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Animal Quarantine Service
Laws and Regulations
Quarantine Regulations of DOG and CAT
Import from designated regions
Import from other regions
Export
Contact Us
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Dogs and Cats from regions OTHER THAN designated regions
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"Designated regions" : Only 7 areas (as of January 20, 2012) : Taiwan, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, Guam
"OTHER THAN designated regions": All areas other than above 7 areas
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On arrival in Japan, dogs and cats must undergo import quarantine for a set period to screen out rabies (and in the case of dogs, rabies and leptospirosis), depending on conditions. Furthermore, in order to check whether they have contracted the diseases in isolation from other animals or humans, the animals are held in the quarantine facilities of the Animal Quarantine Service (AQS). Please bear in mind that even when a long quarantine period is necessary, quarantine can not be allowed at any place other than the premises of AQS.
When trying to import dogs or cats, you must submit Advance Notification of the planned date of arrival, number of animals and other items to the Animal Quarantine Service which has jurisdiction over your intended port of arrival at least 40 days prior to arrival in Japan. Please note that you may be requested to change the date or place of import depending on the availability situation of quarantine facilities at the Animal Quarantine Service.
If you have a certificate for the animal issued by the responsible government agency of the country of export containing necessary information such as the microchip number for individual identification, dates of rabies vaccinations and rabies antibody levels as well as stating that the animal underwent 180 days wait in the country of export, the quarantine period will be completed within12 hours. In all other cases the quarantine period will be up to 180 days.
The Animal Quarantine Service will issue an Import Quarantine Certificate on completion of the import quarantine.
Importers of dogs are required to register their dogs under the Rabies Prevention Law and may need to take the Import Quarantine Certificate to the local authorities of the destination of the dog.
【NOTICE!】
Dogs can only be imported at the following 17 seaports and airports:
Sea ports: Tomakomai Port, Keihin Port (Tokyo, Yokohama), Nagoya Port, Hanshin Port (Osaka, Kobe), Kanmon Port, Hakata Port, Kagoshima Port and Naha Port
Airports: Shin(New)-Chitose Airport, Shin(New)-Tokyo International Airport (Narita), Tokyo International Airport (Haneda), Chubu International Airport, Kansai International Airport, Kitakyushu Airport, Fukuoka Airport, Kagoshima Airport and Naha Airport
What is required to the make the quarantine period less than 12 hours?
Advance notification
Regardless of the way dogs and cats are brought to Japan (hand luggage, cargo etc.), Advance Notification form of the following must be submitted to the Animal Quarantine Service with jurisdiction over the intended air(sea)port of arrival at least 40 days prior to arrival in Japan:
Contents of Notification: Name, address and contact number of the person submitting the notification; breed of dog/cat; number of animals; intended use; country of export; date and place of import; name and address of consignee/consigner; export location/destination; individual identification data etc.
Required documents
In cases in which all of the following can be confirmed with a certificate issued by the responsible government agency of the country of export, the quarantine period on arrival will be within 12 hours: individual identification with a microchip; rabies vaccinations and rabies antibody levels; completion of a 180-day wait in the country of export.
First-step: Individual identification by microchip
Dogs and cats must be individually identified by microchip. Upon arrival in Japan, the animal's microchip number will be checked against the number on the certificate issued by the responsible government agency of the country of export. If the animal is not implanted with an ISO compliant (11784 and 11785) microchip, please bring a microchip reader with you.
Second-step: Rabies vaccination
Dogs and cats must be immunized against rabies with inactivated or recombinant vaccines at least twice after the microchip is fitted.
The second rabies vaccination onward must be conducted more than 31 days apart after the previous vaccination and within the effective period of previous vaccination.
- Rabies vaccination before microchip implantation is not valid.
- Live vaccination is not valid.
- Dogs or cats must be at least 91 days old at the time of rabies vaccination.
