Pet Transport from France to the United States
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The France to United States process
Responsible: Vet
Responsible: Owner
Responsible: Owner or agent
Responsible: French veterinarian
Responsible: Owner / airline
Responsible: US Customs and Border Protection
United States: entry requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Microchip | Required for all dogs. Where a rabies vaccination record is what qualifies the dog, the chip must have been implanted before that vaccination or the CDC treats the vaccination as invalid. On the low-risk pathway the CDC does not require a vaccination record at all, so check the dates with your vet before paying for a revaccination you may not need. |
| Rabies vaccination | Not required by the CDC for a dog that has spent the whole of the previous six months in low-risk countries such as France. CDC risk classification follows the dog's six-month travel history, not the country it flies from: a dog that has been in a CDC high-risk country within that window is treated as high risk however long it has lived in France since. Airlines require a current vaccination for the booking in any case. |
| Rabies titre test | Not required by the CDC for a dog that has spent the previous six months in low-risk countries. A dog that has been in a CDC high-risk country within that window needs either a rabies serology result from a CDC-approved laboratory or a 28-day stay at a CDC-registered facility. Hawaii requires a titre test of every dog and cat regardless of origin, taken more than 90 days before arrival. |
| Quarantine | None on the US mainland for a dog qualifying on low-risk status. A dog with high-risk travel history in the previous six months and no CDC-approved titre result faces 28 days at a CDC-registered animal care facility and must land at the airport where that facility sits, with no domestic connection first. Hawaii operates its own arrival quarantine for all dogs and cats: 5 days or less if every pre-arrival requirement is met, otherwise up to 120 days at the owner's expense. |
| Import permit | No formal import permit. The CDC Dog Import Form (free, online at cdc.gov/importation) is the registration mechanism. |
| Health certificate | Not federally required by the CDC for a dog qualifying on low-risk status, but required by airlines for cabin or cargo booking, and some US states ask for one. Check the agriculture department of the state you are moving to. |
Export requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Export permit | No export permit required from France for cats and dogs. |
| Health certificate | Health certificate from a French veterinarian for the airline booking. The EU pet passport documents the vaccination history. France's departmental veterinary services (DDPP) endorse export health certificates for non-EU destinations, and the United States does not federally require an endorsed certificate for a dog qualifying on low-risk status, so ask your vet at the first appointment whether endorsement is needed for your paperwork. If it is, it needs an appointment and a queue, so do not leave it to the last week. |
What this route typically costs
| 1 | Air France cabin pet fee: approximately EUR 70 to EUR 125 per leg for small pets |
| 2 | Air cargo fee (larger pets): EUR 1,000 to EUR 3,000 from Paris to a US hub |
| 3 | French vet health certificate for the airline: EUR 50 to EUR 150 |
| 4 | Pet transport agent fee if used: EUR 400 to EUR 1,200 |
| 5 | IATA-compliant travel crate (if cargo): EUR 80 to EUR 350 |
| 6 | US-side customs clearance and cargo terminal handling if the pet flies as cargo: quoted by the broker or handling agent. Ask for this figure before booking. We do not publish a range because we do not hold a checked one. |
Read before you book
Airlines on this route
France's CDC low-risk status
The US CDC classifies France as low risk for dog rabies. The classification attaches to the dog, not to the airport it leaves from: what the CDC looks at is where the animal has been for the previous six months. A dog that has spent all six of those months in France, or in any other low-risk country, does not need a titre test, quarantine, or a CDC-registered facility. The only mandatory CDC document is the Dog Import Form, completed free online at cdc.gov/importation before travel.
Check that six-month history before you plan anything else. A dog that has been in a country the CDC classes as high risk within that window, a rescue relayed through Paris for example, is treated as high risk however long it has lived in France since. That dog needs a Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip endorsed by a government vet, plus either a rabies serology result from a CDC-approved laboratory or a booked 28-day stay at a CDC-registered animal care facility, and it has to land at the airport where that facility sits with no domestic connection first. None of it can be arranged at the airport.
While the CDC does not require a rabies vaccination on the low-risk pathway, airlines require one for their booking, so most pets will have a current vaccination.
Cats face no federal US requirements: no CDC form, no federal health certificate, no vaccination certificate. Individual states can still set their own rules, so check the agriculture department for the state you are moving to, and note that Hawaii’s quarantine programme applies to cats exactly as it does to dogs.
Air France cabin travel
Air France takes small pets in the cabin on many transatlantic routes, which is unusual on the Atlantic and worth having. The limit is around 8kg for the animal and its carrier together, and the carrier has to fit under the seat in front, so weigh the pet in its bag before you assume anything. A 9kg cat in a 1kg carrier is over. Confirm the current figure with the airline when you book, because these limits change.
Over that weight the pet goes in the hold or as cargo, and the choice of carrier narrows sharply. Air France cargo handles larger animals out of Paris. United carries small pets in the cabin only and runs no cargo pet service. Delta’s cargo service is currently limited to active US military and State Department personnel moving on PCS orders, so it is not something a civilian owner can book, whatever a general airline guide may say. If your dog is too big for a cabin carrier, plan on Air France cargo or an IPATA-accredited agent, and book weeks ahead rather than days.
Flat-faced breeds are the other thing that stops bookings out of France. French Bulldogs, Pugs and English Bulldogs meet restrictions and seasonal embargoes on both cabin and cargo, and a summer departure narrows the options further. Check the breed policy before you fix a travel date.
Common questions
France to United States?
Sources
Requirements on this page were checked against the authorities below. Rules change, so confirm current conditions with the relevant authority before you travel.