for a dog that has only been in low-risk countries, the receipt lists no port and is valid for multiple entries. Enter the airport actually planned, and tell your broker if it changes.
The regulation sets out three grounds for refusal: a microchip that is missing, unreadable or does not match the documents, a missing CDC form receipt, a dog under six months old.
The dog is then separated from its owner, detained at the importer's expense at a CDC-registered animal care facility or, failing that, a kennel or veterinary clinic approved by the CDC, then returned to the country of departure within 72 hours. Teterboro has no registered facility: the nearest is at JFK.
According to CBP, failing to declare products of animal origin can bring a civil penalty of up to 1,000 dollars for a first offence in non-commercial quantities. Once declared, they incur no penalty, APHIS adds.
We found no official source saying whether French dog food containing meat is admitted. Declare it, and plan to buy food locally if it is seized.
The United Arab Emirates appear on the CDC list of high-risk countries for dog rabies, updated on 15 April 2026. A stay there in the previous six months has two heavy consequences.
The CDC form receipt lapses. It is valid for six months, unless the dog visits a high-risk country or a different rabies-free or low-risk country in the meantime. A weekend in Italy is enough.
A false friend: the European Union places the Emirates in Annex II to Regulation 2026/636, so no blood test is needed to enter Europe. The American classification runs exactly the other way.
A dog vaccinated outside the United States that has been in a high-risk country can only enter through an airport with a CDC-registered animal care facility, where it has a reservation. Teterboro is not on that list: for New York, the dog must land at JFK, not Newark or LaGuardia. The carrier has to deny boarding for Teterboro.
We found no official rule covering a technical stop in Dubai without the dog leaving the aircraft. Tell your broker about any stay abroad, however short and however long ago.
Our scheduled flight links Paris Le Bourget to New York Teterboro. Your dog travels in the cabin, beside you, with no crate and no hold: 7h 45m in the air, and not one minute of separation.
The requirements described on this page remain yours, but you do not face them alone: a broker goes through the file with you before confirming the booking.
No. The EU pet passport is for travel within the European Union. For the United States you need a health certificate and the formalities specific to US regulations, in particular the advance declaration.
It depends on the category your dog falls into, determined by the country of origin and previous stays. A dog leaving France is not in the same situation as a dog arriving from a country classified as high rabies risk. That is the first point to settle.
On our flights, yes, from take-off to landing, with no transport crate. That is the whole principle of the service, and the reason we operate private aviation rather than scheduled airlines.
The US authorities can refuse entry and send the animal back, at the owner's expense. It is a real risk, and it is why we check the file with you before departure rather than after.
Back to documents by destination — the European Union, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Canada and Japan are covered there.
This guide is provided for general information and constitutes neither veterinary nor legal advice. The applicable requirements are those set by the US authorities on the day of the flight, and they can change without notice. Check with the CDC, USDA APHIS and your veterinarian before committing.
