Mainland United States
Louisiana
Import permit: sources disagreeRabies vaccine neededVet certificate within 30 days of arrivalNo quarantine
Before you sail
- Import permit — sources disagree whether it is required
- Rabies vaccine within 1 year before arrival; at least 3 months old when vaccinatedRabies vaccineRabies — max. before travel365 days (TWELVE MONTHS AT ENTRY, WHATEVER THE PRODUCT LABEL SAYS. §571 asks for a certificate "showing they have been immunized against rabies within 12 months prior to entry". The Sanitary Code's keeping rule is different and more generous. After a two-shot initial series, the second shot a year after the first, "the interval between revaccinations shall conform to the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control,2016 Edition", and the Compendium recognises three-year products. These are two rules on two subjects, not a conflict: the twelve months is the entry condition. A dog boosted 18 months ago with a three-year vaccine may lawfully be kept in Louisiana and still fails §571 on the day it arrives. §571 dates from 1985 and was repromulgated unchanged in 2014, so the twelve months may simply predate multi-year vaccines. That is inference, not documentation. Ask LDAF before relying on a three-year vaccine.)confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[56]Rabies — min. age at vaccination90 days (Three months. §571 exempts "dogs and cats which are 3 months of age or younger". The Sanitary Code makes it unlawful to "own, keep or have in his custody a dog, cat, or ferret over 3 months of age that has not been vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian", with the first shot "at 3 months of age". The two rules agree, which is less common than it should be.)confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[56]
- Veterinary health certificate issued within 30 days of arrivalVeterinary health certificateCertificate — completed within30 days (Thirty days, and it reaches a dog or cat through a cross-reference rather than in terms. §571 requires the animal to "meet the general requirements of §501", and §501 says "Health certificates are valid for 30 days only." Part XXI's definition of a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection says the same — "These certificates are valid for 30 days only unless an extension is allowed by the Board of Animal Health." Neither text says when the 30 days start, and nothing addresses a passage. Either way, a certificate written in the United States before a season in Mexico or Belize will have lapsed long before you come back. SEVEN DAYS, NOT THIRTY, UNDER THE SCREWWORM ORDER: an animal from an infested state needs a CVI that "is valid for no more than seven (7) days from the date of veterinary inspection". The order was issued after screwworm was "confirmed in Texas on June 3, 2026", so a boat coming along the ICW from Texas should expect to be inside it. The same 7-day CVI, with a permit, is required of an animal from an infested zone, which may include Mexico. See `other_health`.)confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[58]
- Parasite treatment — internal and externalParasites — internalNo treatment is required. But the §571 certificate, through §501, must state that the animal is free from "signs of internal and/or external parasites". That is a finding the certifying veterinarian makes on examination, so a visibly wormy animal cannot be certified. No deworming product or treatment window is named.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[5]Parasites — externalNo external-parasite treatment is required by Louisiana either. The same §501 statement covers external parasites, and §501 also provides that "No livestock affected with, or carrying the contagion of, screwworms shall be moved into Louisiana for any purpose". It speaks of livestock, and it reaches a dog or cat only through §571's cross-reference. For a dog, the federal screwworm certificate in the inherited items under other health applies on top of this, and is not a Louisiana rule. For the State Veterinarian's own screwworm order, which reaches cats as well, see `other_health`.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[5]
- MicrochipMicrochipMicrochip — standardAny brand, but it must be detectable with a universal scanner. CDC names no ISO standard and no digit count.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[4]
- Dogs vaccinated against: Rabies — the only vaccination Louisiana requires of a dog. LAC 7:XXI.571 names no other, and the Sanitary Code's dog-and-cat chapter is rabies only.
- Cats vaccinated against: Rabies — the only vaccination Louisiana requires of a cat, under both LAC 7:XXI.571 (entry) and LAC 51:III.103 (keeping). Neither names FVRCP, feline leukaemia or any test.
