Pet Transport from Madagascar to the United States

A move from Madagascar to United States with a dog or cat is mostly about preparing the documents in the right order. Give yourself close to 12-16 weeks, as several stages run on …

12-16 wks

Preparation needed

28 days

Quarantine on arrival

Very High

Route complexity

Managed

Full door to door

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Lead time needed

12-16 weeks

Quarantine

28 days

Route complexity

Very High

Airlines

4 carriers on this route

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In short: Preparing to move a pet from Madagascar to United States typically takes around 12-16 weeks. Expect 28 days of quarantine on arrival. A rabies titre test may be required depending on your pet's origin, so check the requirements below.

Regulations checked July 2026

Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team

Step by step

The import process, in full

First step, before any vaccination.

Microchip your dog or cat (universal scanner-detectable, ISO recommended)

Responsible: Vet in Antananarivo

After the microchip is confirmed in place.

For dogs: primary rabies vaccination, minimum age 12 weeks. Cats do not need this for US entry.

Responsible: Vet in Antananarivo

At least 30 days after vaccination.

For dogs: draw blood for the rabies titre test at a CDC-approved laboratory

Responsible: Vet, plus an approved laboratory

As soon as travel dates are set. Facilities have limited capacity.

Reserve a slot at a CDC-registered animal care facility at the intended US arrival airport

Responsible: You or your agent

28 days before travel at the earliest.

Confirm the titre result is available at least 28 days before the flight, or plan for the 28-day quarantine alternative

Responsible: You, with the approved laboratory

4-6 weeks before travel, with a buffer since processing time isn't fixed.

DSV endorses the export health certificate and, for dogs, the Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form

Responsible: DSV, Antananarivo

Before travel, within the form's 6-month validity window.

Complete the CDC Dog Import Form online (dogs only, free)

Responsible: You

Day of arrival.

Fly via Nairobi (Kenya Airways to JFK) or Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines to Washington Dulles), landing at the CDC-registered facility airport

Responsible: Airline and CDC facility staff

Checklist

What your pet needs

Every item below must be completed and verified before your pet can travel. Expand each category for the detail.

Microchip

Required for dogs. Universal scanner-detectable, must be implanted before the rabies vaccination or the vaccination doesn't count. No federal microchip requirement for cats. Source: CDC, cdc.gov/importation/dogs, 2026.

Rabies vaccination

Required for dogs, since Madagascar is CDC high-risk for dog rabies. Foreign-issued vaccination at 12 weeks or older, with at least 28 days between vaccination and the titre blood draw. Not required by CDC for cats. Source: CDC, 2026.

Rabies titre test

Required for dogs from Madagascar unless the owner accepts 28-day quarantine instead. Blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination at a CDC-approved laboratory, confirmed at least 28 days before entry. Not required for cats; there is no federal rabies serology requirement for cat imports. Source: CDC, 2026.

Quarantine

28-day quarantine required only for dogs without a valid rabies serology titre report, at a CDC-registered animal care facility and the owner's expense. Not required for cats or for dogs with a valid titre. Source: CDC, 2026.

Import permit

Not required. The free CDC Dog Import Form, completed online before travel, is the entry registration for dogs. A reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility is required in addition for any dog without a valid titre. Source: CDC, 2026.

Health certificate

Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form, completed by a government-endorsed vet in Madagascar, required for dogs. No standalone federal health certificate is required for cats. Source: CDC, 2026.

Veterinary inspection

Pre-export veterinary examination confirming ISO microchip placement before rabies vaccination, plus core vaccinations (distemper, parvovirus and hepatitis for dogs; panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus for cats).

Health certificate

Export health certificate from a Madagascar-registered veterinarian, endorsed by the Direction des Services Veterinaires (DSV), Ministere de l'Agriculture et de l'Elevage, Antananarivo. For dogs, this feeds into the CDC's Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form. No fixed English-language fee schedule is published; confirm directly with DSV before booking.

We handle the regulations for every animal, every country, every airline, so nothing on your Madagascar to United States move gets missed.

Pet Transport Global

Airlines

Carriers on this route

Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. Confirm the operating carrier's current policy for every flight segment.

