Bring the dog: the papers decide the route.
The United States lists Thailand as a high-risk country for dog rabies.52 For any dog headed to Texas, that one fact sets the rules: where the rabies shot was given decides which forms you need and which airport you are allowed to land at.
Work out your dates
Pick the direction and the day of travel. The dates count back from it. The rules behind them are set out below, each with its source.
A dog vaccinated in Thailand
Plan on two months at the very least, and aim for four. The dog can enter the United States only at an airport with a CDC-registered animal care facility. There are eight such airports, and one of them is in Texas: Dallas Fort Worth. Houston is not on the list.54 55
Chip, then shot
The chip goes in first. The first rabies shot counts only at 12 weeks or older.54
Blood test
Drawn 30 days or more after the shot and sent to a laboratory the CDC approves.54
Wait
28 days or more between the blood draw and the day the dog lands.54
Vet signs
An official government veterinarian endorses the form no more than 30 days before the flight.54
Fly into DFW
Straight to the facility you booked. No connecting flight inside the United States until it is done.54
The papers
- The Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip. Your veterinarian fills it in. It is good for one trip and for 30 days.54
- A passing rabies titer. Without it, the dog spends 28 days in quarantine at the facility, at your cost.54
- A reservation at DFW Pet Lounge and Quarantine, the registered facility at Dallas Fort Worth. The dog is examined and revaccinated there.55 54
- The CDC Dog Import Form: free, online, one for each dog.54
Leaving Thailand
Take the dog and its documents to the Animal Quarantine Station at Suvarnabhumi before the flight. The officers check the animal and issue an export permit and a health certificate.64
A Texas dog coming home
This is the easy case, if you did one thing before you left. The form that matters has to be signed and stamped in the United States, before the dog ever flies out.53
The U.S. rabies form
A USDA-accredited veterinarian fills in the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination, and USDA endorses it, before you leave Texas.53
Chip before shot
The chip has to be in before the rabies vaccine is given, and its number goes on every form.53
Six months old
Younger dogs are not admitted from a high-risk country.53
The import form
Fill in the CDC Dog Import Form online before the flight and carry the receipt, on paper or on your phone.53
Land where you like
With that paperwork the dog may arrive at any airport, Houston included.53
An ordinary rabies certificate from the clinic does not count. If you left without the endorsed form, the dog is treated as vaccinated abroad, and the harder rules apply.53
A dog or cat going to Thailand
Thailand asks for a permit and a health certificate. No breed of dog is banned, though the airline may have its own list.58 When the papers are right there is no quarantine.62
Vaccinate
Dogs: rabies, distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and leptospirosis. Cats: rabies and panleukopenia. A first vaccine must be 21 days old before you apply for the permit. Boosters do not have to wait.58
Ask for the permit
Email the Animal Quarantine Station at the airport where you will land, no more than 60 days and no fewer than 7 days before you leave.59 58
See the vet
A USDA-accredited veterinarian issues the health certificate and USDA endorses it online. It is good for 10 days from the endorsement. Print it and carry it with the animal.57 58
Walk to the station
At Suvarnabhumi the quarantine station is beside baggage carousel 8 and never closes.58 Show the papers and pay 500 baht for each animal.58 63
How long the permit takes
The embassy says five to seven Thai working days and suggests applying a month ahead. The agriculture office says seven to ten days.58 60 Once issued it is good for 60 days.58
Flat-faced dogs: the hard part
French bulldogs, pugs, bullies and their cousins breathe poorly under stress, and airlines know it. A survey of more than 270 airline policies in May 2026 found the pattern: most carriers will take a flat-faced dog in the cabin and refuse it in the hold.65
Too heavy for either cabin. A flat-faced dog this size travels as cool-season cargo or not at all.
In the cabin
Korean Air allows 7 kilograms and Turkish Airlines 8, and Turkish has the widest network for a small Frenchie.68 67 American takes flat-faced dogs in the cabin only.66 One guide says United refuses the breeds outright, so ask before you book.69
As cargo
The choices are few and seasonal. Emirates' cargo arm carries flat-faced breeds from November to April, with a veterinarian's fit-to-fly letter. Lufthansa Cargo takes them only when it is under 80 degrees Fahrenheit at both ends.66 Most American airlines no longer carry pets as cargo at all.70
Our reading
A grown bully is too heavy for any cabin and unwelcome in most holds. Book that dog as cool-season cargo through a pet shipper who does this route, or do not fly it.