Edit route

BRINGING A CAT FROMIndonesia to United States

Cat · Moving

Bringing a dog instead?
Download PDF
Prep time about 0 weeks

No quarantine. Needs arrival inspection.

Always confirm with the destination's official authority and your airline before travelling.

Entry requirements

Tap the seal to stamp a step done.0 OF 1 STAMPED
Source:U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (opens official site: Bringing an Animal into the U.S. (section "Cats"))· checked 04 Oct 2026

No federal documents for pet cats: they only have to look healthy on arrival. No rabies proof, no CDC form, any airport, seaport or land border. The destination state (Hawaii: see us-hi-* rules) and the airline may require more.

01
Arrival inspection
before travel

Cats must appear healthy; they are inspected at the port and may be refused or sent for a veterinary examination at the owner's expense if they show signs of a disease transmissible to people.

DETAILS +

Cats must appear healthy; they are inspected at the port and may be refused or sent for a veterinary examination at the owner's expense if they show signs of a disease transmissible to people.

  • No rabies vaccination proof is required federally (recommended; states may require it). — U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • USDA APHIS has no animal-health requirements for pet cats. — USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
  • Any U.S. airport, land port or seaport (see the entry points).
  • Cats arriving in Hawaii or Guam face local quarantine rules even from the mainland. — U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

No quarantine

Source:HHS / CDC, Federal Register (opens official site: Control of Communicable Diseases; Foreign Quarantine: Importation of Dogs and Cats — final rule (89 FR 41726))· checked 04 Oct 2026

Timeline

Working out your dates…

Documents

The published steps for this route produce no paper we can name.

Official fees

The official pages we researched for this route name no fee. Vet, lab and airline charges are not covered here.

Entry points

Where a pet may enter the United States, per the rules.

Airlines

Airline rules are separate from entry rules and change without notice — confirm in writing when you book. Only what the carriers' own pages say, read 25 Sep 2026. All airlines

  • Lufthansa LH
    CabinYes
    HoldYes
    Snub-nosedHold: no · Cargo: restricted
  • Emirates EK
    CabinNo
    HoldYes
    Snub-nosedCargo: only Nov – Apr
  • ANA (All Nippon Airways) NH
    CabinNo
    HoldYes, up to 45 kg incl. crate
    Snub-nosedHold: not 1 May – 31 Oct
  • Qantas QF
    CabinNo
    HoldCargo only
    Snub-nosedNot stated
  • Delta Air Lines DLcabin: not on this route
    CabinYes
    HoldNo
    Snub-nosedHold, cargo: no
  • KLM KL
    CabinYes, up to 8 kg incl. carrier46 × 28 × 24 cm
    HoldYes, up to 75 kg incl. crate
    Snub-nosedHold: no
  • Air France AF
    CabinYes, up to 8 kg incl. carrier46 × 28 × 24 cm
    HoldYes, up to 75 kg incl. crate
    Snub-nosedHold: no · Cargo: restricted
  • British Airways BA
    CabinNo
    HoldCargo only
    Snub-nosedCargo: restricted
  • Qatar Airways QR
    CabinNo
    HoldYes, up to 75 kg incl. crate
    Snub-nosedHold: restricted

Announced changes

Return trip to Indonesia

Hard for a returning pet (no separate returning-resident rule; standard import rules apply), about 8 weeks of preparation. No quarantine when the paperwork is in order.

  • Rabies antibody (titer) test — the blood draw must happen before you leave, so plan it into the outbound trip: Rabies antibody titer test with a protective result, attached to the health certificate. Barantin applies a threshold of at least 0.5 IU/ml (stated for a domestic move in 2026). No Indonesian source found states the test method, approved laboratories, or how long before/after vaccination or travel the blood must be taken.
  • Import permit: Written application to the Ministry of Agriculture, Directorate General of Livestock (Jl. Harsono RM No. 3, Ragunan, Jakarta 12550) describing the pet (species, breed, age, colour), with the vet health certificate and rabies vaccination certificate attached. The Ministry issues a letter ("Surat Keterangan") valid 1 month, used to obtain the import licence from Animal Quarantine at Terminal A, Soekarno-Hatta airport. Both embassies ask for documents to be apostilled. Processing time not published. Barantin's own 2026 summary does not mention this letter — ask Barantin whether it is still needed.
    Sources disagree — confirm with the authority
    • “The Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture will issue a Certificate valid for 1 (one) month to obtain the entry permit to Indonesia for the pet (import permit) from Animal Quarantine at Terminal A, Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Cengkareng. [unofficial translation]” — Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia di Den Haag (Kementerian Luar Negeri), checked 24 Sep 2026
  • Residence period: The pet has been kept in the origin country since birth or for at least 6 months before departure (statement on the health certificate). The Mexico page's second tier reads "kurang dari 6 (enam) bulan" (less than 6 months) — taken as a typo for the first tier's "tidak kurang dari" (not less than).
    Sources disagree — confirm with the authority
    • “The animal has been kept since birth or has been in the country of origin for not less than 6 (six) months before the day of departure; [unofficial translation]” — Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia di Meksiko (Kementerian Luar Negeri), checked 24 Sep 2026
  • Advance notice to the authority — 2+ days before arrival: Legal minimum: the plan to import an animal is submitted to the local animal quarantine officer at least 2 days before the import; the report under Pasal 56 is due at least 1 day before arrival (PP 29/2023 Pasal 57(1)). In practice the prior notice above covers this.
Source:Badan Karantina Indonesia (opens official site: Si Anabul Mau Ikut Mudik, Begini Prosedur Karantinanya (Barantin news, Karantina Bali section))· checked 26 Sep 2026
+4 more
Also:Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia di Den Haag (Kementerian Luar Negeri),Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia di Meksiko (Kementerian Luar Negeri),Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PDF hosted by JDIH BPK RI),Badan Karantina Indonesia

Full checklist for a cat from United States to Indonesia

Leaving United States with the pet

  • Taking a U.S.-vaccinated dog to a CDC high-risk country and back: have a USDA-accredited vet complete the CDC Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination and get it endorsed by USDA BEFORE leaving; it cannot be issued afterwards.
  • Pets living in Hawaii must finish the rabies vaccines and pass the FAVN test before leaving the state to avoid quarantine on return.
  • Taking a dog to Mexico (or any other screwworm-affected country) and back: on return it needs the screwworm certificate (inspection within 5 days before shipment). From Mexico a SENASICA-trained and approved clinical vet may sign it (SENASICA's MVRA directory).
  • Export papers for the destination country (USDA APHIS endorsement of the health certificate) were not researched.
Source:USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) (opens official site: Dog Imports: Check Country Disease Status (page and its data file dog-imports-country-disease-status.csv))· checked 25 Sep 2026
+2 more
Also:Hawaii Department of Agriculture (now Agriculture and Biosecurity), Animal Quarantine Station,USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services

What they actually checked at the border

Reports from people who made this trip, read by a person before publishing.

No traveller reports here yet. If you have made this trip, tell the next person what was actually checked at the border.

Share your trip

Sources

Every requirement above comes from one of these pages. Last researched 25 Sep 2026. Seen a change? Tell us.

Keep this checklist

Download PDF

More routes

Checklists for nearby trips — same rules engine, same official sources.