Pet Transport Poland to United States: 2026 Guide
Poland is not on the CDC’s high-risk country list for dog rabies, so there is no titre test and no quarantine. Federally, a dog needs a readable microchip, a completed CDC …
The import process, in full
Responsible: Polish veterinary practice
Responsible: Licensed vet in Poland
Responsible: Owner or relocation agent
Responsible: Owner
Responsible: Licensed Polish vet
Responsible: Owner and US Customs and Border Protection
Which United States rules depend on a pet coming from Poland?
The United States sorts countries into 2 groups, and Poland falls in “Dog rabies-free or low-risk countries”.
Dog has been only in these countries for 6 months before entry: CDC Dog Import Form receipt (valid 6 months), age 6 months, microchip, healthy; any airport, seaport or land border. Official source
These rules apply to that group, on top of the rules every pet follows:
- Import permit: For dogs only in rabies-free or low-risk countries, the receipt is valid 6 months unless the dog visits a high-risk country or a different low-risk country in that time. Applies to dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries.
Entry Requirements for Dogs from Dog-Rabies Free or Low-Risk Countries, checked 2 October 2026 - Health certificate: No document beyond the CDC Dog Import Form receipt is listed for dogs only in rabies-free or low-risk countries. Applies to dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries.
Entry Requirements for Dogs from Dog-Rabies Free or Low-Risk Countries, checked 2 October 2026 - Health certificate: Not required: CDC does not require a general health certificate for pets (cats, and dogs only in rabies-free or low-risk countries). Airlines and some states may still ask for one.
Bringing an Animal into the U.S., checked 2 October 2026 - Rabies vaccination: CDC recommends, but for dogs only from rabies-free or low-risk countries does not list as an entry requirement, rabies vaccination. Applies to dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries.
Bringing a Dog into the United States, checked 2 October 2026 - How your pet may travel: Not required: no federal restriction on mode of travel for dogs only in rabies-free or low-risk countries; they may arrive by air, sea or land. Cabin, checked baggage or cargo is an airline matter. (Seattle's CDC facility takes cargo-only reservations, and the LAX facilities prefer cargo, for high-risk dogs.) Applies to dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries.
Entry Requirements for Dogs from Dog-Rabies Free or Low-Risk Countries, checked 2 October 2026 - Arrival points and notice: Dogs only in rabies-free or low-risk countries may enter at any airport, seaport or land border. Applies to dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries.
Entry Requirements for Dogs from Dog-Rabies Free or Low-Risk Countries, checked 2 October 2026
One rule for every pet entering the United States decides whether yours can travel at all:
- Minimum age: Every dog must be at least 6 months old on entry or return to the US.
Entry Requirements for Dogs from Dog-Rabies Free or Low-Risk Countries, checked 2 October 2026 - Minimum age: Not listed: cats. CDC's cat section requires only that cats appear healthy on arrival (they may be inspected, examined at the owner's cost if ill, or refused if they show a zoonotic disease); rabies vaccination proof is not required. APHIS states it has no animal health requirements for pet cats (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/another-country-to-us-import/cats). Neither sets a minimum age; destination states may.
Bringing an Animal into the U.S., checked 2 October 2026
The rules that apply to every pet entering the United States, whatever the origin, are listed with their official sources in our United States guide.
What does Poland require before your pet leaves?
- Export health certificate: The District Veterinary Officer (Powiatowy Lekarz Weterynarii) issues health certificates for pets going to third countries, based on a veterinary examination certificate from any private clinic issued within 48 hours and proof of current rabies vaccination; some countries (e.g. Australia, Japan, South Africa) require certificates on their own forms plus a pre-export certificate; where a destination has new requirements the owner gives the District Veterinary Officer the certificate that country requires, with a sworn translation into Polish, and the officer issues it on that form (Warsaw District Veterinary Inspectorate, page dated 2 December 2021). GIW publishes bilateral certificate models for Brazil, Mexico and Ukraine. Applies to dogs and cats leaving for non-EU countries.
Wywóz zwierząt towarzyszących do krajów trzecich (2 December 2021), checked 5 October 2026 - Export health certificate: A certificate issued by the District Veterinary Officer is valid for 15 days (subject to the destination's own rules). Applies to dogs and cats leaving for non-EU countries.
Wywóz zwierząt towarzyszących do krajów trzecich (2 December 2021), checked 5 October 2026 - Export health certificate: Fee: at least PLN 133.42 for issuing a certificate for animals, per the Warsaw District Veterinary Inspectorate fee page. The rates are set by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development regulation of 27 March 2026 (published 7 April 2026; the Warsaw page itself dates it 7 April 2026) on fees for Veterinary Inspection services (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 472), as cited on the GIW veterinary fees page. Applies to dogs and cats leaving for non-EU countries.
Opłaty skarbowe, checked 1 October 2026Official sources differ
Date conflict: the Warsaw District Veterinary Inspectorate page (https://www.wawa.piw.gov.pl/oplaty-skarbowe/) calls it 'Rozporządzeniem MRiRW z dnia 7 kwietnia 2026 r.' (Dz.U. z 2026 r. poz. 472), while the GIW fees page says 27 March 2026. The official gazette entry (https://dziennikustaw.gov.pl/DU/2026/472) reads 'Rozporządzenie Ministra Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi z dnia 27 marca 2026 r.' with 'Data ogłoszenia: 2026-04-07'. So 27 March 2026 is the regulation date and 7 April 2026 is its publication date; the Warsaw page gives the publication date.