- Dogs and cats at least 3 months oldDogs — minimum age90 days (The same three-month rabies trigger as for cats, and for a boat from abroad it hardly matters. The inherited CDC layer sets a six-month minimum age for a dog entering the United States, which is stricter and bites first.)confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[56]Cats — minimum age90 days (NOT A BAR ON ENTRY. Three months is the age at which both Louisiana rabies rules switch on. LAC 7:XXI.571 exempts "dogs and cats which are 3 months of age or younger" from its rabies requirement. The Sanitary Code, LAC 51:III.103, reaches a cat "over 3 months of age" and wants its first shot "at 3 months of age". A younger kitten may enter without a rabies vaccination. Nothing exempts it from the health certificate, which is §571's other half.)confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[56]
Not documented Rabies titer test
Fees
No Louisiana charge, and no Louisiana document to pay for. §571 asks for a health certificate from a USDA-accredited veterinarian and proof of rabies immunisation, both paid for privately. LDAF issues no entry permit for a dog or cat, and neither Part XXI nor LDAF's transporting page names a charge. The screwworm order's permit for animals from an infested zone sets no fee either. A FINDING ABOUT LOUISIANA ONLY: the federal requirements above it, and your own veterinarian, are separate and are not priced here.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[578]
Not published. No Louisiana source describes a state inspection of an arriving dog or cat, and none prices one. That is an absence of published information, not evidence that an inspection would be free.confidence: Unknown. Not located in any source yet.
THE COST THAT IS PUBLISHED IS A FINE, NOT A FEE. The Board of Animal Health may impose "Civil penalties of up to one thousand dollars for each violation of the laws and administrative rules administered and enforced by the board", with "Each day on which a violation occurs" a separate offence (R.S. 3:2093(9)(a)). Nothing published says whether that has ever been used against a pet owner.[9]
Timeline
- 1 year before arrivalRabies vaccine given no earlier than thisRabies vaccineRabies — max. before travel365 days (TWELVE MONTHS AT ENTRY, WHATEVER THE PRODUCT LABEL SAYS. §571 asks for a certificate "showing they have been immunized against rabies within 12 months prior to entry". The Sanitary Code's keeping rule is different and more generous. After a two-shot initial series, the second shot a year after the first, "the interval between revaccinations shall conform to the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control,2016 Edition", and the Compendium recognises three-year products. These are two rules on two subjects, not a conflict: the twelve months is the entry condition. A dog boosted 18 months ago with a three-year vaccine may lawfully be kept in Louisiana and still fails §571 on the day it arrives. §571 dates from 1985 and was repromulgated unchanged in 2014, so the twelve months may simply predate multi-year vaccines. That is inference, not documentation. Ask LDAF before relying on a three-year vaccine.)confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[56]
- 30 days – arrivalVeterinary health certificate issued in this windowVeterinary health certificateCertificate — completed within30 days (Thirty days, and it reaches a dog or cat through a cross-reference rather than in terms. §571 requires the animal to "meet the general requirements of §501", and §501 says "Health certificates are valid for 30 days only." Part XXI's definition of a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection says the same — "These certificates are valid for 30 days only unless an extension is allowed by the Board of Animal Health." Neither text says when the 30 days start, and nothing addresses a passage. Either way, a certificate written in the United States before a season in Mexico or Belize will have lapsed long before you come back. SEVEN DAYS, NOT THIRTY, UNDER THE SCREWWORM ORDER: an animal from an infested state needs a CVI that "is valid for no more than seven (7) days from the date of veterinary inspection". The order was issued after screwworm was "confirmed in Texas on June 3, 2026", so a boat coming along the ICW from Texas should expect to be inside it. The same 7-day CVI, with a permit, is required of an animal from an infested zone, which may include Mexico. See `other_health`.)confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[58]
- ArrivalPresent the permit and certificate; clear the animal before going ashore.
On arrival & aboard
- At the dock
- THIS IS A FEDERAL ARRIVAL, CLEARED BY FEDERAL OFFICERS. Nothing found puts a Louisiana officer at a marina or a customs dock. LDAF's enforcement is routed through certificates that veterinarians send in, not through ports. CBP is explicit that federal clearance does not settle the state question: "Importations of pets and/or wildlife may be subject to state/municipality veterinary health regulations". Carry the §571 certificate if you can get one, the rabies certificate in any case, and the federal paperwork for a dog.
