How to Bring a Dog From Mexico to USA (and Back)

I have brought my rescue dog Puglo from Mexico to the US and back more time than I can count, and while the process used to be relatively simple, it’s becoming increasingly complicated in the last few years to bring a dog from Mexico to the USA.

The short version: your dog needs a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, an ISO microchip, and to be at least six months old and healthy. On top of that, because of a New World screwworm outbreak, dogs leaving Mexico now need a screwworm inspection from an authorized vet within a few days of travel. This post will explain how to do all those steps in detail, and my experience first-hand experience traveling with a dog to the US from Mexico.

What do I need to bring my dog from Mexico to the USA in 2026?

To bring a dog from Mexico into the US in 2026 you need four things: an ISO-compliant 15-digit microchip, a dog that is at least six months old and appears healthy, a completed CDC Dog Import Form receipt, and a screwworm inspection certificate from a Mexican vet authorized by SENASICA within five days before travel. Mexico is a low-risk rabies country, so you do not need extra rabies serology titer testing.

If you are flying home on a Mexican carrier, it is worth reading up on the specific airline too, like the Aeromexico dog policy or the Volaris pet policy, because each one handles in-cabin pets differently.

The new screwworm rule

New World screwworm is a nasty parasite, and 2026 has seen confirmed cases in the US along the southern border. Because of that, the rules for moving pets across the Mexico border tightened. For dogs traveling out of Mexico, you now want a health certificate signed by a veterinarian authorized by Mexico’s animal health authority, SENASICA, confirming your dog was inspected and found free of screwworm. That inspection has a tight window, within five days before you travel, so you cannot get it done a month ahead and call it good.

I book Puglo’s inspection appointment for two or three days before we fly, which keeps me inside the window but gives me a buffer if the vet is booked or the paperwork needs a correction. Ask the clinic directly whether they are authorized to issue the screwworm export document, because not every vet is. If you’re traveling with a dog from Puerto Vallarta, my go-to is Wolf’s Clinic in Versalles.

The first time the screwworm rule came in, I was annoyed. One more appointment, one more form, one more thing to get wrong. But after doing it a couple of times, it slots into the same little pre-trip routine as the CDC form, and it stops feeling like a big deal. It’s annoying to have the extra cost, but that’s life.

The situation is active and can change, so before you travel, check the official USDA APHIS Pet Travel page and the CBP border reminder for dogs.

The CDC Dog Import Form

The CDC Dog Import Form is free and you fill it out online. You will need to fill in your personal information, information about your dog, and your arrival details. When you submit it, you get a receipt sent to your e-mail. That receipt is what you show at the border or airport, so save it to your phone and also print out a copy.

The form is good for six months as long as your departure destination doesn’t change, so you can use it again if you’re traveling back and forth.

Fill it out a few days early, not at the gate. The CDC lets you complete it the day of travel, but if something is off, you do not want to be fixing it while the boarding line moves.

Microchip and rabies requirements

The microchip has to be ISO-compliant and 15 digits, the kind a universal scanner can read. If your dog was chipped years ago with an older chip, get it checked, and if needed, have a new ISO chip added. Second, your dog must be at least six months old at entry.

Coming from Mexico, the CDC does not make you show rabies paperwork at entry, but your airline and Mexico both expect an up to date rabies vaccine, so keep it current. One rule worth knowing: a dog’s first rabies shot has to be given on or after 12 weeks (84 days) of age to count.

Puglo is chipped, grown, and a veteran of this, so for us it is routine now.

Note if you were in a high risk rabies country

This part only matters if your dog has actually been in a country the US considers high risk for rabies in the last six months. Mexico is not one of them, so if you have only been in Mexico, Canada, and the US, you can skip this.

If your dog has been in a high risk country in the last six months, the rules get much stricter and depend on where the dog was vaccinated:

• US-vaccinated dogs: you need a valid Certification of US-issued Rabies Vaccination form, endorsed by the USDA before you leave the US. With that, your dog can enter at any airport, seaport, or land border, as long as it matches the port on your CDC form receipt.
• Foreign-vaccinated dogs: this is the harder road. You need a Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form plus a passing rabies titer from a CDC-approved lab, and the dog can only arrive by air at a US airport that has a CDC-registered animal care facility where you have a reservation. Without a valid titer you are looking at up to 28 days of quarantine.

Transiting through the U.S. With a Dog

You need to follow all these steps even if you are transiting through the U.S. to another destination, because you always enter the U.S. through customs, even for a connecting flight. When I took Puglo to Italy this summer from Puerto Vallarta via Atlanta, the gate agent at PVR was actually more concerned with the screwworm certificate for travel to the U.S. than my export form needed for Europe.

Bringing a dog from US to Mexico

Bringing a dog from the US to Mexico used to be incredibly simple. There was no paperwork required ahead, just a simple health check on arrival with Senasica and they will issue the import form for your dog.

But as of August, the screwworm requirement now applies both ways. This means within 5 days of travel you will need to go to a USDA accredited vet to get a free screwworm certificate for travel. We haven’t traveled back to Mexico from the U.S. yet since this came about, but it adds another layover of complexity.

One routing note: if you are heading back to Mexico through the US, like a flight from Europe that connects in the States, you have to clear the US entry rules for that layover and Mexico’s rules on arrival.

Flying versus driving across the border

The core paperwork is the same whether you fly into a US airport or drive across a land border.

We haven’t actually driven across the border, so all my experience is flying. That said, I’ve taken many other land borders while traveling in Europe with my dog, and they are typically much more relaxed. Still, I would come prepared with all the documents ready to show the border agent.

At a land crossing, CBP officers may ask to see your CDC receipt and inspect your dog, so have everything reachable, not buried in a suitcase.

If you are flying with your dog in the cabin, this is exactly the maze I built a guide for. My Flying With Your Dog In-Cabin guide walks through carrier rules, carrier-bag sizing, and the airport-day checklist so you are not guessing at the counter.

What to pack

Beyond paperwork, a few things make the day smoother. I keep a slim document folder with printed copies of the CDC receipt and the screwworm certificate, as gate agents often request these. A collapsible water bowl and a small water bottle keep Puglo calm in line. And an airline-compliant carrier that Puglo already sees as his little den, not a surprise box, makes the whole trip less stressful for both of us.

Browse all of Puglo’s travel essentials here.

Once you have the Mexico to US routine down, the same checklist mindset travels anywhere. It is how Puglo and I have done Europe, from taking a dog to France and taking a dog to Italy.

FAQ: Bringing a Dog From Mexico to US

Rules verified Sep 11, 2026 against CDC, USDA APHIS, and CBP. The screwworm situation is active, so confirm current requirements the week you travel.