HN
Honduras
✈️
US
United States
Pet Transport from Honduras to the United States
10-14 weeks
Typical preparation
None
Quarantine on arrival
High
Route complexity
✓ Managed
Full door-to-door service
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from Honduras to United States
typically takes around 10-14 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
A rabies titre test may be required depending on your pet's origin, so check the requirements below.
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Overview
A move from Honduras to United States with a dog or cat is mostly about preparing the documents in the right order. There is a fair amount of paperwork here, so plan on around 10-14 weeks. There is no routine quarantine, provided the paperwork is in order.
Depending on origin, a rabies titre test may be part of the process here. Read on for the requirements, timing and carrier options for this route.
Step by step
The Honduras to United States process
1
Start of planning.
Microchip implanted (ISO 11784/11785), then the primary rabies vaccination given, in that order.
Responsible: Honduras-based vet
2
At least 30 days after vaccination.
Blood drawn for the rabies serology titre test at a CDC-approved laboratory.
Responsible: Honduras-based vet / CDC-approved laboratory
3
Lab turnaround typically 3-5 weeks.
Titre result confirmed at 0.5 IU/mL or above. This result must also land at least 28 days before the planned US entry date.
Responsible: CDC-approved laboratory
4
Once the titre result is in hand, ahead of travel.
Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form completed by the vet and endorsed by SENASA.
Responsible: Honduras-based vet and SENASA
5
Close to departure, once flights are booked.
SENASA Certificado Zoosanitario de Exportación obtained via the SECEH platform, and CDC Dog Import Form completed online for a receipt.
Responsible: SENASA-registered exporter and owner
6
As soon as the titre result timeline is known, since facility slots are limited.
Reserve the CDC-registered facility at the chosen US arrival airport, and book a routing that actually lands there.
Responsible: Owner or pet relocation agent
7
Travel day.
Travel to Miami or Atlanta, present all documents, and complete the CDC facility examination on arrival.
Responsible: Airline cargo handler and CDC facility staff
Checklist
United States of America: entry requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Microchip | Required for dogs entering from a high-risk country: an ISO 11784/11785-compatible microchip readable by a universal scanner, implanted before the rabies vaccination. A vaccination given first is not valid for this pathway. Source: CDC, 'Entry Requirements for Foreign-Vaccinated Dogs from High-Risk Countries,' cdc.gov/importation/dogs, last reviewed 22 July 2024. |
| Rabies vaccination | Required for dogs at least 12 weeks old, given after the microchip. Cats have no CDC rabies requirement for this route. Source: CDC, cdc.gov/importation/dogs, 2024. |
| Rabies titre test | Required for dogs. Honduras appears on the CDC's high-risk countries list for dog rabies, updated 15 April 2026, so a rabies serology titre test (commonly run as an FAVN) is mandatory at a CDC-approved laboratory. Blood must be drawn at least 30 days after the first vaccination and at least 28 days before US entry, with a result of 0.5 IU/mL or higher. Source: CDC, cdc.gov/importation/dogs, 2026. |
| Quarantine | No quarantine for a dog with a passing titre result, after examination on arrival. A dog without a valid titre faces 28 days of quarantine at the CDC-registered facility, at the owner's cost. Source: CDC, cdc.gov/importation/dogs, 2024. |
| Import permit | No separate USDA import permit for a personal companion dog or cat. USDA APHIS involvement on dog imports is limited to foot-and-mouth and screwworm disease controls, not rabies, which the CDC handles. Source: USDA APHIS, aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel, 2026. |
| Health certificate | Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form, completed by the treating vet in Honduras and endorsed by SENASA as the country's official veterinary authority, plus the CDC Dog Import Form completed online with a printable or phone-displayable receipt. Cats need neither form under current CDC rules. Source: CDC, cdc.gov/importation/dogs, 2024 and 2026. |
Leaving Honduras
Export requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Export permit | No separate export permit for a companion dog or cat. The document that matters for this route is the Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form required by the CDC, which needs endorsement from Honduras's own veterinary authority, SENASA. |
| Health certificate | Certificado Zoosanitario de Exportación issued by SENASA (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad e Inocuidad Agroalimentaria), applied for online via SECEH for a fixed Lps 450 fee plus two Lps 10 veterinary college stamps. This confirms the pet is healthy and legally exportable from Honduras, but it is a separate document from the CDC paperwork below, and it does not by itself satisfy CDC entry rules. Source: SENASA, 'Instructivo para Trámites para la Exportación de Mascotas,' senasa.gob.hn, 2023. |
Costs
What this route typically costs
| 1 | SENASA export certificate: Lps 450 fixed fee plus 2 vet college stamps at Lps 10 each (roughly USD 18-20 total) |
| 2 | Honduran vet visits, vaccination and blood draw: USD 80-200 |
| 3 | CDC-approved laboratory titre test: USD 150-300 |
| 4 | Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form processing and SENASA endorsement: USD 40-100 |
| 5 | CDC-registered facility reservation and arrival examination: USD 200-600 |
| 6 | IATA-compliant travel crate: USD 80-300 |
| 7 | Air cargo Honduras to a CDC-registered US airport: USD 900-2,500 |
| 8 | Total typical range: USD 1,500-4,000 |
Critical points
Read before you book
⚠ Honduras is on the CDC's high-risk countries list for dog rabies, confirmed on the CDC's own list dated 15 April 2026. A vaccination certificate alone will not get a dog into the US from Honduras; the titre test, the Certification form and the CDC facility reservation are all mandatory.