- By yacht
- KEEP INTERSTATE AND INTERNATIONAL APART — Louisiana's Gulf position makes this a real distinction. Coming in from Isla Mujeres, Belize or Roatán is an INTERNATIONAL arrival: the inherited CDC dog rules and the federal screwworm certificate apply in full, CBP clears it, and §571 reaches it on its words but cannot be satisfied from abroad as written. Coming east along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from Texas, or west from Mississippi, is INTERSTATE movement. That is the situation §571 was really drafted for, and paragraph 1 of the State Veterinarian's screwworm order (a 7-day CVI) catches it. Do not assume the international boat is spared the order: its paragraph 2 is keyed to infested zones, not states, and may reach an arrival from Mexico or Central America with a permit requirement as well. The Sanitary Code's vaccination duty does not care which: it applies to anyone who keeps or has custody of a dog or cat in Louisiana, from the moment the animal is here.
WHERE YOU CLEAR IN. A small pleasure vessel arriving from a foreign port is "required to report their arrival to CBP immediately", by the CBP ROAM app, by telephone or in person, wherever it makes landfall — Venice, Grand Isle or Lake Pontchartrain as much as a city waterfront. The CBP port offices on the Louisiana coast are: NEW ORLEANS (port 2002), 423 Canal Street, Room 260, +1 504 670 2391, with the Marine Division (vessel entrance and clearance) on +1 504 670 2230; MORGAN CITY (port 2001), whose office is at 1116 Bayou Lacarpe Road, Suite D, Houma, +1 504 670 2415; and LAKE CHARLES (port 2017), 152 Marine Street, +1 337 721 3400. None of these pages mentions animals.[12141516]
Quarantine
No routine quarantine for a compliant animal, and none is set for a non-compliant one either. §571 publishes no consequence for arriving without the certificate. What is published is a penalty and a set of disease powers. (1) THE PENALTY. The Board of Animal Health may impose "Civil penalties of up to one thousand dollars for each violation of the laws and administrative rules administered and enforced by the board. Each day on which a violation occurs shall be considered a separate offense" (R.S. 3:2093(9)(a)). §571 is one of those rules. (2) DISEASE POWERS. Rabies is a reportable disease under LAC 7:XXI.105, and after an investigation "If necessary to protect the animal and poultry populations, a quarantine may be imposed on involved and exposed animals and areas." The State Veterinarian's statutory quarantine power in R.S. 3:2094(A)(2) is worded for livestock — "Place any livestock in quarantine until the necessary inspections or tests or epidemiological investigations have been completed". (3) BITES AND EXPOSURE, under the Sanitary Code, which reaches any animal in Louisiana. A dog or cat that bites a person "shall be confined (as described in §111) for a minimum of 10 days following the bite", or killed and tested. An animal bitten by a rabid animal faces 45 days' confinement if currently vaccinated. If unvaccinated, the default is that it "shall be destroyed immediately unless the owner is unwilling to have this done"; the alternative is four months' confinement for a dog or cat, which the state public health veterinarian may extend to six if vaccination is delayed. Confinement means "in a cage or in another manner such that the animal cannot contact any person or other animal. Tethering is not permitted."confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[56910]
Open questions
High priority
- HIGH PRIORITY — the 12-month rabies window. §571 requires immunisation "within 12 months prior to entry"; the Sanitary Code's keeping rule follows the NASPHV Compendium and accepts three-year intervals. Ask LDAF whether a dog on a current three-year vaccine given more than 12 months before arrival is accepted, or must be boosted first. §571 dates from 1985 and may predate multi-year products.
- HIGH PRIORITY for a boat coming in from Mexico or Central America — does paragraph 2 of the State Veterinarian's New World Screwworm order of 5 June 2026 reach an animal arriving from a foreign country? The order's title says interstate, but paragraph 2 applies to "Any species originating from or traveling through" an infested ZONE. It does not use "state" at all, does not define a zone, and points readers to screwworm.gov (APHIS), which treats Mexico as affected. If foreign zones count, the animal needs an LDAF permit before arrival and a CVI no more than 7 days old, which is unsatisfiable on most passages. Ask LDAF (+1 225 925 3980, vetreports@ldaf.state.la.us) in writing whether an infested zone includes zones outside the United States. Also ask whether paragraph 1's infested "State" can mean a Mexican state. Check screwworm.gov and LDAF's news page for a newer order before every passage. screwworm.gov redirects to aphis.usda.gov, which refused automated access at audit time.
