VN

Importing Your Pet to Vietnam

Moderate to import
Regulations checked
Reviewed by , International Animal Health Consultant on 12 August 2026

Vietnam asks for no import permit when up to two pets travel with their owner. Under Circular 01/2026/TT-BNNMT, in force since 1 January 2026, you declare them directly to the border animal quarantine office when you arrive, with no prior registration. The same procedure applies from every origin country.

More than two animals, or pets shipped without their owner, follow the standard import procedure instead. That includes prior quarantine registration with the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health, which replies within 4 working days of a complete file.

What a compliant arrival needs is short: a quarantine (health) certificate from the exporting country’s authority and a healthy animal vaccinated as required. Vietnam’s conditions list contains no microchip, no titre test, no parasite treatment and no minimum age, and no isolation period is set for up to two pets carried by a traveller.

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 5 October 2026. They can change, so check the linked page again before you book.

Who is in charge

Where your pet travels from

GroupWhat appliesOrigins
All originsPets carried by travellers (up to 2) follow one procedure under Circular 01/2026 Article 14, whatever the origin. Sourceall countries

Import permit

  • Not required: for up to two pets carried by the traveller, Circular 01/2026/TT-BNNMT (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in force 1 January 2026), Article 14(1) provides only a declaration made directly at the border quarantine office on arrival, with no prior registration or permit (prior registration with the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health applies to other imports, see maximum_pets and mode_of_travel). Applies to up to 2 dogs or cats carried by a traveller as pets.
    Thông tư 01/2026/TT-BNNMT quy định về kiểm dịch động vật, sản phẩm động vật trên cạn (PDF), checked 5 October 2026
    Official sources differGOV.UK notes for guidance 4068NFG (cleared 31 May 2012, revised 27 November 2023; https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5bc7576640f0b61c92ec8b6a/4068NFG.pdf) say the importation of dogs and cats into Vietnam is subject to an import permit from the Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (a ministry name replaced in 2025). Vietnam's own Circular 01/2026, in force 1 January 2026, is newer and is preferred.

Microchip

Rabies vaccination

Rabies titre test

Health certificate

Other vaccines and tests

Parasite treatment

Quarantine

Arrival points and notice

Minimum age

How many pets

Banned and restricted breeds

  • No official page states a rule on this. We confirm it with you for each move.

How your pet may travel

Official fees

Other conditions

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What arrival actually looks like

No advance notice is required for up to two pets: you declare them in person at the border animal quarantine office at the port of entry. The office checks the exporting country’s certificate, examines the animal clinically and then issues a Vietnamese import quarantine certificate (form 15a), within one working day of the check where no sampling is needed. Samples for laboratory testing are taken only from animals suspected of an infectious disease, and the certificate then follows within one working day of the test results.

Vietnam’s veterinary fee schedule (Ministry of Finance Circular 101/2020/TT-BTC) charges VND 40,000 per quarantine certificate for imported terrestrial animals. The owner also pays any quarantine and laboratory testing costs.

Rabies vaccination and the health certificate

Vietnam’s circular requires the animal to be vaccinated as required but sets no rabies timing of its own. An animal not vaccinated against dangerous infectious diseases is vaccinated by the border office on arrival. The timing rules come from the exporting side: GOV.UK guidance for pets leaving the UK asks for rabies vaccination between 30 days and 12 months before export, and the USDA APHIS certificate has the US vet certify the animal is current on rabies vaccination.

The certificate’s validity also depends on where you are travelling from. USDA APHIS says the US certificate is valid for 30 days from issue to departure. For exports from the UK, GOV.UK guidance says the official veterinarian must examine the animals not more than 48 hours before export.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not for up to two pets travelling with you. Circular 01/2026/TT-BNNMT provides only a declaration made directly at the border quarantine office on arrival, with no prior registration or permit. More than two animals, or pets shipped without their owner, need prior quarantine registration with the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health.

No isolation period is set for up to two pets carried by a traveller. The border office examines your pet and issues the import quarantine certificate within one working day of the check where no sampling is needed. If disease is suspected, samples are taken and the certificate is issued only after negative results.

No. Vietnam’s conditions list contains no titre test; laboratory sampling is taken only from animals suspected of an infectious disease. Vietnam asks for a healthy animal vaccinated as required.

Vietnam’s official veterinary fees are VND 40,000 per quarantine certificate, set by Ministry of Finance Circular 101/2020/TT-BTC. The owner also pays any quarantine and laboratory testing costs, and the actual costs of handling a consignment that fails.

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Vietnam

  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Code: VN

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