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CVI
Dog and Cat Import Fact Sheet
Dogs, cats and ferrets must be accompanied by a certificate of veterinary inspection, except:
- Dogs or cats for research at educational and scientific institutions;
- Dogs, cats, or ferrets entering a veterinary facility for treatment, surgery, or diagnostic procedures;
- Dogs, cats, or ferrets temporarily entering the state if there is no change of ownership and if the animal will be leaving the state within 30 days; and
- Dogs and cats originating from an adjacent state and entering a kennel licensed by the Board if the following conditions are met:
- The kennel has a written contract with the city from which the dog or cat originated that specifies the terms under which the kennel accepts and houses stray, abandoned, or impounded animals for the city;
- Dogs and cats are held in a nonpublic area until they can be examined by a licensed veterinarian;
- A licensed veterinarian examines the dog or cat within 48 hours of entry into the state and records the date and results of the examination in the kennel records;
- A dog or cat that shows signs of infectious, contagious, or communicable disease is returned to the state of origin, held in a nonpublic area until released by the veterinarian, or euthanized; and
- A dog or cat three months of age or older originating outside the state must be currently vaccinated for rabies before being discharged from the facility.
Contents of CVI
The CVI must state that any dog, cat, or ferret three months of age or older is currently vaccinated for rabies and must list the name of the vaccine and the date it was given. The CVI must include the address of origin (where the animal currently resides) and the destination address (where the animal will reside in Minnesota).
A CVI for the importation of dogs and cats must include the following statement:
“I certify, as an accredited veterinarian, that the described animals have been inspected by me and that they are not showing signs of infectious, contagious and/or communicable disease (except where noted).”
If the statement is not already part of the CVI, an accredited veterinarian is required to add the statement to the document prior to signing it.
Rabies vaccination
A dog, cat, or ferret three months of age or older imported into the state must be currently vaccinated for rabies unless they meet all conditions of 4 (1-5) above, or are exempted by the Board based on the written recommendations of a licensed veterinarian who has examined the animal and who has determined that vaccination is contraindicated due to a medical condition.
Signatures for Rabies Vaccination Certificates
Minnesota Rule 1721.0540 Subpart 3 requires rabies vaccination certificates to be signed. The Board considers ink signatures or verifiable digital signatures to be official. Please note, stamping is not an approved signature. Certificates should be signed by the veterinarian who administered or oversaw the administration of the rabies vaccine. However, if that veterinarian is unavailable, any veterinarian within the clinic may interpret a patient record to verify the administration of the vaccine and all other information in the patient record, either in writing or verbally as requested by the client.
International imports
To enter the State of Minnesota, all dogs and cats from international origins require a valid certification of health* issued by a credentialed veterinarian at the origin of the animal. Each animal must be examined by the credentialed veterinarian within 30 days of importation. In addition, dogs and cats 3 months of age and older must be currently vaccinated against the rabies virus.
Please check with our federal partners at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and your airline to ensure additional import requirements are met.
Documentation must be received by the Board at least seven days prior to the animal’s arrival in Minnesota. Importers should scan or take legible photos and email them to companion.animal@state.mn.us for review.
*The EU Pet Passport is not accepted as a valid certification of health.
Dogs or cats imported from foreign countries
Part of Minnesota’s efforts to prepare for an animal disease outbreak is to evaluate all potential routes for disease introduction. The Board has recognized an increase in the number of dogs being imported into Minnesota from foreign countries and is concerned about diseases being carried by these dogs, and diseases that may hitch a ride in or on kennels, blankets, toys and treats.
Diseases like rabies and canine brucellosis have been identified in dogs imported from foreign countries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) enacted a temporary suspension of dogs entering the United States from Egypt in response to three rabid dogs imported from the country since May of 2015. Diseases like African Swine Fever, which could be detrimental to Minnesota’s livestock industry could be inadvertently imported with treats containing pork products.
In response, effective August 2019:
Any person or organization who transports and/or receives a dog or cat into Minnesota that has been imported from a foreign country within the last 30 days must submit to the Board a copy of the dog’s or cat’s:
- International Health Certificate.
- International Import Permit (if applicable).
- Rabies Certificate.
- Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for movement from state of entry (if applicable).