Also open
- HIGHEST PRIORITY, AND THE REASON THIS PAGE EXISTS — does LAC 7:XXI.571 apply to a dog or cat arriving by private vessel directly from a foreign port, and if so, what document does LDAF accept? The rule is origin-neutral ("imported into Louisiana for any purpose"), but its certificate must be "issued by an accredited veterinarian", which Part XXI defines as one accredited by the USDA, and no foreign veterinarian can be. Ask the Office of the State Veterinarian (+1 225 925 3980, vetreports@ldaf.state.la.us) in writing. Would a foreign government health certificate, the federal 9 CFR 93.600 screwworm certificate or a US CVI written before departure but now past 30 days be accepted, or nothing at all?
- Establish whether anyone inspects an animal at a Louisiana seaport arrival. Nothing published puts LDAF or LDH at a marina or customs dock. Ask CBP New Orleans (Marine Division, +1 504 670 2230), Morgan City (+1 504 670 2415) and Lake Charles (+1 337 721 3400) what a yacht with a dog or cat aboard is expected to present, and whether CBP notifies the state of arriving pets.
- Ask the Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health (the official state public health veterinarian) whether a rabies vaccination given abroad by a foreign veterinarian, with a vaccine not licensed by the USDA, counts as vaccination under LAC 51:III.101 and .103 — which define it as an injection "by a licensed veterinarian" using a vaccine "approved by the state health officer" — and how such an animal is treated after a bite or exposure under §107. No LDH page could be read for this file (see source_notes), so no LDH contact is given here. Reach the Office of Public Health through ldh.la.gov.
- A lower-priority scope check. §571's authority note cites only R.S. 3:2093, whose rule-making power in (1) is general. R.S. 3:2094(A)(4)-(5) let the State Veterinarian impose "additional requirements" to prevent disease without naming a species, and LDAF used (A)(4) for "Any species" in its screwworm order. No statute naming dogs or cats was found. Part XXI's own definition of livestock excludes them, but that does not limit §571, which names them. Confirm with LDAF only if a dispute ever turns on it.
- Breed restrictions are municipal and parish law, and this file has only one ordinance, read from a non-government archive last checked in 2012: Morgan City §18-65, banning pit bulls including their transport within the city. Confirm it is still in force with the City of Morgan City, and identify the other municipalities a 2014 news report said had pit bull bans. Check the ordinance of any parish or town where you plan to berth. Municode, which hosts most of these codes, was not tried for this file.
- Nothing addresses an animal that stays aboard and never lands, so no transit section is authored here.
About this page’s sources
- ldh.la.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated requests, including its robots.txt, so no Louisiana Department of Health page was read directly. The rabies rule is cited from the Office of the State Register's own Title 51 file instead. An LDH-hosted copy of the same Sanitary Code chapter (SanitaryCodeRabiesMay19.pdf) was read from its Internet Archive capture of 2026-07-12 and matches. LDH's general rabies page, read from a December 2025 archive capture, states no pet-entry requirement and is not cited.
- The signed PDF of the State Veterinarian's screwworm order is an image with no text layer, so the order is cited from LDAF's HTML news article reproducing it. That article spells infested with a lower-case L in place of the capital I ("NWS-lnfested") throughout, which is why it is never quoted here.
- The two Louisiana Administrative Code sources are .docx files from the State Register. The author read them after converting with macOS textutil. The repository corpus copies are produced by the repo's own docx extractor, and every quotation was checked against those. The Revised Statutes were read from the Legislature's LawPrint pages.
- Every archived_url is a PRE-EXISTING Wayback snapshot; nothing was archived for this file. Two lag the text read. The Title 51 .docx capture is dated 2026-01-23, but the file read carries July 2026 metadata; its rabies chapter was last amended in May 2019, so the two are probably the same, but this was not compared. The CBP Lake Charles capture dates from 2023-06-15. No snapshot was found for R.S. 3:2094, the CBP New Orleans and Morgan City port pages, or the Herald-Guide article. Archive them on review.
- Verify the inherited CDC federal requirements against cdc.gov, which blocks automated access and could not be read directly at author time.
Page status
Mainland United States · State of the United StatesDataset status Inferredconfidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.Last checked 2026-10-10 Recently checkedfreshness: Recently checked. Sources were last re-read 2 days ago, well inside the 180-day window. Recent is not reviewed — this page is still an unreviewed draft.
