Pet Transport South Korea to Germany
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Korea occupies an unusual position among unlisted countries. The EU rules demand a rabies titre test and a fixed 3-month wait, but Korea is one of the few origins where the blood never has to leave the country: three Korean laboratories hold EU designation, including the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency itself, designated in April 2026. Compare that with Indonesia, where samples must be flown abroad and tested in Europe.
The sequence is unforgiving all the same. Microchip, rabies vaccination at 12 weeks or older, a minimum 30 days before the blood draw, a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, then three months from the draw date before your pet may enter Germany. Four months is the arithmetic floor; five to six is what a real move takes once laboratory turnaround, the APQA appointment and cargo booking are added.
The South Korea to Germany process
Responsible: Your vet + APQA or another designated laboratory
Responsible: Fixed waiting period
Responsible: You (or your pet transport agent)
Responsible: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency
Responsible: Official veterinarian
Responsible: You + German border authority
Which Germany rules depend on a pet coming from South Korea?
The EU sorts non-EU countries into groups, and South Korea falls in “Non-listed third countries and territories”.
Rabies antibody titration test required: sample taken by an authorised veterinarian at least 30 days after primary vaccination and not less than 90 days before the animal health certificate is issued, tested in an EU-designated laboratory, result at least 0.5 IU/ml. The 90-day wait does not apply to re-entry of an EU-resident pet whose passport documents a favourable test done before leaving the EU. Official source
These rules apply to that group, on top of the rules every pet follows:
- Rabies titre test: Where required (non-listed origins), the test must measure a level of neutralising antibody to rabies virus in serum of at least 0.5 IU/ml, done in a designated laboratory. Neither the EC page nor 2026/131 (which refers to point 1 of Annex XXI to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692) names a test method such as FAVN or RFFIT. Applies to dogs and cats from non-listed third countries.
Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country, checked 1 October 2026 - Rabies titre test: The test must be done by an official laboratory designated under Article 37 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, or by a laboratory in a third country listed in Annex VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 designated in line with Article 37(4) and (5) of that Regulation; only laboratories specifically accredited for the method may do it, so the laboratory need not be in the EU. The EC publishes the lists of designated laboratories. Applies to dogs and cats from non-listed third countries.
Designated laboratories for performing rabies antibody titration tests, checked 1 October 2026 - Rabies titre test: The blood sample must be taken by an authorised veterinarian at least 30 days after the primary vaccination (or within a current valid vaccination series) and not less than 90 days before the animal health certificate is issued. Applies to dogs and cats from non-listed third countries.
Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country, checked 1 October 2026
The rules that apply to every pet entering Germany, whatever the origin, are listed with their official sources in our Germany guide.
What does South Korea require before your pet leaves?
- Export permit: Some destination countries require separate prior permission before a pet travels; MAFRA names the US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan among them. MAFRA says each country's quarantine conditions can be checked in the 'quarantine conditions by exporting country' section of the agency's website. The MAFRA release describes no Korean export permit beyond APQA's animal quarantine certificate. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Korea.
반려동물과 함께하는 해외여행, 출국·입국할 때 '검역'은 필수! (posted 26 June 2025, embargo 27 June 2025 morning edition), checked 2 October 2026 - Export health certificate: For pets leaving Korea, the owner gets a health certificate (with the vaccinations the destination requires) from a local veterinary clinic, books a date in APQA's export pet quarantine booking system, and visits the APQA office with the pet and documents to receive the animal quarantine certificate (MAFRA press release posted 26 June 2025, embargoed for the 27 June 2025 morning papers). Applies to dogs and cats leaving Korea.
반려동물과 함께하는 해외여행, 출국·입국할 때 '검역'은 필수! (posted 26 June 2025, embargo 27 June 2025 morning edition), checked 2 October 2026 - Export health certificate: The pet must be brought in person, as the microchip number is checked against the documents. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Korea.
