Pet Transport from Romania to the United States: 2026 Guide
Romania is classified as CDC low-risk for dog rabies, so a dog that has spent the whole of the previous six months in low-risk countries needs no rabies titre test to enter the United States, and faces no quarantine on arrival. That six-month history is the …
The Romania to United States import process
Every step must be completed in sequence. A single missed deadline can add months to your timeline. We own the entire process.
Responsible: Your vet in Romania
Responsible: You (owner)
Responsible: You or your agent
Responsible: You
Responsible: Official vet
Responsible: You
Which United States rules depend on a pet coming from Romania?
The United States sorts countries into 2 groups, and Romania 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 Romania require before your pet leaves?
- Export health certificate: For travel to non-EU countries, ANSVSA publishes destination-specific model certificates for pets (for example dogs and cats to the United States, and dogs and cats to Brazil) under the heading on pet movements from Romania to third countries. The destination's own rules decide the certificate. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Romania for non-EU countries.
Import/Control la frontieră, checked 1 October 2026 - Export health certificate: Certification of live animals leaving for third countries is done by official veterinarians (MVO) designated for that purpose; ANSVSA publishes the list of designated MVOs. The page covers live animals generally, not pets specifically. Applies to live animals, including pets, leaving Romania for non-EU countries.
Certificate veterinare de sănătate pentru exportul animalelor vii în ţările terţe, checked 1 October 2026
What this route typically costs
Critical points
The CDC low-risk route turns on where your dog has been, not just where it flies from. It applies to a dog that spent the whole of the previous six months in low-risk countries. Romania borders Ukraine and Moldova and takes in rescues from both, and neither can be assumed to be low-risk, so a dog that crossed either border inside that window may fall under the high-risk pathway instead: serology from a CDC-approved laboratory, or a 28-day stay at a CDC-registered facility, and arrival only at an airport that has such a facility. Confirm your dog's six-month history and the current country classifications before booking: cdc.gov/importation/dogs.
Breed rules apply at both ends. Romania regulates the keeping of Pit Bull Terrier types and some crosses, and there is no federal US breed ban, but individual states and cities do ban pit bull types outright. Check the rules where you are moving to, not just the airline's breed list.
Dogs must be at least 6 months old on the day they arrive in the US and must appear healthy. A younger puppy cannot enter, whatever its paperwork shows, and airlines check the date of birth at cargo acceptance.
Hawaii runs its own state rabies programme on top of the federal rules, including a titre test and advance paperwork. If you are moving to Hawaii, treat it as a separate and much longer process and start at least six months ahead.
Approved carriers for this route
Not all airlines accept live animals. We book only with carriers that handle live animal cargo correctly.
Romanian rescue dogs and the US: what to know
Romania has a large stray and rescue dog community, and many pets being transported from Romania to the US are adopted rescues. If this describes your situation, there are specific things to have in order.
First, the microchip. Any dog leaving Romania under the EU pet travel rules needs an ISO 11784/11785 chip. Many rescues are chipped by rescue organisations, but it is worth confirming the chip is reading correctly with a standard scanner before you commit to a travel date.
Second, the vaccination record. The EU pet passport records the vaccination dates alongside the vet’s details. For a rescue dog that came from a shelter, ensure the shelter’s vaccination records were entered properly into an EU passport by an official vet. A handwritten vaccination note on its own is not sufficient.
Third, the history. The CDC’s low-risk route depends on the dog having been in low-risk countries for the whole of the previous six months. Romania borders Ukraine and Moldova, and neither can be assumed to be low-risk, so if your rescue crossed one of those borders inside that window, get the dates from the shelter and check the current CDC classification before you fix a travel date. The 21-day wait after a rabies vaccination that you may have read about is the EU rule for bringing a pet into the EU. It does not govern a flight out of Romania to the United States. The airline will still want a current vaccination recorded in the passport, and the CDC’s own vaccination timing rules differ by classification, so confirm both at cdc.gov/importation before booking.
The US border: what actually happens when you arrive
At the US port of entry, a CBP or CDC officer may review your dog’s documentation. For a dog that qualifies as low-risk, this is typically brief. They confirm the microchip number matches the passport, check the CDC Dog Import Form receipt, and confirm the dog is at least six months old and appears healthy. The form asks where the dog has been in the previous six months, and it is that answer, rather than the departure airport, that puts the dog on the low-risk route or the high-risk one.
If everything is in order and the dog qualifies as low-risk, it is cleared within minutes. There is no standard quarantine period, no facility reservation, and no test on arrival.
The situation where things go wrong is usually missing or incorrect documentation. If the CDC form was not completed, or the microchip number does not match the records, there can be delays and in the worst case the animal is refused. The 10-day health certificate window is an airline rule rather than a US federal one, so a stale certificate normally stops the dog at cargo acceptance in Bucharest, before it ever flies.
Airlines from Bucharest to the US
There are no direct Bucharest to US flights. Connections go via Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Amsterdam (KLM) or Istanbul (Turkish Airlines). Each hub has different cargo handling facilities and live animal protocols.
Lufthansa via Frankfurt and KLM via Amsterdam are the straightforward options. Both hubs sit in low-risk countries and both carriers run established pet cargo programmes. Turkish Airlines via Istanbul is also flown from Bucharest and has a wide US network, but Turkiye is treated as high-risk for dog rabies, and we have not been able to confirm whether a cargo transit there affects how the CDC reads your dog’s six-month history. If you are considering that routing, put the question to the airline and check the current CDC position before you book, not after.
Book cargo space well in advance, especially in summer. Heat embargoes at the connecting hub, not at Bucharest, are what usually break a summer booking, so ask the carrier about its temperature limits for that specific hub before you commit to dates.
One difference from the UK and Australia routes: the United States does not require pets to arrive as manifest cargo. A cat or a small dog may be able to travel in the cabin on a carrier that allows it, which costs far less than a cargo booking. If your pet is near the airline’s cabin weight limit, ask about that option before you book the hold.
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.