JP
Importing Your Pet to Japan
Moderate to importVerification date not recorded. Confirm current requirements with the destination authority.
Prepared by Dr. Sarah Okafor, International Animal Health Consultant
Every dog and cat entering Japan goes through the Animal Quarantine Service (AQS), part of MAFF, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Where your pet is coming from decides the route. Japan’s designated regions (Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, the Fiji Islands, Hawaii and Guam) follow a microchip, residence and clinical inspection procedure. Everywhere else needs a microchip, at least two rabies vaccinations, a rabies antibody test and a 180-day wait.
Order matters. The microchip goes in before the first rabies vaccination (the same day is allowed), and AQS does not accept a booster given after the previous vaccination’s immunity has lapsed: the whole process restarts from the first vaccination.
Cats follow the same import procedure, though only dogs are limited to designated ports and checked for signs of leptospirosis. A pet that does not meet the conditions is detained at an AQS facility for up to 180 days, or returned, and the importer pays all detention costs.
Import Requirements
Every requirement below is taken from an official government page, and each one links to the page it comes from. The rules were last checked on 2 October 2026. They can change, so check the linked page again before you book.
Who is in charge
- The Animal Quarantine Service (AQS) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) quarantines all dogs and cats entering or leaving Japan under the Rabies Prevention Act and the Act on Domestic Animal Infectious Diseases Control.
Import and export quarantine of dogs and cats, checked 1 October 2026 - Dogs and cats are inspected by AQS on arrival; AQS issues an import quarantine certificate if no problems are found.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026
Where your pet travels from
| Group | What applies | Origins |
|---|---|---|
| Designated regions | Rabies-free regions designated by Japan. Microchip, residence rule (since birth, 180 days before export, or since import from Japan), 40-day notice, clinical inspection within 10 days and government certificate (Form AB). The AQS procedure for these regions has no rabies vaccination, antibody test or 180-day wait step. Source | Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji Islands, Hawaii, Guam |
| Non-designated regions | Microchip, two or more rabies vaccinations (first at 91 days or older), antibody test of 0.5 IU/ml or more at a designated laboratory, 180-day wait from blood sampling, 40-day notice, clinical inspection within 10 days and government certificate (Form AC). Source | all other countries and regions |
- Japan splits origins into designated regions (Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji Islands, Hawaii, Guam), which follow a microchip, residence and clinical inspection procedure, and all other (non-designated) regions.
Applies to dogs and cats from designated regions (Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji Islands, Hawaii, Guam).
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from the designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Non-designated regions (everywhere else) need a microchip, at least two rabies vaccinations, a rabies antibody test and a 180-day wait.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026
Import permit
- There is no separate import permit. The owner files an advance notification and AQS issues an "Approval of Import Inspection of Animals", which is needed for export and boarding procedures.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026
Microchip
- Microchip required, implanted before the first rabies vaccination (same day allowed).
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - The chip should be ISO 11784/11785 (15 numeric digits). For a non-ISO chip, contact AQS at the port of entry and bring a reader if AQS cannot read it.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - If AQS readers cannot read a non-ISO chip, the importer must bring a reader that can.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Microchips starting 900 202 are not accepted as identification for the time being (notice of 7 April 2023).
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Notice of 19 December 2025: duplicate chip numbers have been found in different animals (especially some 900-prefix chips such as 900113, 900115, 900128, 900201, 900215, 900217, 900263); re-chipping and redoing procedures may be required, so notify AQS early.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - A microchip is also required for designated regions.
Applies to dogs and cats from designated regions (Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji Islands, Hawaii, Guam).
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from the designated regions), checked 1 October 2026
Rabies vaccination
- At least two rabies vaccinations after microchipping.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - First vaccination at 91 days old or more (date of birth is day 0); vaccinations given under 91 days are invalid even if the exporting country allows 12 weeks.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Second vaccination 30 or more days after the first (first is day 0) and within the first vaccination's effective period of immunity.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Only inactivated (killed) or recombinant/modified vaccines are accepted.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Live virus and RNA rabies vaccines are not accepted.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Immunity must be continuous until arrival: a booster given after the previous vaccination's effective period has lapsed is not accepted and the whole process restarts from the first vaccination.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026
Rabies titre test
- Rabies antibody test at a Japan-designated laboratory.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Blood is drawn after the second vaccination (may be the same day).
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Pass mark is 0.5 IU/ml or more.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - The result is valid for 2 years from blood sampling.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Arrival only after 180 days from the blood sampling date (sampling date is day 0); any shortfall is served in AQS detention.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - If the 2-year result expires, a new test is needed but the 180-day wait does not restart, provided vaccinations stayed continuous, the new sample is at least 180 days after the first and the titre is 0.5 IU/ml or more.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Biobest Laboratories Ltd (UK) has been removed from Japan's designated laboratory list; holders of its certificates issued 27 November 2024 to 25 June 2025 must contact AQS at the port of entry. Do not use Biobest for Japan.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import and export quarantine of dogs and cats, checked 1 October 2026
Health certificate
- Certificates must be issued by the exporting country's government veterinary agency; AQS recommends Form AC (non-designated) or Form AB (designated).
