BRINGING A CAT FROMNew Zealand to United States
Cat · Moving
Bringing a dog instead?No quarantine. Needs arrival inspection.
Always confirm with the destination's official authority and your airline before travelling.
Entry requirements
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.
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 +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
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.
- CATAny point of entry.Likewise any U.S. land port and seaport.
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 LHCabinYesHoldYesSnub-nosedHold: no · Cargo: restricted
- Emirates EKCabinNoHoldYesSnub-nosedCargo: only Nov – Apr
- CabinNoHoldYes, up to 45 kg incl. crateSnub-nosedHold: not 1 May – 31 Oct
- Qantas QFCabinNoHoldCargo onlySnub-nosedNot stated
- CabinYesHoldNoSnub-nosedHold, cargo: no
- KLM KLCabinYes, up to 8 kg incl. carrier46 × 28 × 24 cmHoldYes, up to 75 kg incl. crateSnub-nosedHold: no
- Air France AFCabinYes, up to 8 kg incl. carrier46 × 28 × 24 cmHoldYes, up to 75 kg incl. crateSnub-nosedHold: no · Cargo: restricted
- CabinNoHoldCargo onlySnub-nosedCargo: restricted
- CabinNoHoldYes, up to 75 kg incl. crateSnub-nosedHold: restricted
Announced changes
- DATE NOT ANNOUNCEDCDC is preparing a proposed rule (RIN 0920-AA87, "Dog Importation") to revise 42 CFR 71.51, mainly to write the current simplified treatment of dogs from low-risk and rabies-free countries (CDC Dog Import Form receipt only) into the regulation. The 2026 Unified Agenda planned the proposal for July 2026; none was published by 2026-09-25 (Federal Register checked). No date of effect.
Return trip to New Zealand
Hard for a returning pet (no separate returning-resident rule; standard import rules apply), about 27 weeks of preparation. Quarantine: at least 10 days at an approved facility.
- Rabies antibody (titer) test — the blood draw must happen before you leave, so plan it into the outbound trip: Rabies neutralising antibody test (FAVN or RFFIT), result at least 0.5 IU/mL, on a blood sample taken by a veterinarian 3–12 months before shipment, at a lab approved by a Category 1–3 competent authority, an EU-approved rabies lab or a WOAH reference lab in a Category 1–3 country (or NZ's national lab). MPI recommends sampling 3–4 weeks after vaccination.
- Quarantine booking: Book at least 10 days in an MPI-approved quarantine facility (Auckland or Christchurch); the signed booking form goes with the permit application.
- Import permit — 30+ working days before departure · 8+ weeks before departure: MPI import permit, applied for online with: rabies vaccination records, RNATT result(s), the Category 3 Rabies Certification Form (RCF — signed by your vet and signed and stamped by an official vet) and the signed quarantine booking form. Apply at least 8 weeks ahead; allow 30 working days for processing.
Full checklist for a cat from United States to New Zealand
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.
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 tripSources
Every requirement above comes from one of these pages. Last researched 25 Sep 2026. Seen a change? Tell us.
- Bringing an Animal into the U.S. (section "Cats") (opens official site)U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) · used for: arrival inspection, notes, this route · checked 04 Oct 2026 · document dated 2025-08-22
- Control of Communicable Diseases; Foreign Quarantine: Importation of Dogs and Cats — final rule (89 FR 41726) (opens official site)HHS / CDC, Federal Register · used for: quarantine, this route · checked 04 Oct 2026 · document dated 2024-05-13
- Bring a Pet Cat (Domestic) into the United States (opens official site)USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) · used for: notes, this route · checked 04 Oct 2026 · document dated 2025-12-24
- 42 CFR 71.51 — Dogs and cats (opens official site)HHS / CDC regulation, published by the Office of the Federal Register (eCFR) · used for: entry points, this route · checked 04 Oct 2026 · document dated 2024-08-01
- Unified Agenda 2026 — HHS/CDC item 44: Control of Communicable Diseases; Foreign Quarantine: Dog Importation (RIN 0920-AA87) (opens official site)Regulatory Information Service Center / HHS, Federal Register · used for: announced changes · checked 04 Oct 2026 · document dated 2026-08-14
- Import Health Standard — Cats and Dogs 2026 (CATSDOGS.GEN) (opens official site)Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) · used for: return trip · checked 26 Sep 2026 · document dated 2026-05-12
- Dog Imports: Check Country Disease Status (page and its data file dog-imports-country-disease-status.csv) (opens official site)USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) · used for: leaving with the pet · checked 25 Sep 2026 · document dated 2026-01-21
- Checklist 3 — Only for Dogs and Cats Located in Hawaii that are Departing and Returning (DAR & 5 Day Or Less) (PDF) (opens official site)Hawaii Department of Agriculture (now Agriculture and Biosecurity), Animal Quarantine Station · used for: leaving with the pet · checked 04 Oct 2026 · document dated 2023-06-13
- UPDATE: Import Alert: New World Screwworm Restrictions for Live Animals Originating from or Transiting Mexico (PDF) (opens official site)USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services · used for: leaving with the pet · checked 04 Oct 2026 · document dated 2025-07-09
Keep this checklist
More routes
Checklists for nearby trips — same rules engine, same official sources.