On July 14th, the CDC enacted a temporary ban preventing dogs from 113 countries from entering the USA. Guatemala is one of the countries included in the ban. The CDC states that the ban will be reviewed in one year (after July 14, 2022). There is no clear feeling that it will be lifted then.
There are very limited exceptions to this blanket ban. To apply for an exemption, you can check this link for the full regulations. If you are a US citizen returning to the US permanently, you MAY be able to qualify, however the process is lengthy and expensive. ***We helped returning State Department officials apply for and get an exemption. They were still unable to get their dog back to the US.
To enter with a CDC exemption you must enter at one of the designated airports. As of October 15th, there are only three ports of entry. Please refer to the CDC information linked above for updated information.
Service animals are not exempt, must be titered, and go through the application process, may only enter at a designated port, and will not be grated a second exemption to travel if the handler lives in a banned country.
As of the date we write this, there are other complications in flying your dog into the US from Guatemala. No airline departing Guatemala and entering the US is currently accepting dogs either accompanied or in cargo. This included dogs with the CDC permit.
If you are not a US citizen, your permit will be denied. You may not even transit through the US with your dog if you clear customs there (which to our knowledge, all airlines are required to do at their first point of entry. This affects many flights bound for Europe, Canada, etc.
Cats are currently not banned by the CDC, however several passengers with cats were recently turned away, as well. It appears that the airlines are unclear of the regulations, and since they are responsible for returning any animal denied entry back to the port of origin, they are understandably overcautious about accepting an animal.
We feel that this ban was overly broad and extreme in its application. It is gravely affecting American State Department officials, veterans, citizens, and rescues who work very hard to send only healthy, adoptable animals. If this ban is to be lifted or amended, you need to help raise awareness with COngress and your representatives.
Please join the public Facebook group Fighting the CDC Ban for International Rescue Dogs here and pressure your representatives to pressure on the CDC to amend this overly broad ban that is affecting thousands of Americans and dogs.