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - A private vet may complete Form AC, then an official government veterinarian must endorse it.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Clinical inspection by a veterinarian within 10 days before boarding (free of signs of rabies; dogs also leptospirosis).
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Certificate errors lead to detention for up to 180 days or return; AQS recommends sending copies in advance for checking. No pencil, erasable ink or correction fluid.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026
Other vaccines and tests
- Not required: no vaccines other than rabies are required for entry (recommended if the animal faces detention or travels on to a third country).
FAQ: Bringing dogs and cats into Japan from abroad, checked 1 October 2026 - Dogs must be found free of clinical signs of leptospirosis at the pre-export inspection.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026
Parasite treatment
- Not required: AQS's official import guide for non-designated regions (updated September 2026) states that it sets out the conditions and procedures for import; its conditions (steps 1 to 8) contain no parasite treatment. Parasite control appears only as a recommended measure (Reference 3, and in step 8-2 for animals that will undergo detention), not as an import condition.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import guide for dogs and cats from non-designated regions (Japanese, updated September 2026), checked 2 October 2026 - In the same guide, flea, tick, roundworm and tapeworm treatment is listed under 'Reference 3: recommended measures', not as an import condition; AQS asks for it in particular for animals that will undergo detention.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import guide for dogs and cats from non-designated regions (Japanese, updated September 2026), checked 2 October 2026 - Not required: AQS's official import guide for designated regions (updated February 2025) sets out the conditions and procedures for import; its conditions (microchip, residence, advance notification, clinical inspection, government certificate, transport) contain no parasite treatment.
Applies to dogs and cats from designated regions.
Import guide for dogs and cats from designated regions (Japanese, updated February 2025), checked 2 October 2026
Quarantine
- Compliant animals are released within 12 hours of arrival.
Import and export quarantine of dogs and cats, checked 1 October 2026 - Non-compliant animals are detained at an AQS facility for the necessary period, up to 180 days, or returned.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Home quarantine is not permitted, even for old or ill animals.
FAQ: Bringing dogs and cats into Japan from abroad, checked 1 October 2026
Arrival points and notice
- Advance notification to AQS at the expected port of entry at least 40 days before arrival.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Late notifications are not accepted in principle; moving the arrival date earlier, adding animals or swapping animals after notification are also not accepted in principle.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Notification online via NACCS or by emailing the notification form.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Dogs may enter only through designated ports.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Designated airports for dogs.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Designated seaports for dogs.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Cats (and recognised assistance dogs) may use other ports only after contacting AQS in advance.
Applies to cats; assistance dogs.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - The cat detention facility at Haneda Airport Branch is full; animals likely to need detention may have to change arrival date or port.
Applies to cats needing detention.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from the designated regions), checked 1 October 2026
Minimum age
- No stated entry age, but the first valid rabies vaccination is at 91 days old or more, followed by a second at least 30 days later and a 180-day wait from the blood sample, so the youngest possible arrival from a non-designated region is about 10 months (around 301 days) old.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Not required: there is no minimum age for dogs and cats from designated regions. AQS's official import guide for designated regions (updated February 2025) sets out all import conditions and procedures, and none is an age rule or a rabies vaccination (age appears only as an item of identification on the certificate).
Applies to dogs and cats from designated regions.
Import guide for dogs and cats from designated regions (Japanese, updated February 2025), checked 2 October 2026
How many pets
- No official page states a rule on this. We confirm it with you for each move.
Banned and restricted breeds
- Not required: no national dog breed ban under the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals. A Ministry of the Environment council discussion paper (undated) states the law's specified-animal rules work by taxonomic species, not by dog breed, so breeds cannot readily be designated. This covers that Act only; see the Ibaraki and wolf hybrid entries for actual restrictions.
Applies to dogs.
Specified animals etc. (council material on dangerous dog breeds), checked 1 October 2026 - Since 1 June 2020, specified (dangerous) animals and their hybrids may not be kept as pets. Wolves (Canis lupus other than dingoes and domestic dogs) are specified animals, so wolf-dog hybrids are very likely caught; confirm with the Ministry of the Environment before any wolfdog move.
Applies to wolf-dog hybrids.
Permits for keeping specified (dangerous) animals, checked 1 October 2026 - Specified animals list: wolves other than dingoes and domestic dogs are specified animals.
Applies to wolves and wolf hybrids.
List of specified animals, checked 1 October 2026 - Prefectural rules exist. Ibaraki Prefecture: "specified dogs" (Akita, Kishu, Tosa, German Shepherd, Dobermann, Great Dane, St Bernard, American Staffordshire Terrier/American Pit Bull Terrier, any dog 60 cm tall and 70 cm long or more, and dogs the governor designates) must be kept in a fully enclosed cage with a warning label. Check the destination prefecture.
Applies to dogs kept in Ibaraki Prefecture.
Dog bite incidents and specified dogs, checked 1 October 2026
How your pet may travel
- Quarantine rules are the same for cargo, checked baggage, cabin, air or sea; airlines set their own carriage rules.
FAQ: Bringing dogs and cats into Japan from abroad, checked 1 October 2026 - A pet travelling without its owner is handled as cargo (same as commercial cargo) and needs separate customs clearance.
