Complete Guide to Entering South Korea from Russia with Your Dog or Cat

If you’re travelling overland along the Trans-Siberian route (guide in Italian) and want to enter South Korea by ferry with your pet (dog or cat), it’s essential to carefully plan every step. The Korean government has set strict regulations to prevent the introduction of zoonotic diseases (such as rabies) and to guarantee everyone’s safety. In this guide we’ll give you all the details you need to bring your pet into Korea without problems, avoiding quarantine and complying with all the required procedures.

Important:
Start preparing your documents well in advance, both in Italy and in Vladivostok, in order to exit Russia.

1. Prerequisites for travelling with pets to South Korea

Below are the prerequisites to meet in Italy (or your home country) before departure.

Microchip

Every animal entering South Korea must have an electronic identification microchip, compliant with ISO 11784/11785 standards. The microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccination. If the microchip isn’t readable, the animal could be turned away or put into quarantine.

Rabies vaccination

One of the first things to sort out to enter South Korea is the rabies vaccination. Korea requires dogs and cats to be vaccinated against rabies before departure.

• Type of vaccine: must be OIE-approved (World Organisation for Animal Health) and is valid for one year.
• Vaccination certificate: make sure you bring the certificate showing the vaccination date and the type of vaccine used.

Important: The vet or health authority issues a document certifying that the vaccine was administered. Bring this document with you, as in Russia it’s essential for obtaining the export certificate.

Rabies Titer Test

The Titer Test, i.e. the rabies antibody test, is done via a blood sample and confirms that the animal has enough antibodies to be protected against rabies.

• When to do the test: at least 30 days after vaccination and at least 3 months before departure. This is the requirement for Korea, but the Titer Test is also needed to enter Russia. Make sure it hasn’t expired!
• Authorised laboratory: the test must be carried out at an OIE-authorised laboratory (for example the one in Venice, Italy). You can have the blood drawn at your own vet’s or a vet’s in the country you’re in, and ask for the sample to be sent to the lab. The result will be emailed to you.
• Results: the test must confirm a minimum level of 0.5 IU/mL of rabies antibodies.

You’ll find more information on how to get these documents in Italy in our dedicated article:

2. Bureaucratic procedures to export your dog or cat from Russia

Below are the procedures to obtain the final “5A” certificate, which allows your animal to be exported from Russia to South Korea. We recommend arriving in Vladivostok well ahead of time to complete the paperwork with time to spare and handle any unexpected issues. All the documents listed above, plus the ones you’ll obtain in Russia, are needed to avoid having your animal placed in quarantine once it enters the country.

This procedure must be repeated for every animal travelling with you.

Notifying the shipping company

Before leaving, it’s important to let the shipping company know you’re travelling with a pet. We recommend telling them as soon as you make your booking, since the storage room for animals isn’t huge and there may not be enough space: in that case you might have to move your departure earlier or later, since the ship from Russia to Korea only runs once a week.

Port office

Contact the port office by email ( torg.port.svh@yandex.ru.  ) or, even better, go in person to present your case. In the latter case, remember to bring your passport, as registration is required to enter the building. To be safe, we both sent the email and showed up in person, to make sure they’d actually received it.

If you’re travelling with more than one animal, send a separate email for each one.

The building is located here: Nizhneportovaya Ulitsa, 3Б, Vladivostok, Primorskiy kray, Russia, 690003 

Registering your animal in Russia

Go to a government veterinary clinic ( here  ) to register your animal in the MERCURY system, a national database where the animal’s details, including microchip number, are recorded.

Certificate and Form 1

Go to another government veterinary clinic (it looks a bit intimidating, but we went here  ) to book an appointment to have Form 1 filled in and get your paperwork in order.

Within 5 days before departure from Russia you’ll need to go back to the veterinary clinic to have Form 1 completed (if you’re travelling with more than one animal, make sure each one has a separate certificate).

Date issues

Even though in Italy the vaccine is valid for three years, in Russia and Korea it’s only recognised as valid for 1 year. The clinic where you get the Form 1 certificate doesn’t do vaccinations, but they were kind enough to call another veterinary clinic where the booster could be done. 

At least 30 days must also pass between the vaccination and boarding. The Russian authorities are a bit like Italians about this too, and they set a date that worked well enough to let us leave without problems.

Logistical issues

To complicate things further, the clinic is closed on Saturdays, so the first available day to book an appointment is Monday. Keep in mind that if you’re travelling with a vehicle, on Monday morning you’ll need to hand it over at the port, so you’ll have to get around by other means. We recommend booking taxis with Yandex Go  .

Final 5A certificate

Once you have Form 1, send it straight away by email to the port office, or better still go in person, to request that the final “5A” certificate be filled in — this is needed for the animal to leave the country. Make sure they give you an appointment to collect this document the day before departure.

Paying the shipping fee

During the boarding process for the ship, you’ll need to pay the fee for the animal based on its weight, and the cost depends on that day’s exchange rate. Careful: payment must be made in cash, in rubles only, so bring more cash than you think you’ll need.

3. Travelling with Your Pet by Ship from Russia to Korea

Your dog or cat will travel inside a crate, which you need to bring yourself ( we chose this carrier for our cat  ), regardless of size or weight. In Vladivostok you’ll find a few pet shops, but if you have a large dog, make sure you can find a crate big enough.

For the whole crossing, your pet will be required to stay inside a specific room, together with any other animals on board. You can access it whenever you like, after asking staff, but between midnight and 7am the room stays locked.

Make sure you bring food, water and everything needed for their needs (litter and puppy pads), to make the 24-hour crossing as comfortable as possible.

Important note: this trip can be genuinely stressful for your pet. Be responsible!

4. Arrival in South Korea: Quarantine Check and Health Inspection

Check on arrival

Once you arrive in Korea, your pet will have to go through quarantine checks. During the inspection, an official veterinarian will check:

• The health certificate.
• The vaccination certificate.
• The microchip.
• The Titer Test results.
• The “5A” certificate.
• The owner’s passport.

Entry permit

If all the documents are in order, your pet will be able to enter Korea without being placed in quarantine. If there are issues with the paperwork or the animal’s health, a period of quarantine may be required.

Summary of steps to enter South Korea with your pet from Russia

In Italy (or your home country):

1. ISO microchip implanted before vaccination.
2. Rabies vaccination with an OIE-approved vaccine.
3. Titer Test (rabies antibodies) done 3 months before departure.

In Russia (Vladivostok):

1. Notify the shipping company.
2. Notify the port office.
3. Register your animal in Russia in the MERCURY system.
4. Form 1 certificate completed at Russian veterinary clinics 5 days before departure.
5. Health inspection and final 5A certificate before departure.
6. Payment of the animal transport fee.
7. Quarantine check on arrival in South Korea.

Conclusion

We hope this guide has given you all the information you need to travel to South Korea with your pet from Russia safely and without a hitch.

If you’re thinking of just shipping the vehicle and flying yourself, know that at the time of writing flights between Russia and Korea have been suspended, so travelling by ferry is the only option.

If you found this information useful, you’ll also find detailed videos on the topic on our YouTube channel  , where we go deeper into various aspects of the trip. If you’re interested in travelling the Trans-Siberian route overland, we’ve put together a complete guide you can buy online  to help you plan your trip simply and in detail. If you have any further questions or doubts, we’re happy to answer and give you all the support you need. Don’t hesitate to get in touch! Safe travels and good luck with your pet adventure!