{"id":28293,"date":"2019-10-16T15:00:07","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T15:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=28293"},"modified":"2025-01-09T18:12:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T09:12:41","slug":"bringing-your-pet-to-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/bringing-your-pet-to-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing your pet to Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Bringing your pet to Japan<\/strong> is a process that can be both time-consuming and expensive. But, it is absolutely possible to successfully bring your fur friend to Japan, with a bit of patience and a lot of preparation.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Designated vs non-designated regions<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are certain parts of the world where it is easier to bring a cat or a dog into Japan than others, notably: Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, the Fiji Islands, Hawaii and Guam. These places are designated rabies-free areas by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order for your cat or dog to qualify as being from one of these regions, it <strong>must<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have continuously resided in the designated region since birth; or<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have continuously lived in a designated region for at least 180 days immediately before moving to Japan; or<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have resided continuously in a designated region since being directly imported from Japan<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are not from a designated region or your pet does not meet one of those requirements, then the procedure becomes a little more complicated.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Microchipping, vaccinations and blood tests<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of where you are from in the world, you need to microchip your pet based on the recommended microchip standards for Japan (ISO 11784 and 11785).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the microchipping process, all pets from non-designated regions must get the rabies vaccination twice or more. Note that Japan does not accept the live rabies virus vaccine so your pet must receive a vaccine that contains the inactivated virus or recombinant\/modified virus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Your pet must be at least 91 days old at the time of the first vaccination<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the second vaccination must be done more than 30 days after the first (the date of the first vaccination is counted as day zero), but within the effective period of the first vaccine. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the second immunisation, your pet must be tested for rabies antibodies so be aware that you will need to research the best place near you to get your pet\u2019s blood tested. This might involve spending some money to send the blood sample away to a lab.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Note especially that you must enter Japan with your pet while the vaccination is still effective. This validity period differs depending on the type of rabies vaccine, so remember to check this with your vet. If the effectiveness period passes before you enter Japan, your pet will need to get a third rabies vaccine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For pets that have resided in a designated region for six months or more, the rabies vaccine and test are not required.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Waiting period<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the second vaccine has been administered and the blood has been sent away, you must wait 180 days before entering Japan. Pets from non-designated regions that have not waited the full 180 days will be quarantined for the time required to make up the shortage. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the point of this entire process is to avoid your pet going into full quarantine, it would make sense to ensure you wait out the full 180 days!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This waiting period is a good time to do everything you need to prepare for your <a href=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/moving-to-japan\/\">move to Japan<\/a> such as booking flights (research the best airline to transport your pet with), finalising accommodation and filling in all the necessary documentation to notify the Japanese government of your intention to import a pet. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think about the things your pet might need while on the flight, too. If you are able to fly with your pet in the cabin, think about whether you might need to bring toys or a collapsible water bowl, or anything else that might make the flight less stressful for your pet.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Notification<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you\u2019re from a designated region or not, you must let the Animal Quarantine Service at the port you are planning to enter (Narita Airport, for example) know that you will be bringing a pet. This must be done no less than 40 days before arriving in Japan. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The notification form can be filled in online, mailed, faxed or emailed. Note that <\/span><b>you need to put your Japan address on this form so you need to secure accommodation in Japan first<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If Animal Quarantine Service accepts the notification, then you will receive an approval form, which you will need to print out and show at the check-in counter when you arrive in Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-77327\" src=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/bring-pet-japan.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"798\" height=\"436\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2><b>Final medical check and documentation<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within 10 days of leaving for Japan, your pet must be examined by a vet. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You will also need to get certificates from your home country confirming:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your pet\u2019s date of birth and age<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The microchip number and date of implant<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rabies vaccination date, immunity period, type of vaccine, product name and vaccine manufacturer<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Date of blood testing for rabies antibodies and name of lab that did the testing<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Results and date of final clinical inspection<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The health certificate must be endorsed from your country\u2019s governing authority that is responsible for the import and export of animals. If you are from North America, the certificate must be a United States Department of Agriculture or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency state veterinarian endorsement.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What if I don\u2019t complete these steps?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dogs and cats that do not meet those requirements will be quarantined for up to 180 days, or however many days you did not wait following the second vaccine. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Note that all cats and dogs coming into Japan will be quarantined, but owners who can prove they have completed the procedure properly will only have their pet kept in quarantine for a short time.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What if I want to bring a pet that\u2019s not a cat or a dog?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, rodents, rabbits and invertebrates do not need to go through the rabies vaccine procedure but may be subject to other requirements. It is best to contact either your relevant authority or Japan\u2019s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for the most accurate information. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>For more information on importing pets to Japan, visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.maff.go.jp\/aqs\/english\/animal\/im_index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0aFLJv0wiCw\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\nFor more useful tips about life in Japan keep following our <a href=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/\">Go! Go! Nihon blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bringing your pet to Japan is a process that can be both time-consuming and expensive. But, it is absolutely possible to successfully bring your fur friend to Japan, with a bit of patience and a lot of preparation. Designated vs non-designated regions There are certain parts of the world where it is easier to bring [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":28313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[402],"tags":[690,659,680],"class_list":["post-28293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-living-abroad","tag-paperwork","tag-study-in-japan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}