GA
Gabon
✈️
US
United States
Pet Transport from Gabon to the United States
14-18 weeks
Typical preparation
None
Quarantine on arrival
Very High
Route complexity
✓ Managed
Full door-to-door service
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from Gabon to United States
typically takes around 14-18 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
A rabies titre test may be required depending on your pet's origin, so check the requirements below.
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Overview
Getting a pet from Gabon to United States is a step by step process, and each stage has its own timing. This route sits at the strict end, and about 14-18 weeks of preparation is realistic. Compliant pets are not held in quarantine on arrival.
A titre test could be required in some cases, so review the destination's conditions. Start with the step by step process below and build your plan from there.
Step by step
The Gabon to United States process
1
Start of planning, at least 12-14 weeks before travel.
Microchip the dog, then administer the rabies vaccination in that order. Cats need no CDC vaccination.
Responsible: Gabon-based vet
2
Roughly 8-10 weeks before travel.
Draw blood at least 30 days after vaccination for the rabies titre test, sent to a CDC-approved laboratory since none is confirmed operating within Gabon.
Responsible: Vet and the CDC-approved laboratory
3
As soon as the titre result is confirmed, always before the flight.
Once a passing result is confirmed, complete the CDC Dog Import Form and book a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility at the intended arrival airport.
Responsible: Owner
4
4-6 weeks before travel.
Obtain the Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form, endorsed by a Gabonese government vet through the Direction Generale de l'Elevage, translated into or issued in French as required.
Responsible: Gabon-based official vet
5
Once the titre result and facility reservation are both confirmed.
Book the routing: Ethiopian via Addis Ababa into Dulles, or Royal Air Maroc via Casablanca into JFK.
Responsible: Owner or agent, with the airline's cargo desk
6
Within the certificate's stated validity.
Collect the final Gabonese health documentation, valid only for a short window before travel.
Responsible: Gabon-based vet
7
Day of arrival.
Arrival at the CDC-registered facility airport. If the titre result was not passing, the 28-day quarantine begins here instead of a border check.
Responsible: CDC-registered facility staff and CBP
Checklist
United States: entry requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Microchip | A universal-scanner-readable microchip is required before the rabies vaccination is given. Because Gabon is on the CDC's high-risk list for dog rabies, a vaccine given before the chip does not count towards US entry at all. Source: CDC, cdc.gov/importation, updated 15 April 2026. |
| Rabies vaccination | Required for dogs, first dose no earlier than 12 weeks old. Cats face no federal CDC rabies vaccination requirement, only a general health check on arrival. |
| Rabies titre test | Required for a dog travelling on a Gabon-issued vaccination certificate. Blood must be drawn at least 30 days after vaccination and at least 28 days before the flight lands in the US, tested at a CDC-approved laboratory. Gabon has no confirmed government-approved rabies serology laboratory of its own on record, so the sample is normally couriered overseas. A dog without a passing result still enters the country, but only after a 28-day quarantine at a CDC-registered facility. Source: CDC, 'Entry Requirements for Foreign-Vaccinated Dogs from High-Risk Countries,' cdc.gov, 2026. |
| Quarantine | None for a dog arriving with a valid passing titre and a completed CDC Dog Import Form. Without the titre, a mandatory 28-day quarantine at a CDC-registered animal care facility applies, at the owner's cost. Cats face no CDC quarantine requirement. |
| Import permit | CDC Dog Import Form, a free form completed online by the owner before travel, one per dog, with a current photograph. A reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility must also be booked ahead of departure, since Gabon is high-risk. No equivalent form exists for cats. |
| Health certificate | CDC does not itself demand a Gabon-endorsed export certificate for entry, but airlines generally want a veterinary health certificate issued within 10 days of travel, and a Customs and Border Protection officer can refuse entry to any animal that appears unwell regardless of paperwork. |
Leaving Gabon
Export requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Export permit | No separately published pet export permit distinct from Gabon's import permit system was found. Confirm the current position directly with the Direction Generale de l'Elevage, since available published guidance concentrates on imports into Gabon rather than the export side. |
| Veterinary inspection | A Gabonese government or government-recognised veterinarian must examine the animal, confirm the microchip reads correctly, and confirm vaccination status before export paperwork is issued. |
| Government endorsement | The Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form, the specific document CDC requires, must be completed by the treating vet and endorsed by a Gabonese government veterinarian through the Direction Generale de l'Elevage. A general health certificate alone does not satisfy this requirement. |