Third-step: Blood Test (Measurement of rabies antibody levels)
After the second vaccination, blood (serum) sample shall be taken from dogs and cats for blood test (neutralizing antibody titration test against rabies).
Then blood test against rabies must be carried out at the laboratory designated by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan.
The results of the blood test shall be equal to or greater than 0.5 IU/ml.
- Blood sampling should be done on or after the date of second vaccination.
- Blood test performed by laboratories before the recognition date by Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan is not valid.
- The result of blood test is valid for two years after the date of blood sampling.
Only in case of dog, if you send the blood(serum) to the desinated laboratory in Japan, the blood(serum) must be accompanied with health certificate issued or endorsed by the responsible government agency of the exporting country. The health certificate must be certfied that "the blood(serum) is collected from dog which has been found to be free from any clinical signs of rabies and leptospirosis(or to be clinically healthy)".
We advise that you first obtain the certification forms recommended by Japan, then have the veterinarian who drawn the blood(serum) fill in the necessary items, and finally obtain endorsement from the responsible government agency of the exporting country.
Fourth-step: 180 days wait 
Dogs and cats are required to undergo a waiting period of at least 180 days between the date of the blood sampling and the date when dogs and cats arrive in Japan.
- Dogs or cats arriving anytime before the 180 day waiting period is completed will be subject to quarantine at the AQS facility to make up for the days in shortage.
- If rabies vaccinations expire prior to arrival, dogs and cats must be revaccinated (given a booster vaccination/additional vaccination) before the expiring date of the prior vaccination.
- The blood test result will remain valid for two years from the date of the blood sampling. Dogs and cats must arrive in Japan within the valid period of the blood test result.
- If dogs and cats do not arrive in Japan within this two year period(the valid period of the blood test result), blood test will have to start over. This means you will have to repeat the animal’s blood test. If the second blood test result, antibody titer, is greater than or equal to 0.5 IU/ml too, the 180 day waiting period will not be required for a second time. Please note, however, that the second blood sample must be taken at least 180 days after the date of the first blood sampling date. Also, during stay in the exporting country, dogs and cats must be revaccinated (given a booster vaccination/additional vaccination) before the expiring date of the prior vaccination.
Certificate of export country
Dogs and cats must be inspected and confirmed that they do not have or are not suspected of having rabies (and in the case of dogs, rabies and leptospirosis) prior to departure (whenever possible, no more than two days before departure).
The importers need to obtain a certificate issued by the responsible government agency of the country of export stating the previous details; the First-step to the Fourth step.
Import inspection on arrival in Japan
On arrival in Japan, please submit the application for import inspection to the Animal Quarantine Service and have the animal inspected by an animal quarantine officer. The inspection for dogs and cats will not usually take long on the condition that the advance notification has been checked, and the animal is successfully identified and is proven to meet all conditions.
If there are any omissions in the certification or individual identification, the animal may be subject to a long import quarantine up to 180 days.
Feeding arrangements during the quarantine period
It is the importer’s responsibility to take care of the animals during quarantine. Importers are requested to take proper care of the animals to avoid and unfavourable accidents or illness due to changes in environment.
The cost of import inspection by animal quarantine officers is free but the importers must cover the cost of transportation, feed and other care, onsite veterinary treatment, return or disposal of animals. Please bear in mind that veterinary treatment has to be done at the quarantine facilities of AQS during quarantine.
There are 11 quarantine facilities throughout Japan, but caretaker agents are only based at four of them (Narita, Kansai Airport and Chubu Airport branches, and Yokohama head office). At the other facilities, the importers must either take care of the animals themselves or make advance arrangements with a third party caretaker.
(Animal Quarantine Service centres with quarantine facilities)
Advance Notification forms
Import Application forms
Recommended certification forms
We advise that you first obtain the certification forms recommended by Japan (Form A, Form C), then have the veterinarian who treated the animal fill in the necessary items, and finally obtain endorsement from the responsible government agency of the exporting country.
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