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THE CITIZENSHIP DESK

Pet Import & Relocation Guides

Moving internationally with a dog or cat is one of the most paperwork-intensive parts of any relocation — and one of the most time-sensitive. This section covers everything from the universal requirements (microchip, rabies vaccination, health certificate) to the destination-specific rules that can add months to your timeline: blood-titer tests, mandatory quarantine facilities, breed restrictions, and airline cargo approvals. Whether you're relocating to Australia's strict seven-month regime or Mexico's comparatively simple process, we cover the official requirements, lead times, and authority contacts you need.

Last verified: 2026-06-01. Pet-import regulations change with rabies-risk reclassifications and bilateral agreements — always confirm with the destination country's official veterinary authority before booking travel.

Looking for a quick side-by-side comparison?

Our reference table lists microchip requirements, rabies rules, import permits, quarantine windows, and official authority links for 25+ destinations in a single scannable matrix.

View the Pet Relocation by Country reference table →

Featured destinations

Quick destination overviews sorted by how far ahead you need to plan. For a specific country, use the full A–Z directory below or the side-by-side reference table above.

Plan 6–8 months aheadPlan 4–8 weeks aheadPlan 2–4 weeks ahead
AU flag Australiastrict

7-month preparation; mandatory quarantine in Melbourne

NZ flag New Zealandstrict

Titer test + 10-day quarantine; origin-dependent rules

JP flag Japanstrict

180-day titer waiting period; one of Asia's strictest regimes

SG flag Singaporestrict

Category A–D country tiers; home or facility quarantine

HK flag Hong Kongstrict

Rabies titer for Group II origins; up to 120-day quarantine

TW flag Taiwanstrict

BAPHIQ permit; titer required; 7–21 day quarantine standard

GB flag United Kingdommoderate

Animal Health Certificate; tapeworm treatment; no in-cabin entry

EU flag EU (Schengen)moderate

EU Pet Passport or AHC; tapeworm rules for IE/FI/MT/NO

US flag United Statesmoderate

CDC rabies rules by country of origin; USDA APHIS health cert

MY flag Malaysiamoderate

DVS import permit; 7–180 day quarantine by origin

KR flag South Koreamoderate

Rabies cert >30 days <12 months; AQIA inspection on arrival

AE flag United Arab Emiratesmoderate

MOCCAE permit; 2-pet-per-resident limit; breed restrictions

IL flag Israelmoderate

Vet Services import licence; rabies + titer ≥30 days ≤1 year

ZA flag South Africamoderate

DAFF permit; deworming protocol; entry via OR Tambo

TH flag Thailandstraightforward

DLD import licence; no quarantine for compliant pets

CA flag Canadastraightforward

Rabies cert ≥30 days; no microchip required federally

MX flag Mexicostraightforward

Health cert within 10 days; no advance permit needed since 2019

BR flag Brazilstraightforward

CVI health certificate; rabies ≥30 days <1 year; microchip required

IN flag Indiastraightforward

Import permit; max 2 pets/family/year; no microchip at federal level

TR flag Turkeystraightforward

Vet health cert; rabies ≥30 days; max 2 pets per traveller

All destinations (A–Z)

Per-country pet-import guides for 195 destinations.

