Pet Transport from Belgium to the United States: 2026 Guide

The CDC’s post-August 2024 import rules split countries into high-risk and low-risk for dog rabies. Belgium is low-risk. That distinction matters because it removes the most time-consuming and expensive requirements: no rabies titre test, no mandatory facility reservation, and no restriction on which US airport you can arrive at.

For dogs, the federal requirements are: CDC Dog Import Form (free, online), a microchip readable by a universal scanner, the dog must be at least 6 months old, and the dog must appear healthy on arrival. That is it from the US government’s side. Your airline will have additional requirements, mainly the health certificate.

Cats are not subject to CDC import rules at all. There are no federal vaccine, testing, or quarantine requirements for cats entering the US.

Belgium regulates certain dog breeds at regional level. Wallonia and Flanders have separate lists of breeds classified as potentially dangerous. These restrictions affect whether certain dogs can be legally kept in Belgium and, by extension, whether transport companies and airlines will handle them.

If your dog is a breed on Belgium’s regulated lists, check with your local commune or the Federal Agency for Animal Welfare (CITES-Animals Belgium for protected species) before assuming export is straightforward. Most companion dogs are unaffected, but it is worth checking early.

The United States has no federal breed ban, though individual states and cities (notably Miami-Dade County, Florida) maintain their own breed-specific legislation. If you know your destination state or city, verify local rules.

Brussels Airport has good transatlantic connections. Brussels Airlines is the flag carrier and operates direct routes to several US cities; they handle pet cargo but availability on specific routes varies, so confirm early. Lufthansa via Frankfurt, British Airways via London, Delta, and United all offer cargo routing to the US from Brussels.

One practical point: airlines that route via London require your pet to transit through Heathrow. Cargo transit at Heathrow is generally handled in the hold, with no requirement for UK import documentation on a pure transit. But confirm this with the airline before booking, as policies can change.

Summer heat in Brussels is milder than in Mediterranean Europe, but transatlantic aircraft can still trigger temperature embargoes in July and August. If you can, book departures in morning hours or on routes that avoid extreme heat layovers.