If you are relocating a pet from Belize to United States, the process is manageable once you know the sequence. This route takes some organising, and roughly 9-12 weeks of preparation is about right. Pets with correct documentation skip …
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from Belize to United States
typically takes around 9-12 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
Regulations checked
Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team
Step by step
The Belize to United States pet import process
Each step must be completed in a precise sequence. Start early. We manage every stage and deadline.
1
Fit the ISO microchip, then give the rabies vaccination once the dog is at least 12 weeks old.
Responsible: Your Belize vet
8-10 weeks before travel.
2
Draw blood for the titre test at least 30 days after vaccination, send to a CDC-approved laboratory, get a result of 0.5 IU/ml or above.
Responsible: Your vet and the CDC-approved lab
Around 6-7 weeks before travel.
3
Reserve a slot at a CDC-registered animal care facility airport and book a routing that lands there directly, ideally Miami or Los Angeles on American.
Responsible: You or your agent
As early as possible, ideally alongside step 1.
4
Confirm the dog will be at least 6 months old on the actual US arrival date, not just at vaccination.
Responsible: You
Check before booking any flight.
5
Arrange the screwworm inspection certificate with a full-time government veterinarian through BAHA, timed within 5 days of shipment.
Responsible: BAHA official veterinarian
1-5 days before departure.
6
Complete the CDC Dog Import Form online and collect the standard BAHA-endorsed health certificate.
Responsible: You and your Belize vet
Shortly before travel, matched to the confirmed arrival date.
7
Fly, and present the Dog Import Form receipt, titre result and screwworm certificate at the CDC-registered facility airport.
Responsible: Airline ground handler and CDC officer
Day of arrival.
Requirements
What your pet needs to enter United States of America
Every item below must be in place before your pet can travel. We manage and verify each one.
Microchip
ISO-compatible microchip readable with a universal scanner, implanted before the rabies vaccine. Source: CDC, Bringing a Dog into the United States.
Rabies vaccination
Current rabies vaccination, first dose given at 12 weeks old or later. Source: CDC.
Rabies titre test
Belize is classified by the CDC as high-risk for dog rabies, on the high-risk countries list last updated 15 April 2026, alongside Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Blood must be drawn at least 30 days after vaccination and at least 28 days before the dog enters the US, tested at a CDC-approved laboratory, result of 0.5 IU/ml or above. No fixed multi-month wait applies once those two windows are met, unlike the UK's unlisted-country rule.
Quarantine
None for a dog with a valid CDC Dog Import Form, a passing titre and arrival through a CDC-registered animal care facility airport. Without a valid titre, a mandatory 28-day quarantine applies at a CDC-registered facility, at the owner's expense. Source: CDC.
Import permit
No general import permit. High-risk-country dogs instead need a confirmed reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility airport: Atlanta (ATL), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York JFK, Philadelphia (PHL) or Washington Dulles (IAD). Source: CDC, CDC-registered Animal Care Facilities.
Costs
What this route typically costs
Belize vet health certificate and rabies vaccination: USD 60-150
Rabies titre test at a CDC-approved lab: USD 150-300, plus courier
Screwworm inspection certificate through BAHA: USD 30-80, fee not published, confirm locally
IATA-compliant travel crate: USD 80-300 if not already owned
Direct BZE to US gateway flight, cargo or cabin: USD 700-2,000 depending on airline and crate size
Agent fees, recommended given the CDC-registered facility booking requirement: USD 250-600
Typical all-in total for a mid-size dog: USD 1,200-3,200. Treat this as a planning estimate; confirm current figures before committing to dates.
Critical points to read before you book
Belize only became a New World Screwworm affected country in December 2024, after almost 30 years free of it, so the screwworm certificate is a genuinely new step for anyone who moved a pet out of Belize before then. Missing it is enough to get a dog held at the CDC facility airport regardless of everything else being correct.
The 6-month minimum age at entry catches owners of young dogs, since it's separate from the 12-week vaccination age. A puppy that's fully vaccinated and titre-tested can still be turned away if it hasn't turned 6 months old by the arrival date.
Southwest's new Belize routes and United's Houston service both look convenient on a flight search, but neither can actually carry a dog into the US on this route: Southwest excludes international pet travel entirely, and United's cargo programme is suspended with Houston not even a CDC-registered facility airport.
Airlines
Carriers approved for this route
Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. We know which carriers to use and how to book.
AMERICAN
American Airlines
Flies Belize City direct to Miami and Los Angeles, both CDC-registered animal care facility airports, along with Dallas/Fort Worth and Charlotte, which aren't. Routing through Miami or LA on American means a high-risk-country dog can land straight at its facility reservation without a domestic connection, which CDC rules don't allow anyway. Confirm current cargo pet acceptance directly.
Cabin and Cargo
DELTA AIR
Delta Air Lines
Connects Belize City to Atlanta, itself a CDC-registered facility airport, which sounds convenient. In practice, Delta's cargo service is currently restricted to active US military and State Department personnel with PCS orders, so this is a cabin-pet option only for most owners, not a route for a dog needing the cargo hold.
Cabin Only
UNITED
United Airlines
Serves Belize City to Houston (IAH), which isn't one of the six CDC-registered facility airports at all. Combined with United's suspended cargo pet programme, this routing doesn't work for a high-risk-country dog regardless of cabin or cargo preference.
Cabin Only
SOUTHWEST
Southwest Airlines
Added new Belize City routes to Houston and Baltimore through 2025 and 2026, but Southwest's pet programme excludes any international itinerary entirely, cabin or cargo. It isn't usable for this route at all, however convenient the new schedule looks.
Cabin Only
The rules for bringing a pet into United States
United States has a detailed set of import rules, and each one needs to be satisfied before travel. None of it is unusual, but the order and timing are what catch people out.
How to keep this move on track
Get your pet used to the travel crate weeks in advance. A calm, crate-familiar animal travels far better than one meeting the crate for the first time at the airport.
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.
FAQ
Common questions about Belize to United States pet transport
Yes. Belize appears on the CDC’s high-risk countries list for dog rabies, last updated 15 April 2026, in the same group as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. That triggers the titre test, the CDC Dog Import Form and the requirement to land at a CDC-registered animal care facility airport.
It’s a certificate from a full-time government veterinarian confirming a dog was inspected for screwworm within 5 days of shipment and found clear. Belize needs it because the parasite reappeared in the country in December 2024, after nearly 30 years free of it, placing Belize alongside Guatemala, Honduras and other regional neighbours on USDA’s affected-country list. It applies to dogs; cats face no equivalent requirement.
Only once it’s at least 6 months old on the actual US arrival date. This is a separate rule from the 12-week minimum vaccination age, part of the CDC’s high-risk-country requirements, and it applies regardless of how early or thoroughly the paperwork was completed.
One of the six CDC-registered animal care facility airports: Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Philadelphia or Washington Dulles. American Airlines conveniently flies Belize City direct to two of these, Miami and Los Angeles, which simplifies the routing considerably compared with connecting through Houston or Charlotte.
Airline guides
American Airlines
Delta Air Lines
United Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Breed guides
Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.