Evidence
Import permit
No fee is published, because no permit is required for a dog or cat under the ordinary entry rule. LAC 7:XXI.571 asks for a health certificate and rabies immunisation and names no permit. `false` is the ordinary case, and it carries a caveat a boat from Mexico needs to see. The State Veterinarian's screwworm order requires an LDAF permit before entry for "Any species originating from or traveling through" an infested zone. It does not confine those zones to the United States, so the permit may apply to a dog or cat arriving from Mexico or Central America. See `other_health` and outstanding_questions. Separately, LAC 7:XXI.581 requires a report to the State Veterinarian within 10 days for wild or semi-wild animals, which does not cover a dog or cat. Neither sets a charge.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[58]
- Phone
- +1 225 925 3980
Rabies
Three things about the vaccination itself, and the third is the trap. (1) THE INITIAL SERIES IS TWO SHOTS. "Every owner of a dog, cat, or ferret shall cause said animal to be vaccinated initially with a series of two vaccinations, the first to be administered at 3 months of age, the second to be administered one year after the initial vaccination." The same applies to an animal first vaccinated later. After that the NASPHV Compendium sets the interval. (2) WHO AND WHAT. The Sanitary Code defines vaccination as "the injection, by a licensed veterinarian, of an animal using anti-rabies vaccine approved by the state health officer". It does not say licensed where, and nothing addresses a vaccine given abroad. (3) AN OVERDUE FOREIGN-VACCINATED ANIMAL IS AT RISK AFTER AN EXPOSURE. If a dog or cat that is OVERDUE for a booster is bitten by a rabid animal, the Code treats it as previously vaccinated only with "appropriate documentation of having received a USDA-licensed rabies vaccine at least once previously". Without that it is either treated as unvaccinated and placed in strict quarantine, or the official state public health veterinarian may allow prospective serological monitoring to show an anamnestic response. A dog that is current on its boosters is re-vaccinated and confined for 45 days instead, and the Code does not say whether a non-USDA product counts as current. A dog vaccinated only in Mexico or Central America, with a product not licensed by the USDA, cannot produce the USDA documentation, so keep its boosters in date.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[6]
Rabies titer test
A blood test that measures rabies antibodies, to show the vaccination actually took. The sample has to be drawn a set time after the jab, and some places then make you wait months more before the animal may land — so this is the requirement most worth checking before you plan a route, not after.
Veterinary health certificate
- Form
- Official health certificate / Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI). LDAF supplies paper-based certificates, fillable PDFs and the Louisiana eCVI. For §571 the signer must be USDA-accredited, because §571 requires "an accredited veterinarian" and §101 defines one as USDA-accredited; that follows from the rule, not from LDAF's issuing practice. Part XXI prescribes no form for dogs and cats beyond its definition of a CVI as "a record of an animal's health recorded on an official form"., For a DOG from a screwworm region, the federal screwworm certificate shown in the inherited federal items under other health. It is not a Louisiana document, and whether LDAF would accept it in place of the §571 certificate is not addressed anywhere.
READ THE FEDERAL WARNING ON THIS PAGE FIRST: a dog vaccinated outside the United States that has been in a high-risk country in the last six months — Belize, Guatemala and Honduras among them — cannot be landed at any US seaport, Louisiana's included. What follows is about LOUISIANA'S OWN rule. NO EXCEPTION FOR A SEA ARRIVAL IS PUBLISHED, AND THE RULE CANNOT BE MET FROM ABROAD AS WRITTEN. §571 is origin-neutral — "imported into Louisiana for any purpose" — and Part XXI defines no "import" that would confine it to another state. Where the chapter means interstate it says so: §503 opens "All interstate movements of livestock" and the poultry rule reads "All out of state poultry". Nothing in Title 7 Part XXI, the LDAF pages or the statutes read for this file addresses a boat, a liveaboard animal or a foreign arrival. But the certificate must be "issued by an accredited veterinarian", which means one accredited by the USDA. A veterinarian in a foreign port cannot be that, and nothing says whether LDAF would accept a foreign government certificate, the federal screwworm certificate or an APHIS 7001 instead. Do not read the gap as a waiver. LDAF's own page sends international questions to USDA APHIS ("For information on international travel, call the USDA APHIS Area Office in Flowood, MS, at 601-936-8580"), which is a referral, not an exemption. Ask LDAF before you sail.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[5743]