반려동물과 함께하는 해외여행, 출국·입국할 때 '검역'은 필수! (posted 26 June 2025, embargo 27 June 2025 morning edition), checked 2 October 2026 - Export health certificate: An APQA quarantine officer at the airport or seaport office issues the export quarantine certificate after a document check and clinical examination; the owner brings the pet and the documents (vaccination and health certificates) the destination requires. The fee is KRW 10,000 per case. Applies to dogs and cats leaving Korea.
입·출국 시 (dogs and cats on departure and arrival), checked 2 October 2026 - Other conditions: Preparation for travel abroad with a pet starts with checking the quarantine conditions set by the destination country (MAFRA press release posted 26 June 2025, embargoed for the 27 June 2025 morning papers); some destinations require prior permission (see export_permit). Applies to dogs and cats leaving Korea.
반려동물과 함께하는 해외여행, 출국·입국할 때 '검역'은 필수! (posted 26 June 2025, embargo 27 June 2025 morning edition), checked 2 October 2026
What this route typically costs
| 1 | APQA export quarantine: 10,000 won per case |
| 2 | Asiana hold carriage to Europe: 290,000 won up to 32kg, 590,000 won for 32 to 45kg |
| 3 | Titre test at a Korean EU-designated laboratory, with no international courier needed |
| 4 | IATA-compliant crate sized to the airline's limits |
| 5 | Veterinary fees for microchip, vaccination and certificate work |
Read before you book
Airlines on this route
Why Korea is easier than most unlisted origins
The titre requirement is not negotiable, but where the test happens changes the whole schedule. Korea’s designated laboratories mean your vet draws the sample, sends it locally and gets a result without international courier paperwork or the risk of a sample spoiling in transit.
Work the dates backwards. To be in Germany in June, the blood must be drawn by early March, which means the rabies vaccination happened by late January, which means the microchip went in before that. Miss a step and the whole chain shifts, because the 3-month clock restarts only from a new draw.
One reassurance worth having: a passing titre lasts for the animal’s lifetime as long as rabies boosters never lapse. A dog that has already done this for an earlier European trip does not repeat the wait.
Seoul to Frankfurt, and the breeds that cannot fly
Incheon to Frankfurt is a genuine nonstop, served by both Asiana and Korean Air with around fifteen departures a week and a block time near thirteen and a half hours. Asiana moved the route to the A350 at the start of 2026.
Asiana’s published rules are the clearest on the corridor. A cabin pet may weigh 7kg including its cage, and the carrier cannot exceed 21cm in height, which in practice means cats and very small dogs. Hold carriage runs to 45kg including the cage, priced at 290,000 won up to 32kg and 590,000 won above it. Korean Air’s figures are broadly similar, but the airline’s own pages were unreachable when we checked, so confirm them directly rather than trusting a summary.
The bans are where this route bites. Asiana has refused brachycephalic animals as checked baggage since July 2019 and refuses Tosa, Pit Bull, Rottweiler, Mastiff, American Bully and Cane Corso types outright. German import law separately bars Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Bull Terriers. If your dog is one of those types, no amount of paperwork rescues the move. A pug or French bulldog faces the airline problem rather than the legal one, and needs a cabin-sized solution or a specialist cargo operator.
The APQA visit, and what happens on landing
Korea’s export step is refreshingly concrete. You take the pet in person to the APQA office at the airport with its rabies certificate and health certificate; the inspector checks documents, examines the animal and issues the veterinary certificate. The fee is 10,000 won per case. Airport desks work daily from 09:00 to 18:00, but will not begin a case after 17:30, so an evening flight still means an afternoon appointment.
In Germany, three checks happen at a designated travellers’ point of entry: the animal’s identity, with the microchip scanned and matched to the documents, the documents themselves, and confirmation that the travel conditions were met. Compliant pets are released on the spot, with no quarantine.
Common questions
South Korea to Germany?
Sources
Requirements on this page were checked against the authorities below. Rules change, so confirm current conditions with the relevant authority before you travel.
- European Commission · European Commission, movement of pet animals
- IATA · International Air Transport Association, Live Animals Regulations