| Health certificate | Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form, vet-completed and government-endorsed, plus a general veterinary health certificate most airlines will also want, submitted in French. Source: CDC, 'Bringing a Dog into the United States,' cdc.gov/importation, updated 15 April 2026, cross-referenced with compiled Gabon export guidance from catabroad.com and petsnomad.com, checked July 2026. |
Costs
What this route typically costs
| 1 | Gabon vet visits, microchip and vaccination: USD 100-200. No single published government fee schedule; confirm locally |
| 2 | Rabies titre test plus courier to an approved overseas laboratory: USD 150-300 |
| 3 | Gabonese export documentation and translation into French where required, via the Direction Generale de l'Elevage: fee not published, confirm locally |
| 4 | CDC Dog Import Form: free |
| 5 | IATA-compliant travel crate: USD 150-450 |
| 6 | Cargo or checked-pet fare from Libreville to a CDC-registered US airport, via Addis Ababa or Casablanca: USD 2,800-4,800 depending on crate size and season |
| 7 | CDC-registered facility fee if the 28-day quarantine option applies: set individually by each facility, not published centrally, get a written quote before booking |
| 8 | Total typical range for a compliant dog with a passing titre: USD 3,300-5,700. Cats cost considerably less, since none of the CDC dog-specific fees apply |
Critical points
Read before you book
⚠ Gabon's high-risk status on the CDC's dog rabies list, updated 15 April 2026, means the microchip-before-vaccine sequence, a titre test from a CDC-approved lab, and a booked reservation at a CDC-registered facility airport are not optional. Miss any one and the fallback is a 28-day quarantine, or the airline refusing to board the dog.
⚠ No airline flies Libreville to the US nonstop. Both workable routings add a stop, through Addis Ababa or Casablanca.
⚠ Gabon's own export documentation needs to be in French, which adds a translation step most owners moving from an English-speaking country don't plan for.
⚠ Gabon has no confirmed government-approved rabies serology laboratory, so the titre blood sample usually has to travel before the result comes back. Build that courier time into the schedule.
Carriers
Airlines on this route
Ethiopian Airlines
Connects Libreville to Addis Ababa nonstop, then onward to Washington Dulles as ET501, an Airbus A350 service. Dulles is one of the six CDC-registered facility airports, so a dog without a titre can complete its 28-day quarantine there without a second domestic leg. Small pets in an approved container can travel in the cabin depending on aircraft; snub-nosed breeds are not accepted.
Royal Air Maroc
Connects Libreville to Casablanca nonstop, then Casablanca to New York JFK nonstop on a Boeing 787, roughly 13 flights a week on the Casablanca-JFK sector as of July 2026. JFK is also a CDC-registered facility airport. Checked pets up to 70kg combined travel through the standard baggage process; heavier animals and unaccompanied shipments go through the airline's cargo desk, booked at least 48 hours ahead.
How United States handles incoming pets
United States takes biosecurity seriously, and the requirements reflect that. The paperwork is exacting, so accuracy matters as much as timing.
What experienced owners do
Check the airline’s crate size and labelling rules early. An undersized or wrongly labelled crate is a frequent reason pets are refused at check-in.
Ask about temperature embargoes for your travel window. Summer and winter cargo restrictions can rule out certain routes and dates entirely.
Book the titre test laboratory well ahead. Approved labs have limited slots and the sample takes time to process, so this is not something to leave to the final weeks.
Microchip before you vaccinate. The microchip must be in place before the rabies shot for the vaccination to count, and getting this order wrong is the most common and costly mistake.
FAQ
Common questions
Yes. Gabon appears on the CDC’s high-risk countries list for dog rabies, confirmed on the CDC page updated 15 April 2026. That triggers the full foreign-vaccinated-dog pathway: microchip before vaccination, a titre test from a CDC-approved laboratory, and arrival at a US airport with a CDC-registered animal care facility.
The dog can still enter the US, but it has to complete a 28-day quarantine at a CDC-registered animal care facility on arrival, at the owner’s cost. Getting the titre timing right, blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination and the result landing at least 28 days before the flight, is the single most important date to track on this route.
No. No airline flies Libreville to any US city nonstop. The two realistic routings connect via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines into Washington Dulles, or via Casablanca on Royal Air Maroc into New York JFK, both CDC-registered facility airports.
Gabon’s government-endorsed export documentation, including the vet certification the CDC ultimately relies on, is issued in French. If the underlying veterinary records start out in English, translation has to happen before the export vet appointment, adding a step most owners moving from an English-speaking country don’t plan for.
No. Cats face no CDC rabies vaccination or titre test requirement at all, whatever their country of origin. Gabon’s own export paperwork still applies to cats, and airlines generally still want a standard veterinary health certificate, but the federal US side is far lighter for cats than for dogs.
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