AG
Antigua and Barbuda
✈️
US
United States
Pet Transport from Antigua and Barbuda to the United States
3-5 weeks
Typical preparation
None
Quarantine on arrival
Low
Route complexity
✓ Managed
Full door-to-door service
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from Antigua and Barbuda to United States
typically takes around 3-5 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
A rabies titre test is not required.
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Overview
If you are relocating a pet from Antigua and Barbuda to United States, the process is manageable once you know the sequence. Allow around 3-5 weeks. The requirements are modest compared with stricter destinations. Pets with correct documentation skip quarantine entirely.
A rabies titre test is not needed for this route. Use the timeline below to plan backwards from your travel date.
Step by step
The Antigua and Barbuda to United States process
1
4 to 6 weeks before travel.
Microchip the pet, and vaccinate against rabies if choosing to, even though CDC does not require it for this route.
Responsible: Antigua-based vet
2
Within 7 days of departure.
Obtain the Official Government Health Certificate, including parasite treatment noted on the form.
Responsible: Antigua-based vet, endorsed by the Veterinary and Livestock Division
3
Any time ahead of travel.
Complete the CDC Dog Import Form online, free, with a current photograph of the dog.
Responsible: Owner
4
2 to 4 weeks ahead.
Book American Airlines' nonstop Miami-Antigua service, or Caribbean Airlines' nonstop JFK-Antigua cargo service.
Responsible: Owner or agent
5
Ahead of departure.
Confirm the cabin or cargo option and crate requirements with the chosen airline.
Responsible: Owner
6
Day of arrival.
Arrival at any US airport, seaport or land border crossing.
Responsible: Customs and Border Protection
Checklist
United States: entry requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Microchip | Required before rabies vaccination if the dog is vaccinated, though CDC does not itself mandate the vaccination for a dog from a country outside its high-risk list. Source: CDC importation guidance, cdc.gov/importation, high-risk list updated 15 April 2026. |
| Rabies vaccination | Not required by CDC, since Antigua and Barbuda does not appear on the high-risk list. Vaccination is still strongly recommended and airlines commonly ask for proof. Cats face no federal rabies vaccination requirement regardless of origin. |
| Rabies titre test | Not required. The titre pathway only applies to dogs travelling from a CDC high-risk country, and Antigua and Barbuda is not one of them. |
| Quarantine | None. No CDC quarantine applies to a dog from a non-high-risk country or to any cat. |
| Import permit | CDC Dog Import Form, free, completed online before travel, one per dog, with a current photograph. No equivalent form exists for cats. |
| Health certificate | CDC does not itself demand an Antigua and Barbuda-endorsed export certificate, but airlines generally want a veterinary health certificate close to the travel date, and a Customs and Border Protection officer can refuse entry to any animal that appears unwell. |
Leaving Antigua and Barbuda
Export requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Export permit | No standalone export permit exists for pets leaving Antigua and Barbuda. The government requirement is an Official Health Certificate rather than a separate permit document. |
| Veterinary inspection | A local licensed veterinarian must examine the animal and confirm it is free of communicable disease and has been treated for internal and external parasites within 7 days of departure. |
| Government endorsement | The Veterinary and Livestock Division, Ministry of Agriculture, is the government body whose paperwork airlines and US officials expect to see. |
| Health certificate | Official Government-issued Health Certificate, valid for 7 days, noting the parasite treatment product used. Source: Government of Antigua and Barbuda, Veterinary and Livestock Division published import/export guidance, checked July 2026. |
Costs
What this route typically costs
| 1 | Antigua vet visit, microchip, optional rabies vaccination: USD 60-150 |
| 2 | Official Government Health Certificate and parasite treatment: fee not published, contact the Veterinary and Livestock Division directly |
| 3 | CDC Dog Import Form: free |
| 4 | Small pet travel carrier for the cabin: USD 60-150. IATA-compliant crate for cargo: USD 150-400 |
| 5 | American Airlines cabin pet fee, under 9kg including carrier: USD 150 each way |
| 6 | American Airlines PetEmbark cargo fee for larger dogs, up to 45kg combined: USD 150-200 each way, plus the flight segment |
| 7 | Total typical range for a small pet in the cabin: USD 300-700. Larger dogs through PetEmbark cargo: USD 900-1,800 |
Critical points
Read before you book
⚠ Antigua and Barbuda's absence from the CDC's high-risk list is what keeps this route simple. Check the dog's own six-month travel history hasn't included a stop in a country that is on the list, since that resets the classification regardless of where the pet is flying from now.
⚠ Antigua and Barbuda's Official Government Health Certificate is only valid 7 days, so time the vet visit against a confirmed flight date, not the other way round.
⚠ Small pets under 9kg including carrier can fly in the cabin on American's nonstop Miami-Antigua service. Larger dogs need PetEmbark cargo, a separate booking process with its own lead time.
Carriers
Airlines on this route
American Airlines
AA2579/AA2580 flies Miami to Antigua nonstop, roughly 3 hours 23 minutes. Because this route doesn't touch the UK or Ireland, a small pet under 9kg including carrier can travel in the cabin for USD 150 each way. Larger dogs go through American Airlines Cargo's PetEmbark service, up to 45kg combined, for USD 150-200 each way.
Caribbean Airlines
Flies New York JFK to Antigua nonstop. Pet cargo into Antigua was suspended in 2025 during a ground-handling change and has since resumed. Bookings go through the airline's Antigua cargo desk, (268) 480-5728, arranged ahead of travel.
How United States handles incoming pets
United States keeps its import requirements relatively light, which makes preparing easier. Even so, the basics still need to be right and in the correct order.
What experienced owners do
Confirm live animal acceptance on every flight segment before booking. Not all aircraft or connections take pets, and cargo terms can differ leg to leg.
Keep every original document together and take copies. Border officials want originals, and a missing signature or date can hold up clearance.
Work backwards from your travel date and add a buffer. Fixed waiting periods mean a single slipped appointment can push the whole move back by weeks.
Check the airline’s crate size and labelling rules early. An undersized or wrongly labelled crate is a frequent reason pets are refused at check-in.
FAQ
Common questions
No. The CDC’s high-risk countries list, updated 15 April 2026, does not include Antigua and Barbuda. That means a dog travelling from there skips the titre test, the microchip-before-vaccine sequence enforcement, and the restriction to CDC-registered facility airports that apply to high-risk-country dogs.
Not by CDC rule. Vaccination is strongly recommended and most airlines will still ask for proof, but it isn’t a federal entry requirement for a dog from a non-high-risk country like Antigua and Barbuda.
Yes, on American Airlines’ nonstop Miami-Antigua service, for a pet under 9kg including carrier. This route isn’t affected by American’s UK and Ireland cabin-pet restriction, since it doesn’t touch either country.
Yes. Caribbean Airlines flies New York JFK to Antigua nonstop and handles pet cargo through a dedicated local desk in Antigua.
Very little federally. No CDC rabies vaccination requirement, no titre test, no import form. Antigua and Barbuda’s own export paperwork, the Official Government Health Certificate, still applies, and most airlines want a general veterinary health certificate too.
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