Pet Transport from Iceland to China

If you are relocating a pet from Iceland to China, the process is manageable once you know the sequence. This route takes some organising, and roughly 10-16 weeks of preparation is …

10-16 wks

Preparation needed

30 days

Quarantine on arrival

High

Route complexity

Managed

Full door to door

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Lead time needed

10-16 weeks

Quarantine

30 days

Route complexity

High

Airlines

3 carriers on this route

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In short: Preparing to move a pet from Iceland to China typically takes around 10-16 weeks. Expect 30 days of quarantine on arrival. A rabies titre test is not required.

Regulations checked July 2026

Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team

Step by step

The import process, in full

Start of planning.

Confirm the ISO microchip is fitted, and raise the rabies vaccination question with the vet immediately if the pet has never had one.

Responsible: Icelandic vet

As early as possible, before booking anything.

Contact GACC directly, or an IPATA-registered agent, to confirm Iceland's current designated-country status and whether quarantine can genuinely be avoided.

Responsible: You or your agent

At least 4-6 weeks before travel.

Apply for quarantine approval from the local customs and quarantine bureau.

Responsible: You or your agent

Close to departure, within its validity window.

Get GACC's designated-country certificate completed and endorsed by MAST.

Responsible: MAST-accredited vet, endorsed by MAST

4-6 weeks before travel.

Book the flight: Icelandair Cargo out of Keflavik to a European hub, then an onward carrier such as Air China or Cathay Pacific into a designated Chinese port.

Responsible: You or your cargo agent

Shortly after arrival.

Register the pet with the local Public Security Bureau after arrival, and check any city-specific rules such as Beijing's one-dog-per-household policy.

Responsible: Owner

Checklist

What your pet needs

Every item below must be completed and verified before your pet can travel. Expand each category for the detail.

Microchip

ISO-compliant microchip required, implanted before any vaccination. Source: GACC guidance compiled July 2026.

Rabies vaccination

A current rabies vaccination is generally expected on the health certificate submitted to Chinese customs, even where the titre test itself does not apply. Many Icelandic pets have never been vaccinated against rabies at all, since MAST's own border quarantine substitutes for domestic vaccination, so confirm with an Icelandic vet early whether a first vaccination needs starting from scratch.

Rabies titre test

Not required. GACC keeps a list of designated rabies-free countries and regions exempt from the titre test, and independent research for this page found Iceland named on that list alongside Japan, the UK, Switzerland and New Zealand. Confirm this directly with GACC or an agent before relying on it, since China's rules are applied through the specific port of entry and can vary in practice. Source: GACC designated country guidance, cross-checked against independent pet transport industry sources, July 2026.

Quarantine

Genuinely unclear whether this can be avoided. Some sources describe designated-country pets that meet every other requirement, microchip, vaccination and health certificate, entering without quarantine; others describe a standard 30-day quarantine applying to any pet that has not completed the full titre test route, which a titre-exempt Icelandic pet by definition has not. Budget for the 30-day quarantine as the safer assumption, and confirm the current position with GACC or an IPATA-registered agent before booking a flight.

Import permit

Quarantine approval from the local customs and quarantine bureau under GACC, applied for before travel. Processing time varies; allow at least 4-6 weeks. Source: GACC guidance compiled July 2026.

Health certificate

GACC's model certificate for designated countries, completed by a MAST-accredited vet and endorsed by MAST, generally valid a limited number of days before travel.

Export permit

No separate export permit. MAST's endorsement of the health certificate is the export step, the same as any Icelandic departure.

Health certificate

Not the EU-standard form used on Iceland's European routes. GACC specifies its own model certificate for pets from designated rabies-free countries, and this is the form a MAST-accredited vet must complete, then have endorsed by MAST. Source: MAST, mast.is, checked July 2026.

We handle the regulations for every animal, every country, every airline, so nothing on your Iceland to China move gets missed.

Pet Transport Global

Airlines

Carriers on this route

Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. Confirm the operating carrier's current policy for every flight segment.

Icelandair

Covers the first leg out of Keflavik to a European hub such as Frankfurt or Copenhagen. Since 1 November 2024, Icelandair no longer accepts pets as checked or excess baggage, so this sector moves as manifested cargo through Icelandair Cargo.

