Travelling to Japan with a Cat: Avoiding Quarantine Periods
Entering into another country with a live animal always requires extra steps, but if you plan to travel with a pet to Japan you'll need to put in even more work. In total, it took me around 7 months of advanced planning and an additional $900 CAD for the rabies titration test, health inspection, form verification, and carry-on pet fees for the flights. While the process is not impossible, it does require a ton of advanced preparation which is summarized in this cute graphic provided Japan’s official website for pet importation:
I would highly advise consulting the official website for the import of dogs and cat into Japan when making preparations to travel with your pet as they provide more detailed information depending on the type of animal and where you are exporting from. The website also provides information in multiple languages and has links to most of the required forms required for entry into Japan. For your reference, the information below is based off my experience travelling from Canada to Narita International Airport with a 5-year old Siberian cat who was already microchipped and double vaccinated prior to the start of trip planning.
Preparing for Entry into Japan
To enter Japan from Canada with a cat, you’ll need to ensure your pet is microchipped and double vaccinated against rabies, acquire a rabies antibody test, notify Animal Quarantine Services of your arrival, complete the 180-day waiting period, and undergo inspection by a licensed vet in Canada, and have an official export form signed by a government-authorized vet.
Keep in mind that while Japan is known to be a cat-loving country, they are extremely strict when it comes to the importation of live animals and will not make any exceptions for visitors. As such, it is essential that you complete steps in the correct order and ensure that you understand the validity period of the vaccines and test results or else you could run into some major complications or even have your cat quarantined upon entering Japan.
The Microchip
As is customary for most countries, the first thing your pet needs is a registered microchip. The microchip must be implanted before the first rabies vaccination and it’s always good to ask your local vet to double check that the chip can be scanned by a reader prior to leaving the country. If your cat arrives without a microchip or the microchip cannot be identified, your cat will be held in quarantine for up to 180 days upon arrival.
Minimum of Two Rabies Vaccinations
When it comes to the rabies vaccinations, Japan requires that your cat has received at least two rabies vaccinations following the implantation of the microchip. These must be inactive or recombinant vaccines, although as far as I know this is the standard for what is provided at North American vets. The first vaccination must occur when your pet is at least 3 months old. You must wait a minimum of 30 days before administering the second vaccine but you also must ensure that the validity period of the first vaccine has not expired. If you plan to bring a kitten you may need to follow a different set of rules.
Rabies Antibody Test (Serological Test)
Once you’ve got your microchip and rabies vaccinations out of the way, your next step is to obtain a rabies antibody test from one of the designated laboratories. You can see a sample of Reinhardt’s test results down below with some redacted information.
I will warn you now that this step can be a bit pricey, especially if you live in a country that does not have a designated lab. In Canada, you are looking to pay around $500-1000 to get a single test result as the blood samples will have to be shipped internationally. When I had the tests done in France, I paid around $300 for Reinhardt’s report, so it’s possible this will cost less if you live elsewhere.
You must get the blood sample for the test after the second rabies vaccination has been administered but before its validity period has passed. For your pet to be allowed into Japan, your test results must show that your pet’s antibody titer against rabies is equal to or greater than 0.5 IU/ml. If your pet has a European pet passport, you will not need to test again for entry into other European countries as long as your pet is continuously vaccinated. For other countries like Korea and Japan, the rabies titration test will be valid for only two years before you need to retest.
Avoiding Japan’s Pet Quarantine Period
One of the main deterrents to visiting Japan with a pet is their 180 day quarantine period, but in reality you are able to “quarantine” your pet while at home. Once you have your microchip, vaccines, and test results, you simply need to wait a minimum of 180 days at home before entering Japan with your pet. If you do this, then your pet will be able to leave the airport with you on the day that you arrive.
Be careful about this waiting period as they are quite strict with it and will not hesitate to quarantine your pet to meet the 180 day minimum. For example, if you only wait for 170 days, they will detain your pet for 10 days upon arrival. To avoid being quarantined, you also need to make sure that your latest rabies vaccine and the rabies antibody test are still valid on the date that you arrive in Japan.
Advanced Notification for Animal Quarantine Service
Your next step is to contact Japan’s Animal Quarantine Service to inform them that you will be entering the country. You must do this at least 40 days in advance of your arrival as there will be a bit of back and forth to verify documents and ensure everything is done up to standard. Expect fairly prompt replies from the agency, and if you don’t hear back within a week make sure to check your junk mail as I had a few emails end up in there.
When I was completing this step, I accidentally wrote the wrong year for Reinhardt’s birthday and said he was born November 2028, so the officials were very quick to jump on that mistake and I had to send extra documents to verify his real birthday. Some obvious advice resulting from this is that you probably shouldn’t fill out the forms when you’re short on sleep and triple check everything before emailing them for approval.
The Animal Quarantine Service will ask you to send them the following information:
Completed import form
A photo of your pet inside the carrier you will use for travel
Proof of your entry and departure into Japan with your pet
A signed government-authorized form (see further below)
Flight number and expected arrival time
Completed export form
Health Inspection Prior to Departure
Prior to departure, you must book a vet appointment for your cat. This appointment must be booked within 10 days of your arrival to Japan, and during this appointment you need to have a licensed vet verify that your cat is healthy enough to travel and fill out official import forms.
The health inspection typically involves checking the cat for external signs of sickness of stress, inspecting the mouth, checking for a healthy heartbeat, weighing the cat, and then a short discussion to see if the owner has any concerns or questions regarding their cat or travel. If your cat requires calming medicines for the flight, this is also a good time to ask the vet to prescribe some.