We handle the regulations for every animal, every country, every airline, so nothing on your Poland to United States move gets missed.
Carriers on this route
Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. Confirm the operating carrier's current policy for every flight segment.
What this route typically costs
Critical points
The CDC Dog Import Form must be completed before travel. It is required for all dogs entering the US regardless of origin.
Dogs must be at least 6 months old on the date they arrive in the US. A younger dog is refused, no paperwork gets round it, and nothing can be done on the day. Check this before you book anything.
LOT restricts brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds from cargo, including French Bulldogs, Pugs, Bulldogs, Boxers, Boston Terriers, Pekingese, Shih Tzus and flat-faced cats such as Persians. Seasonal heat embargoes can also stop a booked shipment. Confirm your breed and your travel month with the carrier before you commit to a date.
The airline health certificate should be in English or include a certified translation, and for a cargo shipment it usually needs an endorsement from the Polish veterinary authority. Ask your vet about the endorsement lead time early, because it is a booked appointment rather than a same-day job.
US Requirements for Dogs from Poland
The United States applies a tiered import system for dogs based on each origin country’s rabies status. Poland, as an EU member state with effective rabies control, is not on the CDC’s high-risk list. This means dogs from Poland do not need a FAVN titre test to enter the US, unlike dogs from high-risk countries such as Jordan or Vietnam. There is no quarantine and no titre test. The age rule is the one that catches people out, because it cannot be worked around. A five-month-old puppy with perfect paperwork is still refused.
A rabies vaccination and a vet health certificate are not CDC entry conditions for a dog coming from a low-risk country such as Poland. They are airline conditions, and LOT will not load a pet without them, so in practice you need both. That distinction matters when a date slips: any vaccination timing rule you are being held to is the carrier’s, so the carrier is who you ask about it, not the CDC.
Cats from Poland face no federal US import requirements, though a cat still has to appear healthy on arrival and the destination state may set its own rules. In practice it is the airline’s paperwork, the health certificate above all, that a cat owner actually has to produce.
LOT's Direct Routes and What They Mean for Pet Logistics
LOT Polish Airlines is the main carrier for Warsaw to US routes and the most practical option for pet owners. LOT operates direct flights from Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) to New York JFK, Chicago O’Hare (ORD), and Los Angeles (LAX). All three destinations are CDC-approved ports of entry for live animals.
Pets travel as cargo on LOT’s Warsaw to US routes. LOT Cargo handles live animal shipments and requires bookings well in advance; six to eight weeks is a reasonable planning horizon, and longer over summer and Christmas when capacity tightens. Summer is not only a capacity question. Heat embargoes can stop a booked shipment outright, and LOT restricts brachycephalic breeds from cargo all year round: Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers, Boxers, Pekingese, Shih Tzus, and flat-faced cats such as Persians and Himalayans. If your pet is one of these, settle carriage with the airline first, because everything else on this page depends on it. Provide the kennel dimensions and the combined weight of pet plus kennel when making the inquiry.
The IATA kennel must allow your pet to stand at full height, turn around, and lie down. The kennel must have a water container and ventilation on at least three sides. LOT may have specific kennel requirements beyond the IATA minimum; confirm these before purchasing a kennel.
The health certificate must be in English or accompanied by a certified translation. Ask your vet which certificate form the carrier wants, and whether it needs an endorsement from the Polish veterinary authority, because for a cargo shipment it usually does and that is a booked appointment with a lead time. The certificate should include the microchip number, species, breed, date of birth, vaccination record, and a fitness-for-travel statement. Most are treated as valid for 10 days from issue, so if you are connecting, time it against the date the pet lands in the US rather than the date it leaves Warsaw.
What Happens on Arrival at a US Airport
When your pet arrives as cargo, US Customs and Border Protection officers at the port of entry check the documentation, with a referral to the CDC if a dog’s paperwork does not add up. They scan the microchip, check the CDC Dog Import Form receipt for dogs, and look at whether the animal appears healthy. Any US port of entry can take a pet from Poland.
For well-documented arrivals from low-risk countries like Poland, the inspection is typically brief. Officers are looking for completeness and consistency; if the microchip number on the paperwork matches the chip in the animal and the dog is clearly over 6 months old, the process moves quickly.
Once cleared, the pet is released from the cargo facility. Budget for the US-side charges too, since terminal handling and any customs broker fee are billed at collection and are not included in the airline’s quoted rate. Arrange for collection from the cargo terminal rather than the passenger terminal; cargo collection has different access and opening hours. Your cargo agent or relocation agent can give you the specific collection instructions for the airport you are arriving at.
Common questions
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Requirements on this page were checked against the authorities below. Rules change, so confirm current conditions with the relevant authority before you travel.
- USDA APHIS · United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- CDC · United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dog import rules
- IATA · International Air Transport Association, Live Animals Regulations