Bringing a Dog or Cat to the Dominican Republic — 2026 Rules

Getting your dog or cat into the Dominican Republic from the US is straightforward — a health certificate, rabies vaccine, USDA endorsement, and parasite treatment. No quarantine, no import permit, no titer test.

Getting your dog back home is the hard part. The DR is on the CDC's high-risk rabies list AND is screwworm-affected.

Dogs need a CDC Dog Import Form, a Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination filled out before you leave, and a screwworm freedom certificate from a Dominican government vet before you return. Cats skip all of that.

The other catch: American Airlines is the only major US carrier currently accepting cabin pets on DR flights. JetBlue, Delta, United, and Spirit all block pets on Dominican Republic routes.

Round trip costs run $550–$950 for dogs and $400–$650 for cats. This guide covers both directions, both species, air only.

What You Need to Enter the DR

The rules are the same for dogs and cats. Everything here goes on your health certificate:

• Active rabies vaccine, given at least 30 days before travel and within 12 months. Your vet must record the brand, lot number, and expiration date.
• Health certificate from a USDA-accredited vet, issued within 10 days of travel.
• USDA endorsement (VEHCS digital endorsement accepted).
• Internal and external parasite treatment. The health cert must list the product name, manufacturer, and active ingredient.
• Core vaccines: DHPP for dogs (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus). Rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and leukemia for cats.

What you don't need

• Import permit (up to 5 personal pets)
• Titer test
• Quarantine
• ISO microchip (not required by the DR, but dogs need one for US re-entry)

Critical

Dogs need a microchip for US re-entry even though the DR doesn't require one. Get the chip implanted BEFORE the rabies vaccine — CDC won't accept the vaccine if the chip came after.

Vaccine Requirements

Rabies

All dogs and cats need an active rabies vaccine given at least 30 days and no more than 12 months before arrival. This applies to first-time vaccinations.

If your adult dog has a history of rabies boosters and gets a fresh shot, the 30-day wait doesn't apply — the booster is effective immediately as long as the previous vaccine was still valid.

Puppies and kittens must be at least 12 weeks (84 days) old to get the rabies shot. A puppy vaccinated at 12 weeks plus the 30-day wait means the youngest a dog can enter is about 4 months old.

Kittens under 12 weeks don't need the rabies vaccine yet, but check with your vet — the DR may turn away unvaccinated animals at the airport.

A rabies vaccine costs $15–$30.

Core Vaccines

The DR's import protocol lists more required vaccines beyond rabies:

• Dogs: DHPP (distemper, adenovirus/hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus)
• Cats: Viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and feline leukemia

Your vet needs to record each vaccine on the health certificate with the original sticker showing the lot number, manufacturer, and expiration date. Missing stickers are the #1 reason Dominican inspectors flag paperwork.

Health Certificate

A USDA-accredited vet issues APHIS Form 7001 (the international health certificate for the DR) after examining your pet. The cert confirms your pet is healthy, vaccinated, and treated for parasites.

The certificate is valid for 10 days from the date your vet signs it. Schedule the vet visit carefully — too early and it expires before you fly; too late and USDA might not endorse it in time.

The USDA's bilingual health certificate for the DR is already in English and Spanish. You don't need a separate translation.

A vet exam for the health certificate costs $50–$150.

USDA Endorsement

After your vet fills out the health certificate, it goes to USDA APHIS for endorsement. This is the government stamp that makes your health certificate legally valid.

The DR accepts VEHCS digital endorsement, so your vet can submit electronically and print the endorsed cert from VEHCS. No mailing. No in-person visit to a USDA office.

This saves 3–5 business days compared to countries that need a physical stamp.

USDA endorsement costs $101 per certificate.

For dogs returning to the US, you'll also need the USDA to endorse a second document — the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination. Your vet can submit both through VEHCS at the same appointment. More on this in the Re-entry section.

Airline Rules — The Real Bottleneck

This is where Dominican Republic pet travel gets difficult. Most major US airlines do not allow cabin pets on DR flights as of 2026:

American Airlines is your only option for cabin travel. Book the pet spot early — AA limits in-cabin pets per flight, and with no other carriers accepting pets, those spots fill fast on popular routes to Punta Cana and Santo Domingo.

AA charges $150 each way ($300 round trip). Combined pet + carrier weight limit is 20 lbs. Soft-sided carrier only, must fit under the seat.

If your pet is too large for cabin travel, American Airlines Cargo handles larger dogs. Contact AA Cargo directly for rates and crate specs.

Watch Out

JetBlue is the biggest airline to the DR by flight volume, but they don't take pets. Don't book a JetBlue flight assuming you'll add a pet later — you can't.

Cost Breakdown

Dogs

Cats

Cats cost less because they skip the CDC re-entry paperwork, the screwworm certificate, and the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination.

Timeline

6–8 weeks before (dogs): Get the microchip implanted. Schedule a rabies vaccine if your dog needs one — the 30-day wait starts now. Ask your vet about the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination; it must be completed and USDA-endorsed before you leave the US.

3–4 weeks before (cats and dogs): Book American Airlines and add the pet reservation. AA limits cabin pets per flight — don't wait.

10 days before (at most): Vet appointment for the health certificate. Your vet examines your pet, administers parasite treatment, and fills out the cert. If your dog's Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination isn't done yet, do both at this visit.

5–7 business days before: Submit the health certificate (and Certification form for dogs) through VEHCS for USDA endorsement. Digital processing is usually 1–3 days, but allow a buffer.

The week of return (dogs): Complete the CDC Dog Import Form online. Free, takes a few minutes. Get the screwworm freedom certificate from a Dominican government vet within 5 days of your return flight.

Travel day: Arrive at the airport 2 hours early. Bring printed copies of all endorsed documents. The endorsed health certificate, vaccine records, and parasite treatment records go in a waterproof folder in your carry-on — not checked luggage.

Common Mistakes

Re-entry to the USA

This is where dogs and cats diverge sharply.

Dogs

The Dominican Republic is on the CDC's high-risk rabies list. Dogs returning from the DR need all of these:

1. CDC Dog Import Form receipt. Complete it online before your return. Free. Each dog needs its own form. The arrival port on the form must match where you actually land.
2. Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination — endorsed by USDA. This is NOT your regular rabies certificate. A USDA-accredited vet fills it out and submits it through VEHCS before you leave the US.
3. Microchip that matches the number on all your forms. Must be implanted before the rabies vaccine.
4. Dog must be at least 6 months old at time of US entry.
5. Screwworm freedom certificate — a Dominican Republic government vet inspects your dog within 5 days of departure and certifies it's free of screwworm.

Without these documents, your dog can be denied entry, sent to a CDC-registered animal care facility at your expense, or returned to the DR.

For the full process, see our CDC Dog Import Form guide and US re-entry guide.

Cats

CDC requires cats to appear healthy on arrival. That's the main federal rule.

No CDC Dog Import Form (it's dog-specific). No federal microchip requirement. No screwworm certificate. No Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination.

Some states require rabies vaccination for cats — check your home state's rules before traveling. Hawaii and Guam quarantine all cats regardless.

FAQ

Your next step: Call a USDA-accredited vet and schedule the health certificate appointment. If you're bringing a dog, ask about the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination at the same visit — that form is the bottleneck, and it must be done before you leave.