Kenya Airways

Flies Antananarivo to Nairobi almost daily, connecting to Kenya Airways' long-haul service into New York JFK, one of the six US airports with a CDC-registered animal care facility. Pets travel in the cargo hold on both legs.

Cargo Only

Ethiopian Airlines

Covers Antananarivo to Addis Ababa several times weekly, with an established Addis Ababa to Washington Dulles service, another CDC-registered facility airport. A solid alternative to the Nairobi routing.

Cargo Only

Air France

Antananarivo to Paris Charles de Gaulle several times a week, then onward to a US gateway such as Atlanta or Miami, both CDC-registered facility cities. Small pets under 8kg including carrier can travel in the cabin on the Madagascar to Paris sector.

Cabin and Cargo

Turkish Airlines

Connects Antananarivo to Istanbul via a scheduled Mauritius stop, then on to Washington Dulles, JFK or Atlanta from Istanbul. A longer routing but a workable third option if the Kenya Airways or Ethiopian schedules don't align with travel dates.

Cargo Only

Costs

What this route typically costs

DSV-endorsed export health certificate and pre-export vet exam in Antananarivo: fee not published in a fixed schedule; confirm directly with DSV

CDC Dog Import Form: free (dogs only, not applicable to cats)

Rabies titre test and Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form: USD 150-350

CDC-registered animal care facility reservation and processing fee (dogs only): USD 400-1,000, higher if the 28-day quarantine alternative is used

IATA-compliant travel crate: USD 80-300

Cargo freight, Antananarivo to JFK or Washington Dulles via Nairobi or Addis Ababa: USD 2,000-4,500

Total typical range, dog with a valid titre: USD 2,800-6,500. A cat's total is substantially lower, largely limited to crate and cargo cost.

Critical points

Madagascar is CDC high-risk for dog rabies, per the list updated 15 April 2026. Any dog must arrive at one of six US airports with a CDC-registered animal care facility: JFK, Washington Dulles, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles or San Francisco. There's no domestic connecting flight afterward until the facility has processed the dog.

Cats face none of this. The US has no federal import requirement for pet cats at all, not even a health certificate, which makes a cat's paperwork from Madagascar dramatically simpler than a dog's.

A valid rabies titre avoids the alternative: 28 days of quarantine at the CDC facility, paid for by the owner. Blood must be drawn at least 30 days after vaccination and the result confirmed at least 28 days before the flight, so start this well ahead of booking.

No airline flies Antananarivo to the US directly. Kenya Airways via Nairobi to JFK and Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa to Washington Dulles are the two single-ticket routings that land at a CDC-registered facility.

What United States requires

Entry to United States is tightly controlled, and officials verify each requirement in turn. Treat it as a sequence where every step gates the next.

Avoiding the common mistakes

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. Madagascar appears on the CDC’s high-risk countries list, most recently confirmed on the list updated 15 April 2026. Any dog that has been in Madagascar in the past six months must follow the CDC’s foreign-vaccinated dog process to enter the US.

No, and the difference is significant. The US has no federal import requirement for pet cats at all, not even a health certificate. A cat travelling from Madagascar needs a microchip and to appear healthy on arrival; that’s essentially the full federal list.

Only if it has a valid rabies serology titre result. Without one, the dog must arrive at one of six airports with a CDC-registered animal care facility: JFK, Washington Dulles, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles or San Francisco, and cannot take a domestic connecting flight until the facility has processed it.

28 days of quarantine at a CDC-registered animal care facility, at the owner’s expense. Most owners find the titre route, which needs a 30-day gap after vaccination and a 28-day wait before entry, cheaper and faster once it’s planned for properly.

No. Kenya Airways connects through Nairobi to JFK, and Ethiopian Airlines connects through Addis Ababa to Washington Dulles. Both land at a CDC-registered facility airport on a single ticket, which matters given the arrival restriction for dogs without a titre.

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Airline guides

Kenya Airways
Ethiopian Airlines
Air France
Turkish Airlines

Breed guides

Check breed-specific airline rules and country bans.

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Pet Transport from Madagascar to the United States

The import process, in full

What your pet needs

Carriers on this route

What this route typically costs

Critical points

What United States requires

Avoiding the common mistakes

Common questions

Move your pet

Airline guides

Breed guides

Get a free pet transport quote