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Marines

Unit HomePCS to IwakuniPets

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan

MCAS Iwakuni Logo for PhotoDashboard.
Pets
New Requirements for Importing Dogs into the US

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published new requirements for importing dogs into the United States. These changes will impact all service members bringing dogs into the United States starting 1 August 2024. 

Required Documents for Bringing a Dog into the United States

The main things that dog owners need to know now are:

  • The dog MUST be over 6 months of age prior to entering the United States

  • Have a valid Rabies vaccine (see Important Note below)

  • ISO approved microchip implanted PRIOR to their rabies vaccine.

  • Fill out an import permit on the CDC website 2-10 days prior to arrival - this form has not yet been published.

Important Note:

There are different requirements for pets who are rabies vaccinated at the VTF vs by a veterinarian off base. There will be additional steps to gain entry into the United States for pets with a foreign rabies vaccine. The specifics of how this will be done for the military community are still being worked out. At this point, I recommend getting the rabies vaccine at the VTF if you are PCSing by summer 2024.

Pets

Bringing pets to MCAS Iwakuni Japan is discouraged. Pets may limit your options for housing and will not be a consideration when making housing assignments if inventory is limited. Many landlords off-base will also not rent to families with pets. Travel with pets to and from Iwakuni may also require inconvenient special arrangements and expensive fees.

The on-base Veterinary Treatment Facility’s priority is the health, well-being, and mission readiness of our Military Working Dogs. Their secondary mission is to provide routine pet care to privately owned animals. The Iwakuni VTF is unable to provide after-hour routine or emergency care to privately owned animals, and Japan does not have any 24/7 emergency veterinary hospitals available, in or around Iwakuni. A list of off-base, local veterinarians is available at the Iwakuni VTF, as well as on their Facebook page. Pet owners must develop their own pet emergency plan with an off-base veterinarian.

If you do decide to PCS with your pet, you MUST take initiative ahead of time to ensure you complete all necessary steps for PCS’ing with your pet.

If you are PCS’ing with a pet, you need to review the following information:

And provide the following forms before arrival. Required forms are linked below:

You may also want to provide your sponsor with the following pet special power of attorney to cover you in any pet emergencies and when coordinating with the Barking Lot upon arrival.

**If you are PCS’ing more than 60 days ahead of your family, do not bring your pet with you, have your family bring your pet when they arrive. Upon arriving, you will be placed in unaccompanied housing and there will be nowhere to house your pet until your family arrives and you occupy family housing.**

The barking lot

Currently, there are only 4 dog kennels and 8 cat rooms available at the Barking Lot (the on-base boarding facility) for incoming personnel.

If staying at the TLF, you or your sponsor can reserve spaces at the Barking Lot 60-days in advance of your arrival for any personnel PCS’ing into Iwakuni. Email: ombiwabarkinglot@usmc-mccs.org. Once you move out of the TLF into permanent housing with a yard, you can keep your pet with you.

If you will occupy family housing upon arrival, you can keep your pet with you and will not need to utilize the Barking Lot.