Horses imported to the US from Europe need a USDA import permit, an original endorsed health certificate on the new APHIS model (from 1 October 2026), port inspection and import quarantine of 3, 7 or 60 days. Intact horses over 731 days from CEM-affected regions also go to a state-approved CEM quarantine facility. The importer pays all fees.
Check before you travel. This guide summarises USDA APHIS requirements as published in autumn 2026. It is not legal or veterinary advice, and import conditions can change at short notice when disease situations change. Confirm every step with APHIS and your official vet before you book a flight.
Flying a horse from Europe to the United States is a tightly regulated journey. Sale horses, competition horses and breeding stock all go through the same core process: an import permit, an official health certificate, inspection at the port and a period in quarantine. Stallions and mares can face a second, longer quarantine for contagious equine metritis (CEM).
Step 1: the USDA import permit
The importer applies for a permit through APHIS eFile. APHIS asks for applications at least seven business days before the horse ships. A permit is valid for 14 days, and a fee applies. APHIS’s online Veterinary Services Permitting Assistant lists the documents needed for your case. Book quarantine space early, because you will need it to be confirmed for arrival.
Step 2: the health certificate from the exporting country
The horse needs an original paper export health certificate in English (or with an English translation). It is issued by a government vet in the exporting country, or an authorised vet acting for them, and endorsed by the national veterinary authority. The original, with a wet-ink endorsement, must travel with the horse; APHIS does not accept photocopies. From 1 October 2026, APHIS accepts only certificates that follow its new model health certificate at all ports of entry. APHIS states that horses arriving with a certificate that cannot be brought into compliance will be refused entry, so check that your official vet is using the current version.
Step 3: port inspection
A USDA port veterinarian inspects the horse and its documents at the first US port of entry. The importer or their agent must arrange the inspection at least three business days before arrival.
Step 4: import quarantine
Every live horse entering the United States, except horses from Canada, goes into import quarantine. It lasts three, seven or 60 days, depending on where the horse lived in the 60 days before import, the countries it travelled through and the purpose of entry. USDA tests the horse during quarantine for certain foreign animal diseases. Space must be reserved at least three business days before arrival. Two points catch people out:
Transit matters. If the horse passes through a country of lower health status, it takes on that status, which can change the quarantine required.
The importer pays. APHIS states that the importer is responsible for all costs, including port inspection, quarantine and laboratory testing.
Where horses can land
Under federal rules (9 CFR 93.303), Newburgh, New York is the designated air and ocean port with a federal quarantine station: the New York Animal Import Center, which handles flights arriving at New York airports. APHIS describes it as having six equine barns with room for more than 100 horses. Other international ports can be used if the horse goes to a privately owned, APHIS-approved quarantine facility. APHIS publishes the list of approved federal and private quarantine facilities.
Step 5: CEM quarantine for stallions and mares
CEM is a venereal disease of horses. The United States treats a long list of countries as CEM-affected, including many in Europe. APHIS keeps the current list. If a sexually intact horse over 731 days old (about two years) has lived in, been exported from or travelled through a CEM-affected region in the 12 months before import, it must, after the import quarantine, go to a state-approved CEM quarantine facility for testing. For stallions this includes test breeding. Only a limited number of US states have approved CEM facilities, and APHIS publishes the list.
Exemptions in the federal rules include:
geldings
weanlings and yearlings that have never been used for breeding, when this is certified
APHIS can also treat a region as CEM-affected if it trades horses freely with a CEM-affected region without testing, so check the list even if your country is not known for CEM.
Leaving the EU
The departure side matters too. The EU’s journey-time and fitness-to-travel rules apply on the road to the airport. If the horse may come back to Europe, for example after a US show season, ask your official vet which EU re-entry certificate will be needed. The European Commission lists special models for registered horses returning after temporary export for competitions or races.
A realistic timeline
Six to eight weeks before: choose a shipping agent, check the CEM list and your horse’s status, book quarantine space
Three to four weeks before: confirm the flight and apply for the USDA permit once quarantine is confirmed
The week of travel: official vet examines the horse and issues the original certificate, which is then endorsed
Arrival: port inspection, then import quarantine, and CEM quarantine if required
These timings are our planning suggestion, not official deadlines. The official minimums are the ones set out by APHIS above.
Checklist
[ ] Shipping agent appointed and flight booked
[ ] Import quarantine reserved (and CEM quarantine if needed)
[ ] USDA permit applied for at least seven business days before shipping
[ ] Current model health certificate, original with wet-ink endorsement
[ ] Port inspection arranged at least three business days ahead
[ ] Budget for permit, quarantine, testing and transport fees
[ ] EU re-entry rules checked if the horse may return
Useful contacts
APHIS’s Live Animal Import Permit Team (laipermits@usda.gov) answers permit questions, and the Live Animal Import and Export team (laie@usda.gov) handles general import questions. Both are listed with a phone number on the APHIS equine import page.