AF flagAfghanistanAL flagAlbaniaDZ flagAlgeriaAD flagAndorraAO flagAngolaAG flagAntigua and BarbudaAR flagArgentinaAM flagArmeniaAU flagAustraliaAT flagAustriaAZ flagAzerbaijanBS flagBahamasBH flagBahrainBD flagBangladeshBB flagBarbadosBY flagBelarusBE flagBelgiumBZ flagBelizeBJ flagBeninBT flagBhutanBO flagBoliviaBA flagBosnia and HerzegovinaBW flagBotswanaBR flagBrazilBN flagBrunei DarussalamBG flagBulgariaBF flagBurkina FasoBI flagBurundiCV flagCabo VerdeKH flagCambodiaCM flagCameroonCA flagCanadaCF flagCentral African RepublicTD flagChadCL flagChileCN flagChinaCO flagColombiaKM flagComorosCR flagCosta RicaCI flagCôte d'IvoireHR flagCroatiaCU flagCubaCY flagCyprusCZ flagCzech RepublicCD flagDemocratic Republic of the CongoDK flagDenmarkDJ flagDjiboutiDM flagDominicaDO flagDominican RepublicEC flagEcuadorEG flagEgyptSV flagEl SalvadorGQ flagEquatorial GuineaER flagEritreaEE flagEstoniaSZ flagEswatiniET flagEthiopiaFM flagFederated States of MicronesiaFJ flagFijiFI flagFinlandFR flagFranceGA flagGabonGM flagGambiaGE flagGeorgiaDE flagGermanyGH flagGhanaGR flagGreeceGD flagGrenadaGT flagGuatemalaGN flagGuineaGW flagGuinea-BissauGY flagGuyanaHT flagHaitiHN flagHondurasHK flagHong KongHU flagHungaryIS flagIcelandIN flagIndiaID flagIndonesiaIR flagIranIQ flagIraqIE flagIrelandIL flagIsraelIT flagItalyJM flagJamaicaJP flagJapanJO flagJordanKZ flagKazakhstanKE flagKenyaKI flagKiribatiXK flagKosovoKW flagKuwaitKG flagKyrgyzstanLA flagLaosLV flagLatviaLB flagLebanonLS flagLesothoLR flagLiberiaLY flagLibyaLI flagLiechtensteinLT flagLithuaniaLU flagLuxembourgMG flagMadagascarMW flagMalawiMY flagMalaysiaMV flagMaldivesML flagMaliMT flagMaltaMH flagMarshall IslandsMR flagMauritaniaMU flagMauritiusMX flagMexicoMD flagMoldovaMC flagMonacoMN flagMongoliaME flagMontenegroMA flagMoroccoMZ flagMozambiqueMM flagMyanmarNA flagNamibiaNR flagNauruNP flagNepalNL flagNetherlandsNZ flagNew ZealandNI flagNicaraguaNE flagNigerNG flagNigeriaMK flagNorth MacedoniaNO flagNorwayOM flagOmanPK flagPakistanPW flagPalauPA flagPanamaPG flagPapua New GuineaPY flagParaguayPE flagPeruPH flagPhilippinesPL flagPolandPT flagPortugalQA flagQatarCG flagRepublic of the CongoRO flagRomaniaRU flagRussiaRW flagRwandaVC flagSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesWS flagSamoaSM flagSan MarinoST flagSao Tome and PrincipeSA flagSaudi ArabiaSN flagSenegalRS flagSerbiaSC flagSeychellesSL flagSierra LeoneSG flagSingaporeSK flagSlovakiaSI flagSloveniaSB flagSolomon IslandsSO flagSomaliaZA flagSouth AfricaKR flagSouth KoreaSS flagSouth SudanES flagSpainLK flagSri LankaKN flagSt Kitts and NevisLC flagSt LuciaSD flagSudanSR flagSurinameSE flagSwedenCH flagSwitzerlandSY flagSyriaTW flagTaiwanTJ flagTajikistanTZ flagTanzaniaTH flagThailandTL flagTimor-LesteTG flagTogoTO flagTongaTT flagTrinidad and TobagoTN flagTunisiaTR flagTurkeyTM flagTurkmenistanTV flagTuvaluUG flagUgandaUA flagUkraineAE flagUnited Arab EmiratesGB flagUnited KingdomUS flagUnited StatesUY flagUruguayUZ flagUzbekistanVU flagVanuatuVE flagVenezuelaVN flagVietnamYE flagYemenZM flagZambiaZW flagZimbabwe

Universal requirements checklist

  • ISO microchip (15-digit, 134.2 kHz). Required by almost every destination. Must be implanted before the rabies vaccination for the vaccination to count — an earlier vaccine administered without a chip on record will not be recognised.
  • Rabies vaccination. Nearly universal. Many countries require the vaccine to have been given ≥30 days before travel and to remain valid at time of entry. Some require it within the past 12 months.
  • Rabies antibody titer test. Required for the strictest-tier destinations (Australia, NZ, Japan, Singapore Cat C/D, Hong Kong Group II, Taiwan). Result must show ≥0.5 IU/mL from an approved lab; a 180-day waiting period after the test applies in some cases. This single requirement drives the 6–8 month preparation timeline.
  • Official veterinary health certificate.Issued by an accredited vet, endorsed by your country's national authority (USDA APHIS for US, official vet for EU/UK AHC). Typically required within 10 days of travel.
  • Destination import permit.Many countries require advance application — weeks to months before the animal's arrival. Australia, NZ, Singapore, and Japan do not allow arrivals without a pre-approved permit.
  • Airline approval. Separate from country documentation. Brachycephalic breeds (pugs, bulldogs, Persian cats) face seasonal and airline-specific bans due to heat-stroke risk. Cargo routes and kennelling dimensions vary by carrier.
  • Breed restrictions. Pitbull-type dogs face outright bans in the UK, Germany, France, UAE, Singapore, and New Zealand. Verify before committing to a destination.

See also: Vehicle import by country · Driving licence exchange · Apostille by country.