Pet Transport from Lebanon to the United States

Lebanon sits on the CDC’s list of high-risk countries for dog rabies. That classification triggers a specific set of requirements for any dog entering the US, regardless of how healthy or well-vaccinated your pet is.

Here is what the process looks like, in order:

1. Your dog must have a valid rabies vaccination on record.
2. At least 30 days after that vaccination, blood is drawn and sent to a CDC-recognised laboratory for a rabies antibody titre test. The result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml.
3. A US-licensed vet issues the CDC Dog Import Form (CDC 6-527). This must then be endorsed by a USDA APHIS-accredited vet, and then by Lebanon’s Ministry of Agriculture (the national veterinary authority).
4. You must reserve a place at a CDC-registered dog confinement facility at the destination US airport before your dog can travel.
5. On arrival, your dog is held briefly at the facility while documentation is verified.

The full endorsement chain (US vet, USDA APHIS, then Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture) is what takes the most time on this route. Lebanese government processing is not always fast, and you should allow two to four weeks for the final endorsement stage alone.

The CDC high-risk protocol applies to dogs only. If you are moving a cat from Lebanon to the US, there are no federal CDC import requirements for cats. You will still need a general health certificate from a vet, and individual US states may have their own rules, but the titre test, CDC form, and facility reservation requirements do not apply to cats.

For dogs, the process is genuinely involved. For cats, it is much more straightforward. If you are relocating both species, your timelines and logistics will differ significantly between them.

No airline currently flies pets in-cabin on long-haul international routes. Your dog or cat will travel as manifest air cargo, accompanied by you on a separate passenger flight or shipped unaccompanied.

From Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY), the main cargo options to the US route via Middle Eastern hubs (Doha with Qatar Cargo, Dubai with Emirates SkyCargo) or via Istanbul (Turkish Cargo). Qatar Airways and Emirates both have established live animal handling programmes and good connections to US cities with CDC-registered facilities, including JFK, LAX, and IAD.

Confirm that your chosen US arrival airport has a CDC-registered dog confinement facility before booking any flights. The CDC publishes an updated list at cdc.gov/importation/dogs.html.