PT
Portugal
✈️
US
United States
Pet Transport from Portugal to the United States
14
Sourced facts for this journey
7 Oct 2026
Independently checked
✓ Managed
Full door-to-door service
For a dog going to most US states, Portugal's DGAV issues no official export certificate: a 'Health Certificate' there means your own vet's paperwork, attestable in the pet passport. Illinois and Massachusetts are the exceptions, with their own DGAV papers. Your dog also needs the free CDC Dog Import Form and must be at least six months old.
Start your journey
Get Your Free Quote
Enter your pet's details and route
Quotes are tailored to your specific journey.
Regulations checked
What does Portugal require for the United States before the flight?
- DGAV's own information sheet for dogs going to the US says the 'Certificate of Veterinary Inspection' or 'Health Certificate' asked for there is not an official DGAV certificate: it is health paperwork from your clinical vet, which can be attested in the EU pet passport.
DGAV: Informação Sanitária EUA, Cães (Maio 2026), checked 7 October 2026 - DGAV says rabies vaccination is not compulsory for dogs going from Portugal to the US, but if the dog is vaccinated, the microchip must have been implanted before the vaccine or on the same day.
DGAV: Informação Sanitária EUA, Cães (Maio 2026), checked 7 October 2026 - DGAV's export page gives one set of US health information for dogs and cats that applies everywhere except Illinois and Massachusetts, which each have their own DGAV document (a health certificate for Illinois, health conditions for Massachusetts).
DGAV: Sair de Portugal para um país fora da UE, cães, gatos e furões, checked 7 October 2026 - For Illinois, DGAV publishes a bilingual Portuguese and English health certificate for dogs and cats that is signed by an official veterinarian, not a private vet.
DGAV: Certificação Sanitária, Estado de Illinois (EUA), cães e gatos, checked 7 October 2026 - The DGAV certificate for Illinois is valid for 30 days from the date it is issued.
DGAV: Certificação Sanitária, Estado de Illinois (EUA), cães e gatos, checked 7 October 2026 - The Illinois certificate requires the pet to be at least 16 weeks old and to have a valid rabies vaccination.
DGAV: Certificação Sanitária, Estado de Illinois (EUA), cães e gatos, checked 7 October 2026
Which airlines take pets from Portugal to the United States?
- TAP Air Portugal carries a dog or cat in the cabin only if the pet and its soft carrier together weigh no more than 8 kg.
TAP Air Portugal: Traveling with pets, checked 7 October 2026 - On TAP flights to, from or via the United States the hold limit is 32 kg total weight, lower than the 45 kg TAP allows elsewhere; above that, TAP asks you to contact TAP Air Cargo.
TAP Air Portugal: Traveling with pets, checked 7 October 2026 - TAP does not accept brachycephalic (short, flat-snouted) dogs or cats in the hold, citing the risk of death in the hold's usual temperature range of 10 to 19 degrees Celsius.
TAP Air Portugal: Traveling with pets (Transporting pets in the aircraft's hold, mandatory conditions), checked 7 October 2026 - TAP's 'Flights to the USA' rules apply the CDC dog requirements to pet dogs whether they travel in the cabin or the hold: over 6 months old, microchipped, and travelling with the CDC Dog Import Form receipt.
TAP Air Portugal: Traveling with pets (Rules and requirements per country, Flights to the USA), checked 7 October 2026 - Azores Airlines does not carry pets in the hold on its flights to and from the United States; pets on those flights can only go in the cabin.
Azores Airlines: Traveling with pets, checked 7 October 2026
Where does the journey connect and land?
- TAP does not carry pets, in the cabin or the hold, on flights to the United Kingdom, whether direct or with stopovers (assistance pets may travel in the cabin), so a TAP pet booking from Portugal cannot route through London.
TAP Air Portugal: Traveling with pets (Rules and requirements per country, Flights to the United Kingdom), checked 7 October 2026
What do the published charges come to?
- TAP's published charges for a pet in the cabin on intercontinental flights start at 150 to 180 euros, depending on season (low or high) and where you book (website, contact centre or airport).
TAP Air Portugal: Traveling with pets (prices, cabin, intercontinental flights), checked 7 October 2026 - TAP's published charges for a pet up to 32 kg in the hold on intercontinental flights run from 227 to 250 euros, depending on season and booking channel.
TAP Air Portugal: Traveling with pets (prices, hold up to 32 kg, intercontinental flights), checked 7 October 2026
These are published charges only, not the full cost of a move. Prices change with your pet's size and crate, the airline and routing, the season, fuel surcharges and exchange rates. Your quote may differ.
Which United States rules depend on a pet coming from Portugal?
The United States sorts countries into 2 groups, and Portugal 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 Portugal require before your pet leaves?
- Export health certificate: Where the destination requires official certification, the clinical vet completes attestation Mod. 1452/DGAV to the destination's conditions, certification is requested through DGAV's Certific@+ system, and the owner then collects the health certificate from the DGAV service indicated. DGAV notes that some destinations need only official endorsement of the pet's own documents and some need no official intervention at all, so check the destination. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Portugal for non-EU countries.
Sair de Portugal para um país fora da UE, checked 1 October 2026 - Export health certificate: Certification is obtained via the Certific@+ system. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Portugal for non-EU countries.
Sair de Portugal para um país fora da UE, checked 1 October 2026 - Export health certificate: The owner must go to the indicated DGAV service to collect the health certificate; regional DSAVR services handle enquiries. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Portugal for non-EU countries.
Sair de Portugal para um país fora da UE, checked 1 October 2026 - Other conditions: DGAV warns that taking live animals out of Portugal may involve the nature conservation authority, ICNF. DGAV does not say in which cases; PTG should check with ICNF if there is any doubt (for example a protected species). Applies to live animals leaving Portugal.
Sair de Portugal para um país fora da UE, checked 2 October 2026
FAQ
Common questions
Not for federal US entry: DGAV notes that rabies vaccination isn't compulsory for dogs travelling from Portugal, and the CDC only recommends it. If your dog is vaccinated, though, DGAV says the microchip must have gone in before the vaccine or on the same day. Illinois is stricter: its certificate needs a valid rabies vaccination and a pet at least 16 weeks old.
TAP takes a dog or cat in the cabin if pet and soft carrier together weigh no more than 8 kg, and in the hold up to 32 kg total weight on US flights. Above 32 kg, TAP asks you to contact TAP Air Cargo. Azores Airlines carries pets only in the cabin on its US flights, never in the hold.
TAP won't take brachycephalic dogs or cats in the hold, because their short, flat snouts put them at risk in the hold's usual temperature range of 10 to 19 degrees Celsius. It also carries no pets on flights to the UK, direct or with stopovers, so a TAP pet itinerary from Portugal can't go through London.
TAP's published intercontinental pet charges start at 150 to 180 euros in the cabin and run from 227 to 250 euros in the hold for a pet up to 32 kg, depending on season and where you book. Prices change with your pet's size and crate, the airline and routing, the season, fuel surcharges and exchange rates. The CDC Dog Import Form itself is free.
For most states, no official certificate is needed: TAP's rules for dogs on US flights list age, microchip and the CDC Dog Import Form receipt, and the CDC doesn't ask for a general health certificate. Where US paperwork mentions a 'Health Certificate' or 'Certificate of Veterinary Inspection', DGAV explains that this means documents from your clinical vet, which can be attested in the pet passport. Illinois is different: its bilingual certificate is signed by an official vet and is valid for 30 days after issue.
Ready to book
Portugal to United States?
Portugal to United States?
Get a free quote →
No commitment. We reply within one business day.