Documentation must be received by the Board at least seven days prior to the animal’s arrival in Minnesota.
Dogs and Cats Imported from Countries with Confirmed African Swine Fever in Domestic Swine Populations
The importation of animals, including dogs and cats, into the United States from countries that have had a recent outbreak of, or are endemic for, African Swine Fever (ASF) poses a threat to swine production systems in Minnesota. While there is no direct evidence that dogs and cats are biological carriers of ASF, there is concern that these animals, their carriers, and transport-associated materials are capable of carrying and spreading the disease. Ticks or other external parasites that may be imported on animals also pose a concern for disease spread.
Temporary ban: Caribbean countries
As of August 2021 the Board of Animal Health has issued a temporary ban on dogs or cats imported into Minnesota from the following countries in the Caribbean:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Curacao
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Saint Lucia
- Sint Maarten
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
To prevent the unintentional introduction of ASF by dog and cat importers, the Board has elected to quarantine dogs and cats traveling from affected countries for a minimum of 10 days. This allows the importer adequate time to appropriately dispose of potentially infectious materials, effectively treat the animal(s) for external parasites and for State Animal Health Officials to address any additional concerns related to the potential introduction of the virus.
The following regulations apply to any dog or cat that has originated from or traveled through a country in which an ASF outbreak has been identified in the domestic swine population. Affected countries can be found by referencing the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) World Animal Health Information System (continuing outbreak):
- Importers must notify the Board by phone or e-mail at least seven days prior to arrival of the animals into the state of:
- Type and number of animals being imported.
- Country from which animals originate and countries through which animals will travel.
- The location(s) where the animal(s) will be housed upon arrival.
- Upon notification, the importer must submit the following at least seven days prior to arrival:
- International Health Certificate.
- International Import Permit (if applicable).
- Rabies Certificate.
- Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for movement from state of entry (if applicable).
- Upon arrival in the state:
- The USDA requires dogs for commercial sale or adoption must have an ISO-compliant microchip implanted, and the individual microchip number must be verified immediately before each animal is bathed.
- All dogs must be bathed.
- All dogs and cats must be treated for fleas and ticks with a commercial product approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
- All animal carriers (if any) and non-disposable items transported with the animals (dishes, toys, etc.) must be cleaned and disinfected.
- Any disposable transport-associated material(s) (bedding, food, treats, animal waste, etc.) must be disposed of in a manner approved by the Board as outlined in the official quarantine.
- Imported animals will be officially quarantined by an agent of the Board. The quarantine will be for a minimum of 10 days at the expense of the owner of the animals or the owner/operator of the importing animal business.
- The importer shall minimize the number of locations at which animals are quarantined.
- Unless the quarantine site is a veterinary facility or a facility under the supervision of a veterinarian, an agent of the Board will inspect the facility prior to arrival of the animal(s).
- During the quarantine period:
- Animal caretaker(s) must implement Board approved appropriate biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of exposure to ASF susceptible species.
- No visitors may have access to or contact with quarantined animals.
- Quarantined animals may not be moved unless advanced, written permission is given by the State Veterinarian.
- The Board will assign an agent to perform an onsite visit to the quarantine location to verify that all requirements have been met before releasing the official quarantine.
- The quarantine period will end only upon a Release of Quarantine, issued by the Board.
Temporary international import ban on dogs
Effective July 14, 2021, the CDC launched a temporary ban on dog imports from countries with high-risk for dog rabies. The ban includes dogs arriving from countries NOT at high-risk if the dogs have been in a high-risk country during the previous 6 months. The suspension doesn’t affect individuals importing dogs from countries with low-risk or no-known risk for dog rabies, or U.S. citizens and lawful residents returning with pets (provided all exemption requirements are met).
The CDC has a permitting process in place for people to apply to import dogs from the banned countries. Permits are extremely limited and applications need to be submitted to the CDC at least six weeks before the anticipated date of travel. Contact cdcanimalimports@cdc.gov if you have questions about the permitting process or the ban.
This suspension applies to all dogs, including puppies, emotional support dogs, and dogs that traveled out of the U.S. and are returning from a high-risk country. The suspension is temporary and will be reviewed periodically.