Cargo Only

Air China

A workable onward carrier from a European hub into Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, with established cargo booking for live animals into China's main designated entry ports.

Cabin and Cargo

Cathay Pacific

An alternative onward routing via Hong Kong, useful if the final destination is closer to southern China, though pets connecting onward into the mainland still need to clear GACC's own entry process.

Cargo Only

Costs

What this route typically costs

Vet check, microchip confirmation and any rabies vaccination needed: ISK 15,000-40,000 (roughly EUR 100-270)

MAST certificate endorsement fee: around ISK 6,600 (roughly EUR 44)

GACC quarantine approval application: fees vary by port; budget CNY 500-1,500

IATA-compliant travel crate: EUR 60-250

Cargo, Keflavik to a Chinese port via a European hub: EUR 1,800-3,500 depending on crate size and season

Quarantine, if required, 30 days at a designated facility: CNY 3,000-8,000, owner-paid

Agent fees, given the multi-leg routing and the eligibility uncertainty: EUR 400-900

Total typical range: EUR 3,000-6,000, more if the 30-day quarantine applies

Critical points

Whether a titre-exempt Icelandic pet can actually avoid China's 30-day quarantine is not clearly settled from public sources. Confirm directly with GACC or an IPATA agent rather than assuming either answer, and budget for the quarantine as the cautious default.

Many Icelandic pets have no rabies vaccination history, since domestic vaccination is rarely needed inside Iceland's own border controls. If the health certificate genuinely requires proof of vaccination, starting one from scratch adds real weeks to the schedule.

No airline flies Keflavik direct to any Chinese city. Every routing involves at least one hub, and since 1 November 2024 Icelandair carries pets only as manifested cargo.

Only one dog or cat per traveller is normally accepted on entry. A household moving with two pets should expect each to need its own accompanying traveller or a separate commercial import process.

Local city rules layer on top of the national ones. Beijing's one-dog-per-household policy and roughly 35cm height limit in central districts are a genuine practical constraint that has nothing to do with the entry paperwork itself.

The rules for bringing a pet into China

China asks for several pieces of paperwork, and they all need to line up. A checklist and a clear timeline are your best tools here.

How to keep this move on track

Ask about temperature embargoes for your travel window. Summer and winter cargo restrictions can rule out certain routes and dates entirely.

Microchip before you vaccinate. The microchip must be in place before the rabies shot for the vaccination to count, and getting this order wrong is the most common and costly mistake.

Use an official, government-authorised vet for the health certificate, not just your usual clinic. Many destinations only accept certificates signed by an approved vet.

If this is your first international move, consider an IPATA-registered pet transport agent. They handle the documents, airline booking and crate sizing, and can troubleshoot problems.

FAQ

Common questions

No. Iceland appears on GACC’s list of designated rabies-free countries, the same group as Japan, the UK and Switzerland, which skips the titre test. Confirm this directly with GACC or an agent before relying on it, since the designation can be applied differently at different ports.

This is genuinely unclear from public sources. Some describe designated-country pets avoiding quarantine once every other requirement, microchip, vaccination and certificate, is met. Others describe the standard 30-day quarantine applying to any pet that hasn’t completed China’s full titre test route, which a titre-exempt pet has not. Confirm the current position with GACC or an IPATA agent, and budget for the 30 days as the safer assumption.

Very likely yes on the paperwork, even without the blood test behind it. Many Icelandic pets have never had one, since Iceland relies on its own border quarantine rather than domestic vaccination. Raise this with the vet early, since starting a vaccination course from nothing adds real weeks to the schedule.

No. No airline flies Keflavik direct to any Chinese city. A realistic routing connects Icelandair Cargo out of Keflavik to a European hub, then an onward carrier such as Air China or Cathay Pacific into a designated Chinese port, meaning at least two separate cargo bookings.

Not easily. China normally accepts only one dog or one cat per travelling passenger on entry. A second pet is generally treated as a commercial import with a different, stricter process, so a household with two pets should plan for either two travelling owners or a separate arrangement for the second animal.

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