USA Reminds of Rules for Traveling with Dogs Across the Mexico Border: What Tourists Should Check

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Marta Skylar
Aviation News Editor
28.07.2026 00:31

USA Reminds of Rules for Traveling with Dogs Across the Mexico Border: What Tourists Should Check

Lead. Travelers traveling between the USA and Mexico with a dog should check the documents for returning to the United States before departure. On June 26, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a fresh reminder for travelers with dogs on the US-Mexico border. The main practical conclusion is simple: even if the trip is short, the dog returns home with the owner, and Mexico is not considered a high-risk country for canine rabies, at the point of entry to the USA, a CDC Dog Import Form confirmation, compliance with basic CDC requirements, and additional USDA/APHIS certification regarding the absence of New World screwworm may be required.

This is not a ban on traveling with pets and not a signal that tourists need to cancel trips to Mexico. But it is an important update for those planning summer road trips to Tijuana, Mexicali, Sonora, Baja California, beach resorts, or returning via the land border after a long stay in Mexico. An error in documents can mean additional checks, delays, and the need to find a veterinarian in the last moment or the risk that the animal will not be admitted for entry without meeting the requirements.

What Exactly CBP Reminded

A fresh information trigger appeared on June 26, when CBP reminded travelers with dogs about the rules for crossing the US-Mexico border. The message concerns dogs entering or returning to the United States, meaning the requirements apply not only to the import of animals for commercial purposes, but also to ordinary tourists, pet owners, people traveling for the weekend, wintering in Mexico, or crossing the border regularly.

The key document for most ordinary pet-friendly trips is the CDC Dog Import Form. According to CDC instructions, for dogs that have been only in low-risk or no-risk countries for canine rabies within six months prior to entry, this form is the primary CDC document. It is filled out by the person importing the dog into the USA: the owner, carrier, or other responsible person. After submitting the form, the traveler receives an electronic receipt, which can be printed or shown on a phone.

CDC also explains that the receipt for a dog from a low-risk country is valid for six months, provided the country of departure does not change and the dog has not visited a high-risk country for rabies. For frequent trips, this is convenient, but it does not mean that one document is suitable for any route. If the dog returns to the USA from a different country than specified in the form, or the receipt's validity period has expired, the form must be updated.

Basic CDC Requirements: Form, Age, Microchip, and Health Status

For tourists, it is important not to reduce the rules to just one electronic receipt. CDC indicates several basic conditions for dogs arriving from low-risk countries. The dog must appear healthy at the time of arrival, be at least six months old, and have a microchip that can be read by a universal scanner. If the animal is flying by plane, the receipt is shown to the airline before boarding; upon arrival, it must be available for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Mexico is usually considered a low-risk country for canine rabies in this context, provided the dog has not been in high-risk countries within the previous six months. But rabies status is only one part of the check. CDC explicitly reminds that travelers must also comply with USDA and the rules of the destination state. This is where the second important topic for trips from Mexico appears — the New World screwworm.

Why the New World Screwworm is Important

USDA/APHIS notes that since November 22, 2024, Mexico is considered a country affected by screwworm. The New World screwworm is a parasite, whose larvae can affect the living tissues of animals. For a tourist, this sounds like a narrow veterinary topic, but for border rules, it has direct significance: all dogs, including dogs originating from the USA, returning after a trip to Mexico, must meet APHIS requirements for confirmation of the absence of screwworm.

According to APHIS rules, if a dog arrives from a country or region where screwworm is known to be present, it can enter the USA only with a certificate signed by an official government veterinary representative of the country of origin. The document must confirm that the dog was examined within five days before departure to the USA and is free from screwworm, or that in case of infection detection, the animal was held, treated, and released only after being cleared of the parasite.

For dogs traveling from Mexico to the USA, APHIS specifically clarifies that such certification can be issued by a clinical veterinarian in Mexico trained and authorized to sign the document on behalf of an official government veterinarian. This is practically important: a regular certificate from a random clinic may not meet the requirements if the veterinarian does not have the proper status for such certification.