LAC 7:XXI.571(A): "All dogs and cats imported into Louisiana for any purpose must meet the general requirements of §501 and must be accompanied by an official health certificate, issued by an accredited veterinarian, showing they have been immunized against rabies within 12 months prior to entry. Exceptions to this Section are dogs and cats which are 3 months of age or younger are exempt from the rabies vaccination requirement." The §501 it incorporates: "All livestock brought into the state shall be accompanied by an official health certificate stating that the animals are healthy, free from signs of infectious or contagious diseases and signs of internal and/or external parasites, and meet the specific requirements stated in this regulation." So the certificate has to say four things: healthy, no signs of contagious disease, no signs of internal or external parasites, and rabies immunisation within 12 months. Who may sign it is fixed by Part XXI's definition: "Accredited Veterinarian—a licensed veterinarian accredited by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)."confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[5]
Parasite treatment
No treatment is required. But the §571 certificate, through §501, must state that the animal is free from "signs of internal and/or external parasites". That is a finding the certifying veterinarian makes on examination, so a visibly wormy animal cannot be certified. No deworming product or treatment window is named.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[5]
No external-parasite treatment is required by Louisiana either. The same §501 statement covers external parasites, and §501 also provides that "No livestock affected with, or carrying the contagion of, screwworms shall be moved into Louisiana for any purpose". It speaks of livestock, and it reaches a dog or cat only through §571's cross-reference. For a dog, the federal screwworm certificate in the inherited items under other health applies on top of this, and is not a Louisiana rule. For the State Veterinarian's own screwworm order, which reaches cats as well, see `other_health`.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[5]
THE STATE SCREWWORM ORDER IS AN INSPECTION-AND-CERTIFICATE RULE, NOT A TREATMENT RULE, and it is not only for boats from Texas. Its paragraph 2 reaches "Any species originating from or traveling through" an infested zone, and it does not limit those zones to the United States. See `other_health` and outstanding_questions.[8]
Identification
CDC requires dogs entering the United States to be microchipped, and the chip number must appear on any accompanying rabies documentation. A territory may accept a collar tag for its own local rule, but that does not replace the federal microchip requirement for a dog arriving from abroad.[24]
"If your dog's microchip number starts with a number other than 9, be sure to check with your veterinarian that it is readable. If the microchip cannot be scanned on arrival for a dog that has been in a high-risk country, the dog may be denied entry and returned to the country of departure at the importer's expense."[4]
Louisiana sets no identification requirement of its own for a dog or cat entering the state. §571 asks for a health certificate and rabies immunisation and names no microchip, tattoo or tag. For a cat, nothing Louisiana publishes requires any identification at all.[5]
Animals & vaccinations
Dogs
Vaccinesconfidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[56]
- Rabies — the only vaccination Louisiana requires of a dog. LAC 7:XXI.571 names no other, and the Sanitary Code's dog-and-cat chapter is rabies only.
Cats
Vaccinesconfidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[56]
- Rabies — the only vaccination Louisiana requires of a cat, under both LAC 7:XXI.571 (entry) and LAC 51:III.103 (keeping). Neither names FVRCP, feline leukaemia or any test.
Other health requirements
- Dogs
- CDC Dog Import Form — required for every dog entering the United States, including a US-vaccinated dog returning home. Submitted online before travel; carry the receipt.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[4]
- Dogs must be at least 6 months old.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[42]
- Dogs must appear healthy on arrival.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[4]
- Dogs that have been in a high-risk rabies country in the previous 6 months face additional requirements: a rabies serology/titer and, in some cases, a CDC import permit. Which countries those are is not a judgement call — see the note below for CDC's list and the eight destinations on this site that are on it.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[43]
