Entering Japan with Your Dog or Cat: How to Avoid Quarantine

Travelling to Japan with your pet is a unique experience, but it requires careful planning. The country has strict regulations on importing and transporting animals, which must be followed to guarantee a safe and comfortable trip. In this guide, we’ll give you all the essential information for bringing your dog or cat with you to Japan, to avoid quarantine and handle every step in the best way possible.

Pack your bags, grab your four-legged friend’s favourite toy, and set off for an unforgettable adventure in Japan!

Official sources: Complete information is available on the website of Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: MAFF 

Japanese Bureaucracy for Importing Pets

Japan has strict measures to protect its local wildlife from infectious diseases, particularly rabies. These import procedures, which can be viewed on the relevant Japanese website, vary depending on the country or region of export.

To import dogs and cats from non-designated regions (including Italy), here is the procedure to follow carefully.

1. Pre-Travel Preparation: at least 180 days before entry

To import an animal into Japan, you need to follow a process that starts at least 180 days before entering the country, which becomes 270 days if you’re travelling with a puppy. This period is needed to make sure your pet meets all the health requirements. First of all, make sure you have:

• Microchip All animals entering Japan must have a microchip compliant with ISO 11784/11785 standards, which must be implanted before the rabies vaccination. Make sure the microchip is readable and correctly registered, since it will be used to identify your pet during inspections.

• Rabies Vaccination Every dog or cat entering Japan must have been vaccinated against rabies. At least two rabies vaccinations are required, and the validity period must not expire by the time of entry. Note that your pet must be at least 91 days old before it can receive the first dose of the vaccine (read this article for more information — guide in Italian).

• Rabies Antibody Test A crucial step is the rabies antibody test. This test is needed to make sure your pet has a sufficient level of antibodies to protect it against rabies, and the results must show an antibody titre equal to or greater than 0.5 IU/ml.

The test is carried out via a blood sample taken by the vet, who sends the sample to an internationally recognised laboratory (in Italy this laboratory is the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe)  ). The result is emailed to the pet’s owner.

Note: The test must be carried out at least 180 days before entry to avoid quarantine, and is valid for 24 months, provided subsequent vaccinations are kept up to date.

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2. Pre-Notification to the Animal Quarantine Service

Once all the required documents are complete, and 40 days before arrival, it’s essential to notify your pet’s entry, by sending an email to the specific addresses of the Japanese airport or port where you plan to arrive (you’ll find all the information at this link  ). You’ll need to attach the following documents:

• The expected date and place of arrival
• A photo of the owner’s passport
• A photo of your pet’s passport. In particular the page with the rabies vaccinations and the administration and expiry dates. It’s important that you write the arrival date in year/month/day format to avoid misunderstandings.
• The certificate for the antibody titre test.
• A photo of the carrier

Japanese MAFF officials will reply after assessing your documentation and, if everything is correct, will send you the Import Inspection Application Form and the AC Form.

• Import inspection application form: asks for information about the owner, the animal’s name and vaccination date/expiry, the microchip number and more. The questions are simple, and you’ll find instructions on how to fill it in on their official website. As soon as you fill it in, you need to send it by email.
• The AC Form: must be filled in and signed by a vet in your home country or the country you’re in before entering Japan.

3. Pre-Travel Inspection by an Official Veterinarian

Less than 10 days before travel, your pet will need to undergo a clinical examination by a vet, who will issue a certificate of good health and fill in the AC Form. Once filled in, the form must be sent to the Japanese officials for verification. This step is very important, because a small mistake could prevent your pet from entering Japan.

After the clinical examination, you need to go to the government veterinary offices of your country of origin (usually every local vet can give you the contact for the nearest office) with the certificate of good health and the AC Form; here you’ll be issued the export certificate. This document too must be sent to MAFF to get final approval.

Important Note: We recommend booking appointments well in advance, both with the vet and at the government veterinary office. Once obtained, the export certificate must be emailed to MAFF, who will send back a final approval document, which you'll need to bring with you to Japan along with all the other documentation.

4. Inspection at the Arrival Airport/Port

Once you arrive in Japan, your pet will undergo a further inspection by the quarantine service, where officials will check the documents and scan the microchip.

Your dog or cat must stay inside the carrier at all times during the inspection. Generally, the inspection takes anywhere from about 30 minutes to a few hours, depending on how complete the documents are and how many animals are arriving.

By the way, here's Sakè's favourite carrier!  , which is also expandable, giving Sakè room to move freely inside. It also has loads of pockets to keep it as ventilated as possible, and a comfy pad can be fitted inside.

5. Post-Inspection Procedure

If all the documentation is correct and the inspection is successful, your pet will be released without needing quarantine. Otherwise, your pet may be subject to quarantine lasting up to 180 days. Quarantine days are calculated as follows:

180 days − days elapsed since the antibody test = days of quarantine

Quarantine takes place in dedicated facilities, the cost of which is your responsibility. Depending on the results of the quarantine, the dog or cat may still not be admitted into Japan.

All this information comes from our own first-hand experience, since we travelled from Italy to Japan with our cat, on board our campervan! If you’d like, you can follow our adventures on YouTube  , where we share all our experiences and travel tips.

We wish you an unforgettable adventure with your pet!

Note: The link to Sakè’s carrier is an affiliate link. If you purchase through it, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.