Applies to unaccompanied pets.
FAQ (Japanese): bringing dogs and cats into Japan, checked 1 October 2026 - Designated-region animals should fly direct; if routed through a non-designated region the crate must be sealed by an official vet or an ANNEX transport certificate obtained, otherwise 180 days' detention.
Applies to dogs and cats from designated regions (Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji Islands, Hawaii, Guam).
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from the designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Non-designated regions: airside transit needs no extra certificate; entering the transit country requires that country's government health certificate.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
FAQ: Bringing dogs and cats into Japan from abroad, checked 1 October 2026 - Animals must stay in a carrier or crate inside the airport, including cabin pets, and go to the AQS counter in baggage claim before customs.
FAQ: Bringing dogs and cats into Japan from abroad, checked 1 October 2026
Official fees
- AQS import inspection is free.
FAQ: Bringing dogs and cats into Japan from abroad, checked 1 October 2026 - The importer pays all detention costs (transport to the facility, care, feeding, utilities, vet visits).
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - The owner pays for the rabies antibody test.
Applies to dogs and cats from non-designated regions.
FAQ: Bringing dogs and cats into Japan from abroad, checked 1 October 2026
Other conditions
- Designated regions: the animal must have lived there since birth, for at least 180 days immediately before export, or since direct import from Japan; otherwise the shortfall is served in detention.
Applies to dogs and cats from designated regions (Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji Islands, Hawaii, Guam).
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from the designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Dogs must be registered with the municipality within 30 days of import, using the import quarantine certificate (which cannot be reissued).
Applies to dogs.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Dogs must then be vaccinated against rabies every year under Japanese law.
Applies to dogs living in Japan.
Import dogs and cats into Japan (from non-designated regions), checked 1 October 2026 - Failing to have a dog inspected: up to three years' custodial sentence or a fine up to JPY 3 million (JPY 50 million for a company); for a cat, a fine up to JPY 300,000.
Import and export quarantine of dogs and cats, checked 1 October 2026 - Assistance dogs (guide dogs, service dogs and hearing dogs regulated by law in Japan) must meet the same import requirements.
Applies to assistance and service dogs.
Import and export quarantine of dogs and cats, checked 1 October 2026 - AQS advises that old, ill, pregnant, lactating, medicated or injured animals are not suited to transport or detention; consult a vet first.
FAQ: Bringing dogs and cats into Japan from abroad, checked 1 October 2026
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Japan's 180-day rabies programme
For pets from non-designated regions, AQS sets a fixed sequence. The microchip comes first. The first rabies vaccination is given at 91 days old or more, and the second at least 30 days later, within the first vaccination’s period of immunity. Blood for the rabies antibody test is drawn after the second vaccination (it may be the same day), and the result must be 0.5 IU/ml or more.
Your pet may arrive only after 180 days from the blood sampling date. Any shortfall is served in AQS detention. The test result is valid for 2 years from blood sampling.
The test must be done at a Japan-designated laboratory. Biobest Laboratories Ltd (UK) has been removed from that list, so do not use it for Japan.
Booking quarantine before you travel
A pet that meets every condition is released within 12 hours of arrival. There is no quarantine stay for a compliant animal.
You must notify AQS at your expected port of entry at least 40 days before arrival, online via NACCS or by emailing the notification form. AQS does not accept late notifications in principle. Dogs may enter only through designated ports; cats may use other ports only after contacting AQS in advance.
Routes to Japan
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for a pet that meets the conditions: AQS releases compliant animals within 12 hours of arrival, and the import inspection is free. A non-compliant animal is detained at an AQS facility for the necessary period, up to 180 days, or returned, and the importer pays all detention costs. Home quarantine is not permitted.
Yes, for pets from non-designated regions, and the waiting period is 180 days, not 90.
Japan’s Animal Quarantine Service requires a microchip, at least two rabies vaccinations, and a rabies antibody test at a designated laboratory showing 0.5 IU/ml or more. Your pet may arrive only after 180 days from the date the blood was sampled.
An animal that arrives short of the 180 days is detained at an AQS facility for the shortfall.
Pets from Japan’s designated regions (Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, the Fiji Islands, Hawaii and Guam) follow a procedure with no rabies vaccination, antibody test or 180-day wait.
There is no separate import permit. You file an advance notification with AQS at least 40 days before arrival, and AQS issues an “Approval of Import Inspection of Animals”, which you need for export and boarding procedures.
Yes. Cats need the same microchip, rabies vaccinations, antibody test and 180-day wait for non-designated regions, plus the 40-day notice and a government certificate. AQS lists no parasite treatment as an import condition.
Certificates must be issued by the exporting country’s government veterinary agency, and AQS recommends Form AC (non-designated regions) or Form AB (designated regions). A private vet may complete Form AC, but an official government vet must then endorse it. A vet must carry out a clinical inspection within 10 days before boarding.
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Japan
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Code: JP
Sources
Requirements on this page were checked against the authorities below. Rules change, so confirm current conditions with the relevant authority before you travel.
- MAFF · Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Animal Quarantine Service