- SCREWWORM CERTIFICATE — USDA/APHIS, and separate from anything CDC asks for. 9 CFR 93.600(a): "Dogs from any region of the world where screwworm is considered to exist may only be imported into the United States if they meet the requirements of paragraphs (a)(1) and (2)". Those are: "(1) Dogs must be accompanied by a certificate signed by a full-time salaried veterinary official of the region of origin stating that the dog has been inspected for screwworm within 5 days preceding its shipment to the United States" and "(2) The certificate must state that the dog is either free from screwworm or was found to be infested with screwworm and was held in quarantine and treated until free from screwworm prior to leaving the region of origin." READ THAT AS A CRUISER: it is not your own vet's certificate, it is a GOVERNMENT veterinary official's, it must be within FIVE DAYS of departure, and on many islands finding a full-time salaried government vet at short notice is the hard part. APHIS maintains the list of affected regions at aphis.usda.gov (Animal Health Status of Regions) and changes it by administrative action, so check it against your actual last port rather than assuming — this dataset does not reproduce the list. Cats are not covered: subpart F is headed "Dogs". The quoted paragraphs have been checked against the regulation: subpart F is now held in this repository, fetched from the eCFR XML API, and both quotes above appear in it verbatim.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[1]
- NEW WORLD SCREWWORM — THE STATE ORDER, ON TOP OF THE FEDERAL CERTIFICATE ABOVE. The State Veterinarian's order of 5 June 2026 applies to "Any species" entering Louisiana, in two paragraphs. It was issued two days after screwworm was "confirmed in Texas on June 3, 2026". PARAGRAPH 1, keyed to an infested STATE: the dog needs a CVI carrying the order's statement that it does not originate from or transit through an infested zone. A boat working along the ICW from Galveston or Port Arthur should expect to be inside this. PARAGRAPH 2, keyed to an infested ZONE, which the order does not define or confine to the United States (it points to screwworm.gov): "Any species originating from or traveling through" one needs an LDAF permit and a CVI stating "All animals listed were individually inspected and found free of evidence of NWS infestation." Either way the CVI "is valid for no more than seven (7) days from the date of veterinary inspection." Paragraph 2 may reach a dog arriving from Mexico or Central America. If it does, the permit is needed before arrival and the 7-day CVI is unsatisfiable on most passages. The federal screwworm certificate above is needed whatever the answer. Permits: vetreports@ldaf.state.la.us, +1 225 925 3980.confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[87]
- MUNICIPAL BREED BANS — NOT STATEWIDE, AND BITING ONLY ONCE YOU ARE ASHORE IN THE TOWN. Morgan City, a CBP port of entry, makes it unlawful "to own, possess, keep, exercise control over, maintain, harbor, transport, or sell within the city any pit bull". A pit bull is "any dog that is an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier", or one showing most of their physical traits (Code of Ordinances §18-65). The only exception is for dogs licensed before July 2006. A pit bull found in the city may be impounded. The let-out that matters to a passing boat: a dog found to be a pit bull "shall be destroyed, unless the owner produces evidence deemed sufficient by the city that the pit bull is to be permanently taken out of the city and the owner pays the cost of impoundment". THE SOURCE IS OLD: a non-government archive whose copy was last checked in June 2012 and which says "local ordinances are no longer checked and are kept only for archival and example purposes". Confirm the ordinance with the City of Morgan City before relying on it either way. A 2014 local news report adds only a pointer: "five other municipalities in Louisiana currently have bans on pit bulls, including Morgan City". It does not name them, and none was verified.confidence: Secondary. From a non-government source; treat as a lead, not gospel.[1718]
- Cats
- NEW WORLD SCREWWORM — THE STATE ORDER, AND IT REACHES CATS. The State Veterinarian's order of 5 June 2026, issued under R.S. 3:2094(A)(1) and (4) after screwworm was "confirmed in Texas on June 3, 2026", is titled "NEW WORLD SCREWWORM RESTRICTIONS ON INTERSTATE MOVEMENT OF ANIMALS", but its operative part is headed "REQUIREMENTS FOR ANIMALS ENTERING LOUISIANA" and has two paragraphs, both for "Any species". PARAGRAPH 1 is keyed to an infested STATE: the animal needs a CVI carrying the order's statement that it does not originate from or transit through an infested zone. PARAGRAPH 2 is keyed to an infested ZONE, which the order does not define or confine to the United States; it points readers to screwworm.gov for the current zones. An animal from or through an infested zone needs three things: compliance with the state of origin's own rules; a permit — "Obtain a permit from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry/Office of Animal Health and Food Safety" — from vetreports@ldaf.state.la.us or +1 225 925 3980; and a CVI stating "All animals listed were individually inspected and found free of evidence of NWS infestation." Either way "The OCVI/CVI is valid for no more than seven (7) days from the date of veterinary inspection." This is the screwworm rule that reaches a CAT, which the federal one does not. Paragraph 1 binds a boat coming east from Texas. Paragraph 2 may also bind one in from Mexico or Central America, which APHIS treats as screwworm-affected. If it does, the permit has to be obtained before arrival and the 7-day CVI is unsatisfiable on most passages, the same problem §571 has. Ask LDAF before you sail; see outstanding_questions. The order stays in force "until further notice".confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer.[87]
THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC IS HIGH RISK, AND THIS FILE SAID OTHERWISE UNTIL 2026-10-03. CDC's list is headed "These countries and political units are considered high risk for importing dog rabies into the United States" and it names the Dominican Republic. Eight destinations on this site are on that list: Belize, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Suriname and Venezuela. The Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and the BVI are not on it, and neither is Nicaragua. US territories are not foreign countries for this purpose. The claim this replaces grouped the Dominican Republic with the not-high-risk islands and told a cruiser returning from there that the titer "does not normally apply" — it does, and a US-vaccinated dog also needs the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form endorsed before it leaves the United States, which cannot be arranged afterwards.[3]
Sources
- 1
9 CFR 93.600, Importation of dogs — subpart F. Paragraph (a) carries the screwworm certificate requirement; paragraph (b) the tapeworm inspection for livestock-handling dogs. Text read from the 2026 annual edition. — United States — Code of Federal Regulations, Title 9 (Animals and Animal Products), APHIS/USDA
- 2
Bringing a Dog into the United States — US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- 3
High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies — US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- 4
Frequently Asked Questions on Dog Importations — US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- 5
Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 7 (Agriculture and Animals), Part XXI (Animals and Animal Health). Cited for §101 (definitions of Accredited Veterinarian, Certificate of Veterinary Inspection, Livestock), §105 (reportable diseases and quarantine), §501 (general health requirements governing admission), §503, §531 (poultry), §571 (Specific Entry Requirements for Dogs and Cats, repromulgated LR 40:948, May 2014), §581 (wild animals). Read from the State Register's Title 7 .docx file, whose metadata dates it 23 September 2026. — Louisiana Division of Administration, Office of the State Register — official publication of the Louisiana Administrative Code
- 6
Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 51 (Public Health—Sanitary Code), Part III (The Control of Rabies and Other Zoonotic Diseases), Chapter 1, Anti-Rabies Vaccination Requirements for Dogs and Cats — §§101-111, as amended LR 45:670 (May 2019); also Part XVI §1309 (campgrounds, other animals). Read from the State Register's Title 51 .docx file, whose metadata dates it 21 July 2026. — Louisiana Division of Administration, Office of the State Register — official publication of the Louisiana Administrative Code (rule of the Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health)
- 7
Transporting livestock — Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Office of Animal Health and Food Safety, Veterinary Health Division
- 8
Order of the State Veterinarian: New World Screwworm Restrictions on Interstate Movement of Animals (effective 5 June 2026) — Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry — State Veterinarian
- 9
R.S. 3:2093 — Powers (Louisiana Board of Animal Health) — Louisiana State Legislature — Louisiana Revised Statutes
- 10
R.S. 3:2094 — Powers of the state veterinarian — Louisiana State Legislature — Louisiana Revised Statutes
- 11
R.S. 14:102.14 — Unlawful ownership of dangerous dog — Louisiana State Legislature — Louisiana Revised Statutes
- 12
Pleasure Boat Reporting Requirements — US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- 13
Bringing Pets and Wildlife into the United States — US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- 14
New Orleans, Louisiana - 2002 (port of entry contact page) — US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- 15
Morgan City, Louisiana - 2001 (port of entry contact page; office in Houma) — US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- 16
Lake Charles, Louisiana - 2017 (port of entry contact page) — US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- 17
Morgan City, Louisiana, Code of Ordinances, Chapter 18 (Animals), Sec. 18-65, Pit bulls prohibited (last checked by the site June 2012; "local ordinances are no longer checked and are kept only for archival and example purposes") — Animal Legal & Historical Center, Michigan State University College of Law — a non-government reproduction of a municipal ordinance
- 18
Recent pit bull controversy highlights breed-specific laws — St. Charles Herald-Guide (local newspaper)
Last checked October 2026 · 2 high-priority open questions · Sources & questions
What the dots mean
confidence: Inferred. Backed by an official source but not yet certified by a human reviewer. official-backed, awaiting human reviewconfidence: Conflicting. Sources disagree — verify before you rely on it. sources disagreeconfidence: Secondary. From a non-government source; treat as a lead, not gospel. non-government sourceconfidence: Unknown. Not located in any source yet. not yet documented· How we grade