🇯🇵Country requirements

Japan pet travel requirements

Dogs and cats from most of the world need a microchip, two rabies shots, a passing antibody test and a 180-day wait before they land, plus a notice to Animal Quarantine (AQS) at least 40 days ahead. From the six designated rabies-free regions (Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, Guam) there is no vaccine, test or wait. Rabbits get a 1-day AQS quarantine; ferrets go through the health ministry's quarantine stations instead. Japan publishes no limit on the number of pets.

Latest check recorded: Nov 12, 2026Source: Animal Quarantine Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF AQS) By the CollarPass team
Pet

Browse destination requirements by pet. Conditions can differ by origin, travel history and entry option.

This free guide includes the checked information and official links we have for this pet. Personal travel reports are available for dogs and cats only.

Pet travel at a glance — free

Start with the destination's requirements for this pet. Documents and preparation vary by origin and other conditions; read the full guidance and any unverified details below.

Preparation lead times

  • The notice is due at least 40 days before arrival
  • Issued within 10 days before departure
  • The agreed certificate requires the rabbit clinical examination within 48 hours of scheduled departure
Full preparation requirements

Which pets can enter

  • Dog: Depends on the conditions below
  • Cat: Depends on the conditions below
  • Rabbit: Some requirements need confirmation
  • Ferret: Requirements listed below
Read species and route restrictions

Details to confirm with the authority

These information gaps concern specific cases. Read their conditions and linked official sources before relying on them.

APHIA identifies its government certification procedure for rabbits sent from Taiwan to Japan, but does not expressly state the personal-pet certificate wording or how privately kept pets prove the source-premises controls. The linked Taiwan agreement excludes personal pets. Confirm those remaining details with APHIA and AQS; do not use the commercial agreement as proof that your personal pet qualifies.

Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: TW

Source: Animal Quarantine Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Taiwan Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Entering Japan

Reference requirements for this pet. Read each item's conditions: different origins, histories and entry options can require different steps. Each item links to its official source and check date.

Before you travel

1

Notify AQS and book quarantine space at least 40 days ahead (rabbits)

Email the rabbit notice form to the AQS office at your arrival port at least 40 days before arrival, and book space at its quarantine facility; notifying early is recommended. If the facility is full, you may have to change the date or port. Rabbits can only enter at the 19 ports AQS lists.

Rabbits

AQS's rabbit page says the notice is required, but its rabbit Q&A says it becomes required for cargo from January 1, 2027 and is only recommended for rabbits travelling with you. We plan for the stricter rule.

Rabbit import notification (AQS, Excel)

Source: Animal Quarantine Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Animal Quarantine Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Government of Japan, e-Gov Laws · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Japan Animal Quarantine Service (AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

2

Government health certificate within 10 days before departure (rabbits)

Get a health certificate issued or endorsed by the exporting country's government within 10 days before departure, signed by a government vet and bearing an official seal. It certifies that the rabbit is unlikely to spread tularemia, rabbit hemorrhagic disease or myxomatosis.

Rabbits

Japan links country-specific rabbit requirements for the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, China, Taiwan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Apply the relevant country-specific step below; the Taiwan agreement excludes personal pet rabbits.

The general AQS certificate must carry a government veterinarian's handwritten signature, official seal, institution name and certification date. Do not use pencil, erasable ink, correction fluid or correction tape; corrections need the date and signature.

Source: Animal Quarantine Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Animal Quarantine Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

3

Meet Japan's agreed rabbit conditions for the Czech Republic

For a rabbit from the Czech Republic, the exporting government's certificate must cover the agreed Japanese conditions: no evidence of tularemia, rabbit haemorrhagic disease or myxomatosis in the flock(s) of origin for at least 12 months before shipment; no rabbits introduced into those flocks for the last 30 days and no infectious disease during that period; a government clinical examination immediately before shipment; and the required cleaning and disinfection of transport containers and vehicles. The certificate in English identifies the premises, rabbit, consignor and consignee.

Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: CZ

The agreement's born-and-raised condition is for breeding/commercial rabbits, not an additional blanket condition on personal pets. Have the government vet confirm that the origin flock and transport history can be certified before booking.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

4

Meet Japan's agreed rabbit conditions for Denmark

For a rabbit from Denmark, the exporting government's certificate must cover the agreed Japanese conditions: no evidence of tularemia, rabbit haemorrhagic disease or myxomatosis in the flock(s) of origin for at least 12 months before shipment; no rabbits introduced into those flocks for the last 30 days and no infectious disease during that period; a government clinical examination immediately before shipment; and the required cleaning and disinfection of transport containers and vehicles. The certificate in English identifies the premises, rabbit, consignor and consignee.

Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: DK

The agreement's born-and-raised condition is for breeding/commercial rabbits, not an additional blanket condition on personal pets. Have the government vet confirm that the origin flock and transport history can be certified before booking.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

5

Meet Japan's agreed rabbit conditions for France

For a rabbit from France, the exporting government's certificate must cover the agreed Japanese conditions: no evidence of tularemia, rabbit haemorrhagic disease or myxomatosis in the flock(s) of origin for at least 12 months before shipment; no rabbits introduced into those flocks for the last 30 days and no infectious disease during that period; a government clinical examination immediately before shipment; and the required cleaning and disinfection of transport containers and vehicles. The certificate in English identifies the premises, rabbit, consignor and consignee.

Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: FR

The agreement's born-and-raised condition is for breeding/commercial rabbits, not an additional blanket condition on personal pets. Have the government vet confirm that the origin flock and transport history can be certified before booking.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

6

Meet Japan's agreed rabbit conditions for China

For a rabbit from China, the exporting government's certificate must cover the agreed Japanese conditions: no evidence of tularemia, rabbit haemorrhagic disease or myxomatosis in the flock(s) of origin for at least 12 months before shipment; no rabbits introduced into those flocks for the last 30 days and no infectious disease during that period; a government clinical examination immediately before shipment; and the required cleaning and disinfection of transport containers and vehicles. The certificate in English identifies the premises, rabbit, consignor and consignee. If vaccinated, it must also record the vaccines, manufacturers and vaccination dates.

Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: CN

The agreement's born-and-raised condition is for breeding/commercial rabbits, not an additional blanket condition on personal pets. Have the government vet confirm that the origin flock and transport history can be certified before booking.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

7

Meet Japan's agreed rabbit conditions for Canada

For a rabbit from Canada, the exporting government's certificate must cover the agreed Japanese conditions: no evidence of tularemia, rabbit haemorrhagic disease or myxomatosis in the flock(s) of origin for at least 12 months before shipment; no rabbits introduced into those flocks for the last 30 days and no infectious disease during that period; a government clinical examination immediately before shipment; and the required cleaning and disinfection of transport containers and vehicles. The certificate in English identifies the premises, rabbit, consignor and consignee.

Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: CA

The agreement's born-and-raised condition is for breeding/commercial rabbits, not an additional blanket condition on personal pets. Have the government vet confirm that the origin flock and transport history can be certified before booking.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

8

Meet Japan's agreed rabbit conditions for Australia

For a rabbit from Australia, the exporting government's certificate must cover the agreed Japanese conditions: no evidence of tularemia, rabbit haemorrhagic disease or myxomatosis in the flock(s) of origin for at least 12 months before shipment; no rabbits introduced into those flocks for the last 30 days and no infectious disease during that period; a government clinical examination immediately before shipment; and the required cleaning and disinfection of transport containers and vehicles. The certificate in English identifies the premises, rabbit, consignor and consignee.

Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: AU

The agreement's born-and-raised condition is for breeding/commercial rabbits, not an additional blanket condition on personal pets. Have the government vet confirm that the origin flock and transport history can be certified before booking.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

9

Meet the New Zealand rabbit certificate conditions

The agreed certificate requires the rabbits to have been born and reared in New Zealand, with an owner declaration countersigned by the government veterinary officer. The origin flock must have no evidence of myxomatosis, pasteurellosis, Treponema cuniculi infection or tularemia for the previous 12 months, and no new animals or infectious disease in the last 30 days. A clinical examination is required within 48 hours before departure. Transport containers must be new or cleaned and disinfected, the vehicle disinfected, and the aircraft cargo area has its own disinfection certificate.

Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: NZ

48 hours is a clock-time limit; the plan shows calendar dates, so confirm the exact examination time with the government vet. The linked model is old; ask MPI and AQS for the current certifiable version.

Source: Japan AQS, agreed certificate with New Zealand · Checked Nov 12, 2026

10

Arrange APHIA certification for a personal-pet rabbit from Taiwan

Taiwan's APHIA publishes an official rabbit-to-Japan procedure and is the authority that issues the export animal quarantine certificate. Arrange inspection with the responsible APHIA branch and supply Japan's health requirements and supporting documents. APHIA's Japan procedure describes source-premises hygiene, veterinary disease monitoring, prevention of outside-animal entry and keeping those records for at least 2 years. However, it does not expressly explain how a privately kept personal pet satisfies those premises controls. The Japanese Taiwan rabbit agreement it links expressly excludes personal pets. Confirm the certificate wording and premises evidence for your own pet with APHIA and AQS; do not substitute a commercial certificate or assume a waiver.

Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: TW

The generic AQS advance notice, government health certificate, pre-export examination and arrival quarantine still apply. This additional source identifies the government issuer; it does not resolve the personal-pet wording or convert the commercial 12-month/30-day flock requirements into pet requirements.

Source: Taiwan Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Taiwan APHIA Kaohsiung Branch · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Animal Quarantine Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

On arrival

1

1-day quarantine at AQS on arrival (rabbits)

The rabbit stays at the AQS quarantine facility at the port for 1 day, in practice 3 days and 2 nights counting the arrival and release days. If nothing is wrong, the quarantine certificate is issued on the second day after arrival.

Rabbits

Source: Animal Quarantine Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

Source: Animal Quarantine Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF AQS) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

How many pets can you bring?

Caps recorded for Japan can depend on the species, origin and entry conditions. Your airline can set a lower limit.

No pet cap recorded

We have not recorded a per-person or per-entry pet cap for Japan. Check the official sources before booking.

Official forms and documents

Links go to the issuing authority. We do not sell, fill in or issue official documents.

Rabbit import notification (AQS, Excel)Official page · Checked Oct 21, 2026

Open the official page to download or complete the form. Requirements can change; confirm with the authority before you travel.

Official sources

Every rule above is checked against these pages. Dates show our last check, not the page's own update.

Recent rule changes

Sourced entries that affect this country.

Expanded destination-specific pet requirements, including origin-country branches, young-animal exemptions, official documents and entry options. Known unverified details remain clearly marked; free country summaries and personal trip reports use the same rules.

All rule updates

Checked current Australian group-specific and returning-pet guides, the live New Zealand rabbit-to-Australia case, and New Zealand 2021/2026 transition and certificate models. Added species-specific preparation, reciprocal rabbit procedures and explicit entry options; corrected calendar-month and laboratory-receipt waits and CDC domestic-journey handling. Known source conflicts and history-dependent checks remain marked. Also checked Australian dog/cat export procedures for New Zealand and the Canadian US-bound cat/ferret endorsement exemption; unverified export species remain explicit gaps.

All rule updates

Personal reports now focus on dogs and cats; other pets keep free checked summaries and official links. Updated current China and Korea source branches, European country lists and Italian guidance; represented Japan's Kyrgyzstan suspension without incorrectly keeping Uzbekistan suspended. Vaccination expiry uses the actual certificate where required, with documented continuous-booster exemptions and explicit remaining evidence gaps.

All rule updates

Checked current official guidance on CDC digital and wet signatures and seals, Japanese export-inspection appointments and a future application-deadline notice. Verified the live Dutch US private-pet result: route-specific instructions still require NVWA confirmation. This records library verification, not a claim that the law changed on this date; remaining authority and case-specific checks stay visible.

All rule updates