If you need to fly to and from the United States with your dog, you will need to meet certain requirements set forth by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Below, you will find important information; however, we recommend that you consult the official websites of these entities to avoid difficulties when flying with your dog.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that starting August 1, 2024, all passengers entering the United States with their dogs must comply with new requirements. These requirements must be added to those already established for dogs traveling as emotional support or service dogs. The requirements to be met are:
-
- Must be at least six months old.
- It must have a compatible microchip in accordance with the International Standards Organization (ISO).
- Dog health certificate, which must be verified through the CDC's dog importation form. This form must be completed online, 2 to 10 days before the arrival date.
Review additional documentation, which varies depending on the canine rabies risk level in the country where the dog has been located in the six months prior to entering the United States, or the location where the rabies vaccine was administered.
The CDC has established additional requirements for dogs that come from high-risk countries for canine rabies (Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador, and others), or that have been in one of these countries in the past 6 months and have not been vaccinated in the United States. In these cases, the following documents must be presented:
- Rabies vaccination certificate and microchip. This form must be completed at least 30 days before the trip by a veterinarian and endorsed by an official government veterinarian in the country of origin.
- Have a valid rabies serology test. If you do not have one, you must submit a 28-day quarantine booking at a CDC-registered animal care facility. To avoid this quarantine period, it is recommended to have a rabies serology test provided by a CDC-approved laboratory. In the case of Colombia, El Salvador, Peru and Ecuador, which do not have an approved laboratory, you can go to a veterinary center to take the sample and send it to one of the approved rabies serology laboratories for testing dogs.
Please note that if you are flying from a country classified as high-risk for canine rabies, even if you only transited through one of these, from the destinations we operate, you will only be able to enter the United States through Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Washington, cities that have a CDC-authorized port health station. If your itinerary includes another U.S. destination that does not have a port health station, the dog will not be allowed entry.
If your ticket was issued before August 2, 2024with a flight date between August 1 and September 30, 2024, and you do not meet the requirements of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you can change your flight date and/or route to fly up to 60 days after your initial travel date. You must make this change before August 31, 2024. Please note:
- The change only applies to tickets issued by avianca, and it includes all of the passengers on the same booking and traveling companions. It does not apply to tickets issued by other airlines.
- There is no change fee. However, you will have to cover any difference in the fare.
- Applies to the same cabin as the initial trip.
- Applies to group bookings with deposit, irrespective of whether tickets have been issued.
- If you had a previously purchased seat, your new seat assignment will be subject to availability.
- Does not apply to name changes.
To request a change of travel date or destination, you must attach the following documents:
- Dog: copy of the payment for its transport.
- Emotional support dog: medical certificate confirming that the dog is an emotional support dog.
- Service dog: credentials identifying the dog as a service dog.
Please note if you are flying with service dogs:
If you are flying with your service dog to the United States, you must bring the current forms, dated after your flight reservation, to the counters or boarding gates, as applicable. The accepted forms include the U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation Form and the United States Department of Transportation Service Animal Relief Attestation Form as a requirement for acceptance.