The new CDC requirements for dogs entering the U.S.
According to a decision made by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rules and conditions for accepting dogs into the United States took effect on August 1, 2024. Passengers with an approved pet reservation can board flights after August 1, 2024 if they submit the CDC-required documents through the new process. If you are traveling from a high-risk country* to a destination other than Atlanta, New York, Washington, Miami or Los Angeles, your dog may not be permitted on our flights under the new rules and conditions. However, if the dog had the rabbies vaccination in USA, did not spend more than 6 months in a high-risk country and the documents are complete, it may enter from other cities as well. For more information, please see
Bringing a Dog into the United States | Importation | CDC.
Dogs entering the US from countries* with a high risk of rabies as of August 1, 2024:
Must be healthy upon arrival.
The dog must be at least six months old.
Have a valid rabies vaccination and microchip record, or a rabies vaccination certificate issued by the United States.
A rabies vaccination, if this is the dog's first vaccination, performed by a licensed veterinarian at or after 12 weeks of age and at least 28 days before arrival.
After 15 months of age, booster rabies vaccinations take effect immediately.
The dog’s microchip must meet ISO standards and be implanted prior to the rabies vaccination.
Service animals do fall under the new US CDC rules , besides the US DOT forms, all necessary US CDC documents should be provided.
You may find the US DOT forms here.
DOT Service Animal Transportation Form
Service Animal Relief Attestation Form
DOGS ARRIVING FROM HIGH RISK COUNTRIES
For all foreign-vaccinated dogs that have been in a high-risk country, reservations from CDC-approved animal care facilities (Animal Care Facilities)** are required. (Please keep in mind that preparing the CDC-requested documents may take at least 60 days).
On the day of the flight, present the CDC Dog Import Form at the airport, along with the document and receipt from the animal care facility.
**List of CDC-registered animal care facilities:
www.cdc.gov/acf - In order to transport a pet, the relevant documents required by the destination country must be complete and valid.
- Some countries do not permit pets to enter, exit or transit with the passenger.
- In accordance with the directives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye, pets must have a health certificate from a veterinarian prior to traveling from Türkiye to another country (Origin and Veterinary Health Certificate for non-commercial movements of cats, dogs, and ferrets with passengers to the Republic of Türkiye). If the animal does not have this certificate, it will not be permitted on the flight.
- Domestic animals such as the Sivas Kangal, the Angora Cat and the Van Cat, which are indigenous to Türkiye and under protection, are accepted on international flights departing from Türkiye and arriving abroad provided that approval is obtained prior to the flight from the relevant directorates of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye.
- Transporting pets in the aircraft’s cabin is subject to the laws of the country regarding the entry/exit and transit of livestock. For more information, please refer to TIM/TIMATIC resources.
- Dangerous breeds and their crossbreeds such as the Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pitbull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Pitbull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and American Bully are not permitted on some flights due to international aviation rules.
- Dangerous breeds such as the American Bulldog, Bandog Tosa Inu, Caucasian Shepherd Dog, French Mastiff, Pincher and all Doberman breeds, Presa Canario, Rottweiler, Mastiffs (except Bullmastiff), Wolfhounds, Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Boerboel and hybrids of these breeds may only be transported in the cargo section pending acceptance by Turkish Cargo.
- African gray parrots, which are within the scope of CITES-1 and whose scientific name is Psittacus Erithacus, is not permitted on our flights.
- As of September 28, 2022, bringing dogs to Canada for commercial purposes from 100 countries, including Türkiye, is prohibited until further notice. In this context, dogs that will travel with the passenger in the aircraft’s cabin or cargo section must belong to the passenger. The passenger cannot travel with a dog belonging to someone else. If the passenger travels with a dog that is not their own, the dog will not be permitted to enter Canada upon arrival. Please review the general application rules here.
- Pets may not be transported on any Turkish Airlines flights terminating in UK stations, including connecting flights.
- For live animals arriving from outside Türkiye, a veterinary health certificate issued and stamped by the relevant country's official veterinary authority within the last 48 hours is required. The certificate must indicate that the live animal is healthy and free of parasites and other infectious diseases.
