Non-Substantive Change Request Memo

NONSUBSTANTIVE CHANGE TO FOREIGN QUARANTINE REGULATIONS (42CFR71)

(OMB Control No. 0920-1383)

Submitted 8/27/2023

Contact:

Thomas Daymude

National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

1600 Clifton Road, NE

Atlanta, Georgia 30333

Phone: 404.718.7103

Email: [email protected]

Currently, there is a temporary suspension of the importation of dogs from high-risk dog rabies countries into the United States. During the temporary suspension, CDC is permitting the importation of dogs from high-risk countries under certain conditions. CDC currently has approval to collect information from people seeking to import a dog into the United States from a high-risk country under OMB No. 0920-1383. The information that importers must provide includes a valid rabies vaccination certificate (RVC) that importers either submit with their CDC Dog Import Permit application or provide to a CDC-approved animal care facility to make a reservation with the facility for importation.

The information that is required to be included for a RVC to be valid is available at www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/vaccine-certificate.html. CDC currently does not require that this information be provided on a standardized template or form. Because of this, CDC has found that people applying for CDC Dog Import Permits frequently forget one, or multiple, required data elements on their RVC. Importers must then add the missing information to their RVC and submit an entirely new application. This greatly slows down CDC permitting process, both extending the time it takes an applicant with an invalid RVC to receive a permit as well as the time it takes for all applicants to receive a permit.

In order to ease the burden on importers by reducing permit processing time, CDC is implementing a requirement that importers of foreign-vaccinated dogs use the CDC developed standardized form to provide their rabies vaccination information. CDC is not changing any of the required information and will not be collecting any information that is not already approved under 0920-1383. This non-substantive change request is only to implement use of the new standardized form. It will become required that importers of foreign-vaccinated dogs provide rabies vaccination information using the form when the temporary suspension is extended on February 1, 2023.