What Has Changed for Trips to Mexico

APHIS, on the page about traveling with pets from the USA to Mexico, notes that for dogs and cats entering Mexico from the USA, since 2019, a medical certificate for entry into Mexico itself is not required. Animals may be inspected by SENASICA employees upon arrival: they check for signs of infectious diseases, ectoparasites, fresh wounds, or wounds in the process of healing. If parasites are detected during inspection, the owner may need additional actions and costs.

At the same time, in the June update, APHIS emphasizes that pet dog travel to Mexico continues according to previously established procedures, and new requirements will be published after finalization. For the traveler, this means: entering Mexico and returning to the USA are two different procedures. The fact that Mexico does not require a classic health certificate upon entry for an ordinary dog or cat from the USA does not cancel the documents needed when returning to the USA.

Who Needs to Be Especially Careful

Those most at risk are not those who read the CDC and APHIS instructions in advance, but those who are used to crossing the border as if it were a regular domestic trip. These are dog owners who travel for a few days to Mexico from California, Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas; tourists who take a dog on a road trip; travelers returning from a long stay in Mexico; owners of service dogs and emotional support animals; as well as those who combine car, flight, and stays in several cities.

A separate group consists of people who are not traveling with their permanent pet, but are transporting a dog for another person, for rescue, adoption, or commercial transfer. Such situations may have additional USDA and other agency requirements. The article is primarily aimed at ordinary tourists with their own dog, but if the trip has a commercial, volunteer, or organizational nature, the rules should be checked separately.

How to Prepare Before Departure

The best strategy is not to wait for the day of return. Before the trip, it is worth checking if the dog is at least six months old, if the microchip is readable by a universal scanner, if the data in the documents match the owner's data, and if there were any high-risk countries for canine rabies on the route. Then, the CDC Dog Import Form must be filled out for each dog separately and the receipt saved on the phone and in printed form.

For returning from Mexico, it is necessary to separately plan a veterinary examination for screwworm freedom certification within five days before entry into the USA. It not recommended to leave this for the last night before the border: in tourist cities, clinics may work by appointment, and not every veterinarian has the authority for the required certification. If the route passes through popular border crossings on weekends or holidays, having a time buffer becomes even more important.

  • Check current CDC requirements for the specific dog and its route.
  • Fill out the CDC Dog Import Form and save the receipt in two formats.
  • Ensure the dog is older than six months, healthy, and has a readable microchip.
  • For returning from Mexico, find an authorized veterinarian for screwworm certification in advance.
  • Allow additional time for border checks, especially on weekends, holidays, and the peak of summer trips.

Why This Is Important for the Tourism Market

Pet-friendly tourism has long ceased to be niche. Hotels, campsites, rental apartments, road routes, beach resorts, and airlines increasingly take guests with animals into account. For the USA and Mexico, this is especially noticeable on border trips: people visit relatives, go for the weekend, visit veterinary clinics, beaches, gastronomic tours, or long winter stays. But the more popular this format becomes, the more expensive mistakes in the rules become.

CBP, CDC, and USDA view this topic not as a tourist service, but as a matter of public health, biosecurity, and protection of livestock. CDC tries to prevent the return of dog-mediated rabies virus variants, and USDA/APHIS controls risks associated with screwworm and other animal diseases. Therefore, the border officer is not obliged to interpret the absence of a document as a minor formality. For the tourist, this means that preparing the dog for the trip must be as planned as a passport, insurance, hotel booking, or car documents.

Conclusion

The fresh CBP reminder from June 26 does not close the border for travelers with dogs and does not make Mexico unsafe for pet-friendly vacations. But it clearly shows: the rules for returning to the USA have become detailed enough that they cannot be checked on the fly. For most tourists, the minimum set of actions is the CDC Dog Import Form, compliance with age, health, and microchip, and for returning from Mexico, correct certification regarding the absence of screwworm.

If the trip is planned for the coming weeks, the smartest thing is to check the official pages of CDC, USDA/APHIS, and CBP immediately before departure, as requirements may be updated. In pet-friendly travel, the main rule of the summer of 2026 sounds simple: the dog must be not only a welcome companion in the hotel or car, but also a fully prepared "passenger" for border control.