The health check itself takes about 30 minutes, but the forms can take a few hours to be completed depending on the vet’s availability for that day. Keeping this in mind, it’s usually better to schedule an earlier appointment and then book your CFIA appointment for a different day as the longest we’ve had to wait for the forms to be completed was 8 hours.
Keep in mind that the export form varies depending on the country you plan to visit, although the CFIA has information regarding some of the forms, especially those in the EU. You can see an example of the required form necessary for Japan further below.
Government-Authorized Certificate: Visiting the CFIA
Once you’ve gotten a licensed vet to sign off on your form, you need to have a licensed vet at the CFIA officially approve your pet for travel. To book an appointment with the CFIA, you should call or email as far in advance as possible as they often have limited availability. Typically, I try to make an appointment at least two months in advance, although I have had some success with getting a last minute appointment just three weeks before departure—they were pretty unhappy about my seeming lack of planning, so I really would advise trying to avoid this.
On the day of your appointment, simply show up at your designated time with your two completed import forms, proof that your cat is travelling with you, rabies documents, and other relevant certificates. The vet will collect everything and inspect them before calling you back to the office. Expect to wait anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half.
Once you’ve been approved, your documents should be stamped and signed before being returned to you. There is also a small fee of just over $20 for getting your documents endorsed, and this can be paid online through your phone or with cash.
A properly completed form should look similar to below, although I have redacted some information for privacy reasons:
Arriving in Japan
Upon arrival at the airport, you will need to go through the usual passport inspection processes before heading to the Animal Quarantine Service desk with your cat. If you enter Japan through Narita Airport, then the desk is located on the right-hand side of the baggage claim area after you walk down the stairs. You actually don't need to worry about finding the desk yourself as there will be an employee in a blue uniform with a sign waiting to escort you there, although it's very clearly labeled in English just in case you do somehow bypass the worker without being noticed.
The process itself only took about thirty minutes, but it's important to note we were the only ones being inspected. I was asked to provide my passport along with all of Reinhardt’s documents: a Japanese-approved import form, rabies certificates, rabies titration test results, and a certificate authorized by the government agency of the exporting country.
A worker will take your documents and inspect them before also making copies. They will also sit you down and go through the details on your export forms to confirm that all the information is accurate. Unlike some other countries, there are no extra fees that need to be paid for these import procedures.
Once your forms have been approved, you are required to take your pet to an enclosed room where a worker will scan your cat’s microchip and do a quick inspection to ensure your pet is in visibly good health. I was able to keep Reinhardt inside his carrier for this process, and overall it took less than five minutes.
If you pass the inspection, then your forms will be returned to you and you'll receive the official stamp of approval on your documents. They also provide you with a small approval slip with another small stamp that they attach to your carrier. Honestly, I didn't have to show anyone this stamp while in the airport, so I'm not entirely sure whether this serves any real purpose. Possibly it just stopped wandering inspection agents from approaching me while I was waiting for my luggage.
If you make it through the import inspection, then you are now free to enjoy Japan with your cat! Just make sure you don’t misplace any of your documents during your trip as you’ll need them to leave the country.
Departing from Japan
Probably the most surprising part of the process was trying to get my cat back into Canada. For other countries, the process of going home typically just involves showing the same set of documents I used to get into the country to the worker at the airport's check-in counter. The pet might get a special sticker or tag to show it's been authorized to fly home, and then the rest is business as usual.
Japan’s process is slightly more complicated as you are required to book an export inspection and this should be conducted before you check any luggage. An employee from the Animal Quarantine Services emailed us about two weeks before my expected departure date to finalize a time for the export inspection, but you could always email ahead of time. If you find yourself flying at a time when the inspection office is closed, you are able to book an inspection for the day before, although this can be a bit bothersome if you aren’t staying near the airport.
I departed from Narita Airport, and finding the Animal Quarantine Service area is much harder when you are in the departures terminal because it's located in a staff-only zone that requires authorization to enter. Here’s a map on how to get there. Due to this, you may want to give yourself some extra time just in case you struggle to find it like I did. If you enter the airport from the Keisei Skyliner (bottom of the map), you’ll want to head up to floor 1 and head towards the Offices. You’ll know you’re in the right place because there will be elevators to your right and a ramp and stairs to your left leading to locked doors. Ignore the elevators, head up the ramp, and then use the intercom to ask for permission to head up to the Animal Quarantine Service. You’ll either be buzzed in or someone will come down to escort you to the staff-only elevator that will take you to the second floor.
I had a difficult time accessing the staff-only area as workers actually told me I was prohibited from entering. To bypass this problem, I was able to go to the support center on the second floor and have a staff member escort me down the hallway and explain the situation. I would also be cautious about asking for help on B1 or the first floor as the workers at the information desk only know that the animal quarantine office is on the second floor but don’t know exactly how to get there.
You’ll also feel as though you don’t belong as you’re walking through the hallways to the Animal Quarantine Service area, but once you arrive you’ll see a sign on the wall. Just knock on the door and then let them know your name and appointment time. The workers were all very friendly while still being efficient.
The export process is exactly the same as the import process where they check through your documents and then also take some time to examine your cat. Once you’ve received your stamp of approval, you can head back down to the check-in counters and continue on your way to your destination.
Due to the extensive (and somewhat expensive) process that is required to get an animal in and out of Japan, I wouldn’t recommend travelling with a cat unless you are planning to stay for a long time or the circumstances demand it. While I had a great time exploring the country with Reinhardt, I’m not sure that I would want to go through the hassle again, especially as the rabies titration test needs to be kept up to date unlike with other countries that just require consistent vaccinations. Still, the process is certainly doable as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort to get everything in order!
A word from Reinhardt: Xrfffffgfgff