⚠ Only six US airports currently carry a CDC-registered animal care facility: Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Philadelphia and Washington Dulles. United's Houston (IAH) routing out of San Pedro Sula and Palmerola does not land at any of them, which makes it unsuitable for a dog on this route as things stand, even though it is a real, bookable flight.
⚠ Cats carry none of the CDC's high-risk-country requirements. If the household move includes both a dog and a cat, expect two very different timelines and two separate sets of paperwork.
⚠ The blood draw for the titre test has to sit at least 30 days after vaccination and the result has to land at least 28 days before entry. Lab turnaround of 3 to 5 weeks means the practical minimum lead time runs closer to 10 to 12 weeks, not the 58-day theoretical floor.
Carriers
Airlines on this route
American Airlines
Flies both San Pedro Sula (SAP) and Palmerola International (XPL, serving Tegucigalpa) to Miami (MIA) year-round. Miami is one of the six CDC-registered facility airports, which makes this the most straightforward routing for a high-risk-country dog on this whole route.
Delta Air Lines
Operates SAP to Atlanta (ATL) year-round. Atlanta also carries a CDC-registered facility, so a Delta booking satisfies the CDC arrival-airport rule in the same way as American's Miami service.
United Airlines
Flies SAP and XPL to Houston (IAH) year-round, but Houston has no CDC-registered animal care facility. For a dog, that makes this routing unworkable as booked; confirm with United and a relocation agent whether a same-day onward connection to a qualifying airport is even feasible before considering it. For a cat, which carries no CDC entry requirement, Houston is not a problem.
Avianca
Serves XPL from San Salvador and other Central American points, useful only as a regional connection an agent might build into a routing; it is not a realistic option for the transborder leg into the US on its own.
United States entry requirements at a glance
The requirements for United States are thorough rather than difficult. Work through them methodically and confirm anything you are unsure about with the official source.
Getting the details right
Ask about temperature embargoes for your travel window. Summer and winter cargo restrictions can rule out certain routes and dates entirely.
Book the titre test laboratory well ahead. Approved labs have limited slots and the sample takes time to process, so this is not something to leave to the final weeks.
Microchip before you vaccinate. The microchip must be in place before the rabies shot for the vaccination to count, and getting this order wrong is the most common and costly mistake.
Use an official, government-authorised vet for the health certificate, not just your usual clinic. Many destinations only accept certificates signed by an approved vet.
FAQ
Common questions
Yes. Honduras appears on the CDC’s high-risk countries list for dog rabies, current as of the list dated 15 April 2026. That triggers a mandatory rabies serology titre test, a Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form endorsed by SENASA, and arrival at a CDC-registered facility airport for any dog. Source: CDC, cdc.gov/importation/dogs/high-risk-countries.html.
Only the six airports with a CDC-registered animal care facility: Atlanta (ATL), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York JFK, Philadelphia (PHL) and Washington Dulles (IAD). American Airlines flies both San Pedro Sula and Palmerola into Miami, and Delta flies San Pedro Sula into Atlanta, so both carriers work. United’s Houston service does not, since Houston has no CDC-registered facility.
No. The CDC’s high-risk-country requirements, including the titre test and the facility-airport rule, apply to dogs only. A cat travels from Honduras on a standard SENASA export certificate and health documentation, with a much shorter lead time.
Budget 10 to 14 weeks for a dog from a standing start. That covers the 30-day gap before the titre blood draw, laboratory turnaround of 3 to 5 weeks, the 28-day minimum before entry that the result has to clear, and time for SENASA’s Certification form endorsement and the CDC facility reservation. A cat can move considerably faster, closer to the standard SENASA export timeline of a few weeks.
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