REQUIREMENTS TO IMPORT DOGS/CATS TO CHINA
- Microchip must be inserted before rabies vaccine is administered
- Rabies Vaccine, Rabies titer test. Two rabies vaccination must not be expires and reflected in the blood test results.
- All the documents (Vaccination Records, Bloodtest results and/or microchip certificate) must be under the owner name
- International health certificate, export license. -This will be facilitated by United Pet Express.
- Copy of owner’s passport
Original documents to come along with the pet(s)
1. International Health Certificate (this will be provided by us if you export from Thailand)
2. Vaccination Records -The record must have pets' vaccination histories with tattoos or chips, rabies shots (anti-rabies inoculation) older than 30 days but it must not be expired.
3. Microchip Certificate
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Official certification of recent rabies vaccination
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An official certificate from your current country (e.g., government office) for exporting your pet outside of the country
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A health certificate (or letter) prepared by your veterinarian in your current country, attesting to the health of your pet
Quarantine Conditions:
According to Announcement No. 5 [2019] of the General Administration of Customs, P. R. China Announcement on Further Regulating the Supervision of Pet Importation and Quarantine, pet importation at all ports of entry will be subject to new quarantine regulations, effective on May 1,2019.In this context, We are please to reminds you that:
1. Only dogs or cats are allowed for importation (including service dogs for the disabled), and only one pet per passenger is allowed.
2. Valid quarantine certificate and rabies vaccination certificate issued by an official animal quarantine organ of the exporting country or region shall be presented to the China customs for pet importation.
3. Pets must have microchips that meet the international standards of ISO 11784 and 11785. The 15-bit microchip code shall contain only numbers and must be readable with a reader. For any non-compliant microchip, the pet owner may prepare a reader to read the implanted chip.
4. Pets shall be under 30-day isolation and quarantine in a quarantine station designated by the customs except for the following circumstances where pets are exempt from isolation and quarantine:
(I) Pets arrive from 19 designated countries or regions, i.e., New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, USA (Hawaii and Guam only), Jamaica, Iceland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Cyprus, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong SAR(China), and Macao SAR (China), hold valid microchips and pass on-site quarantine.
(II) Pets arrive from non-designated countries or regions (any countries or regions other than the designated ones), hold valid microchips and rabies antibody test report (blood titer or antibody amount must be above 0.5IU/ml) from an approved laboratory, and pass on-site quarantine.
(III) Guide dogs, hearing dogs or rescue dogs hold valid microchips, as well as corresponding owner certificate and professional training certificate, and pass on-site quarantine.
5. Pet owners bringing pets to be isolated and quarantined shall enter China via a port of entry equipped with isolation and quarantine facilities. Ports of entry equipped with isolation and quarantine facilities are listed and updated on the official website of the General Administration of Customs, P. R. China. As of the effective date of the new regulations, ports of entry equipped with isolation and quarantine facilities are listed as below:
Port of EntryCustoms in Charge
- Beijing Capital International Airport Customs at Beijing Capital Airport
- Beijing West Railway Station Customs at Beijing West Railway Station
- Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Customs at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport
- Shanghai Pudong International Airport Customs at Shanghai Pudong International Airport
- Shanghai Railway Station Customs at Shanghai Railway Station
- Shanghai International Cruise Terminal Pujiang Customs
- Wusongkou International Cruise TerminalWusong Customs
- Urumqi Diwopu International Airport Customs at Urumqi Airport
- Alataw Pass Customs at Alataw Pass
6. In case of any non-compliant importation for which pets are returned or destroyed by the customs within a specified period, China Southern Airlines shall not assume any responsibility thereof.
7. From May 1, pet owners travelling with pets to China should prepare the official quarantine certificate, vaccination certificate, microchip and etc. in advance as required below checklist. For details, please visit the official website of the General Administration of Customs, P. R. China at http://www.customs.gov.cn, and refer to Announcement No. 5 [2019] Announcement on Further Regulating the Supervision of Pet Importation and Quarantine.
UPDATE ON: 18th DECEMBER 2019. REQUIREMENTS CAN BE CHANGE ANYTIME. PLEASE VISIT http://www.customs.gov.cn FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Export Pet From China
- China allows one pet to be imported or exported per passport holder. If you have multiple pets, contact ICVS or a professional pet relocation agent (contact information below) for information on how to legally take your pets out of China.
**Please note that the Beijing Quarantine Bureau is now advising all departing pet owners to take their pets for the mandatory exit health examination at 10-12 days before the departure date (previously, the recommendation was to bring pets for the exit health examination at 7-10 days before departure). If you are taking pets to the EU, please take pets for the exit health examination at 12-days before departure date. The Quarantine Bureau is facing very high volumes with pet departures this summer and is also implementing a new computer system which is resulting in longer processing times for the exit permits.
Pet owners coming from other cities and provinces who will exit China from Beijing:
Please contact ICVS immediately for new Quarantine Bureau export and vaccination requirements if your pet resides outside of Beijing but will be undergoing the mandatory international exit health examination at the Beijing Quarantine Bureau at 10-12 days before departure.
Preparing Pets to Export from China
The three simple steps for clearing exit requirements for pet owners based in Beijing are summarized below:
Step 1: Rabies Vaccinations and the Official Vaccination Immunity Certificate
Complete rabies vaccination and obtain the official PRC Animal Health and Immunity Certificate certifying the pet is rabies vaccinated at least 30-days before departure date but not more than 12-months before departure
Animals departing China must be rabies vaccinated at an officially designated animal rabies vaccination hospital in the PRC and must have the official “PRC (Beijing) Animal Health and Immunity Certificate” (e.g., vaccination red book) with the stamp/chop of the issuing hospital.
Owners are recommended to keep good records of the pet’s local vaccinations upon adoption or arrival in Beijing. By law, all dogs must be rabies vaccinated annually in the PRC. Cats should also receive annual rabies vaccinations. China does not recognize the 2- or 3-year rabies vaccines from other countries so pets are required to be vaccinated annually. ICVS is an officially designated animal rabies vaccination hospital in the PRC and can provide legal rabies, distemper and all other vaccinations for all pets and issue the official Animal Health and Immunity Certificate (e.g., vaccination red book) required for pet export.
Step 2: Health Examination and Official Exit Health Certificate
Undergo the mandatory official exit health examination for your pet at 10-12 days before departure date at the government run Entry-Exit Inspection & Quarantine Bureau animal hospital (If going to EU countries, please take pets for the exit health examination at 12-days before departure date)
After your pets have completed rabies and all other vaccinations and have obtained the official “vaccination red books,” pet owners may take their pets for the official exit health examination at the designated government Quarantine Bureau animal hospital 10-12 days prior to the animal’s departure date from China. Pets will undergo a brief physical examination that will include mandatory blood tests and stool checks. Once completed, you will be issued a “Beijing International Companion Animal Health Inspection Certificate” (Official Health Certificate), which is required to then obtain the official “Animal Exit Permit” from the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau. Fees will be charged for the examination and the tests. Owners should bring the pet, the vaccination red book, passport or photocopy (one passport per pet), rabies antibody titre test report (for EU and other countries that require the test) and cash (e.g., RMB 1200.00+ per pet) at the time of the visit.
Kindly note that in November 2011, the Quarantine Bureau's animal hospitals that perform the official exit health examinations began scanning all animals for microchips at the time of the exit health exam. Many countries require microchips for pet import. The microchips required are the European Union ISO 11784 /11785 standard microchips. Please note that this microchip requirement is NOT a national or Beijing municipal government or an Entry/Exit Quarantine and Inspection Bureau requirement. Requirements are set by the officially designated Quarantine Bureau animal hospitals who are authorized to perform the official exit health examinations for pets exiting China (e.g., Guan Shang animal hospital in Beijing and Shenpu animal hospital in Shanghai). ICVS can help microchip all pets and has universal microchip scanners to ensure microchip readability of already microchipped pets.
The PRC Quarantine Bureau is responsible for the export of all live animals, including livestock for food production, so the overarching principle is that all live animals for export, including dogs and cats, are relatively healthy, vaccinated in line with PRC and destination country requirements, free of infectious diseases, free of internal and external parasites, and free of contagious skin infections.
In addition to checking for microchips and annually required rabies, distemper and other vaccines for dogs and cats, the Quarantine Bureau animal hospitals will perform blood tests to check for systemic infection, contagious viral diseases common among dogs and cats, stool tests to check for internal and microscopic parasites, blood test to check for heartworm antigen parasite in dogs, and physical examination of all pets to check overall health condition and for infectious skin diseases and external parasites.
We strongly recommend all pet owners to bring their pets to ICVS for an annual wellness and pre-departure healthcare screening to ensure that pets are healthy, fully vaccinated, infection free and parasite free BEFORE taking pets to the Quarantine Bureau’s officially designated animal hospital for the mandatory exit health examination at 10-12 days before departure. Pets that have non-contagious and non-infectious diseases such as diabetes, renal disease, thyroid disease, heart disease, dental disease, non-transmissible skin diseases (e.g., demodex), tumors, and even cancers, are permitted to exit China.
For most pets, the exit health examination at the Quarantine Bureau will be smooth and the pet will be approved for export. However, every year there are pets with previously unknown or undetected health conditions who are taken directly to the Quarantine Bureau animal hospital for the mandatory exit health examination and do not receive exit permits required for export. Pet export is not guaranteed and is a pet-by-pet decision made by the government veterinarians of the Quarantine Bureau at the time of the official exit health examination.
When taking pets for the mandatory exit health examination, please go early in the morning when the Quarantine Bureau’s Guan Shang animal hospital opens. Appointments are not accepted. If you are not proficient in Mandarin, it may be helpful to use a professional pet relocation company that can help you take your pet door-to-door and manage the exit health examination process at the Quarantine Bureau (see below for recommended professional pet relocation agents).
The health certificate is usually issued within 2-business days after the examination and is valid for 7-days from the issue date. If the health certificate is not taken to apply for an exit permit before the expiration date, the health examination must be repeated.
Step 3: “Animal Exit Permit”
Apply for the exit permit from Entry-Exit Inspection & Quarantine Bureau after receiving the official exit health certificate
Owners may present the exit health certificate to obtain the official “Animal Exit Permit.” The Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau has a satellite office on the second floor of the Quarantine Bureau’s animal hospital where owners may apply for the exit permit. Bring your “vaccination red book,” the exit health certificate and your passport (or passport photocopy). It is not necessary to bring your pet to apply for the exit permit. The exit permit fee is about RMB 200.00 and is now processed in 5-6 business days and is valid for 14-days once issued. Please confirm latest regulations with the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau for exit requirements and exit permit validity periods. Government agencies may revise policies at any time without prior notice. Once you receive the exit permit, pet owners have 14-days to take pets overseas.
The Entry-Exit Inspection & Quarantine Bureau’s office hours are: Monday to Friday, 9:00AM to 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM (Closed for ALL public and national holidays).