CollarPassDocuments to check
- Export-country government quarantine certificate
- Additional Hendra/Nipah documentation for Malaysian dogs and cats
- Carry the valid EU-issued passport and required original reports
🇰🇷Country requirements
South Korea pet travel requirements
Korea’s current APQA table lists 61 rabies-free countries/regions. Dogs/cats need readable implanted identification and an accepted original government certificate, the qualifying EU-passport route, or accepted Korean prior-export certificate evidence, with satisfactory arrival checks. From a non-listed origin, animals aged 90 days or older need a passing rabies titer sampled within 24 calendar months; the young-age exception is recalculated at planned arrival. US certificate requirements and Australian-cat/Malaysian-dog-cat disease statements are additional origin branches. Rabbits have an ordinary fifteen-day quarantine from facility admission and ferrets ten days, subject to authority variation. Personal ferrets can prove birth-country residence or six months, use the rabies-free alternative or the vaccination/titer route, and need an agreed certificate. Detailed non-US rabbit conditions and identified ferret protocol ambiguities remain explicit gaps.
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
- Blood is sampled within 24 calendar months before arrival
- The current US dog/cat certificate is valid for 30 days after issuance
Which pets can enter
- Dog: Some requirements need confirmation
- Cat: Some requirements need confirmation
- Rabbit: Some requirements need confirmation
- Ferret: Some requirements need confirmation
Vaccination requirements
Read the official guidanceDetails to confirm with the authority
These information gaps concern specific cases. Read their conditions and linked official sources before relying on them.
The current legal annex accepts an EU-issued passport for departure from Northern Ireland as well as EU states; it does not grant that passport alternative to every Great Britain departure. The country-level GB input cannot establish Northern Ireland, so the automated route remains the government certificate. Ask APQA to confirm the passport alternative for an actual NI departure.
Dogs / Cats · Departure countries/regions: GB
Source: Republic of Korea, National Law Information Center / competent ministry · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Country groups used by this destination
APQA’s current Korean and English tables are dated 2 October 2026 and list 61 rabies-free countries/regions. Their status can change automatically after qualifying WOAH rabies reports; confirm status before travel. Dogs/cats younger than 90 days at import or from a listed area are exempt from the antibody requirement; other dogs/cats need a passing FAVN/RFFIT sampled within 24 calendar months before arrival.
Documents, tests and permits can vary by country group, travel history and vaccination records. Check each requirement's conditions and the official guidance.
Rabies-free country on APQA's list: microchip + export certificate, no antibody test
Aruba, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Guadeloupe, Guam, Hawaii, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Bahrain, Brunei, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Japan, Kuwait, Maldives, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Cape Verde, Comoros, Djibouti, Réunion, Mauritius, São Tomé & Príncipe, Seychelles, Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Micronesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovenia, United Kingdom
Other departure countries: Other origin: add a rabies antibody test (sample within 24 months before arrival, no waiting period)
Source: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Republic of Korea, National Law Information Center / competent ministry · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Entering South Korea
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
Implanted readable microchip; bring a reader for a non-ISO chip
Every dog/cat, including a young or rabies-free-origin animal, needs an implanted microchip matching its documents. ISO 11784/11785 is the standard; APQA permits another type if the importer brings the appropriate reader. The certificate and original reports must identify the same animal. Missing, unreadable or mismatched identification can extend quarantine until corrected.
Dogs / Cats
Source: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Republic of Korea, National Law Information Center / competent ministry · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Rabies antibody test at least 0.5 IU/ml (sample within 24 months before arrival)
Unless the dog/cat is younger than 90 days at import or comes from the current rabies-free list, obtain FAVN/RFFIT of at least 0.5 IU/ml from an internationally recognised laboratory or the exporting competent authority. Blood must be sampled within 24 calendar months before arrival. No additional pre-arrival waiting period is specified for a compliant result.
Dogs / Cats · Origin group: Other origin: add a rabies antibody test (sample within 24 months before arrival, no waiting period) · Except when all of these apply: (Younger than 90 days on arrival)
This plan applies the under-90-day exception at the final planned arrival date and recalculates if travel is delayed. Unknown birth dates conservatively keep the general test requirement.
A missing/low result can require vaccination/testing and extended quarantine at the owner’s cost. Do not treat the public page’s average extra ten days as a guaranteed maximum.
Origin-country certificate conditions can be stricter: the current USDA dog/cat certificate also records rabies vaccination for animals aged 90 days or older.
Source: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Republic of Korea, National Law Information Center / competent ministry · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Export-country government quarantine certificate
Obtain the original export-government veterinary certificate identifying the microchip, birth date and required health/titer information. Current Annex 10 also accepts the required test details in a separate original government/internationally recognised laboratory report. Present all documents for APQA identification and clinical examination. Missing government certification can require return; same-day release is conditional on satisfactory checks. For US departures use the current USDA-accredited examination/certificate and APHIS ink-signed, embossed endorsement; its dog/cat certificate is valid for 30 days after issuance.
Dogs / Cats · Entry pathway: Export-government veterinary certificate
Ten or more dogs/cats require prior notification/approval for quarantine space; the legal count has exclusions for nursing young imported with their mother and research animals. That is not a nine-pet product limit.
Additional origin-specific Hendra/Nipah documentation still applies to Australian cats and Malaysian dogs/cats.
The valid EU-passport alternative is a separate pathway; do not obtain both documents solely because both routes are shown.
Source: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Republic of Korea, National Law Information Center / competent ministry · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Republic of Korea, National Law Information Center / competent ministry · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: USDA APHIS, health certificate for the Republic of Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Additional Hendra/Nipah documentation for Malaysian dogs and cats
The current Korean Annex 9 permits either an official declaration of Hendra/Nipah non-occurrence since the first disease report in the exporting country or qualifying administrative region, or negative blood tests within fourteen days before export plus proof of sixty days in a disease-free location. The Korean legal text requires an administrative region at least the size of the Korean Peninsula; the English public page says larger than the Republic of Korea. Have APQA and the certifying authority confirm the applicable country-specific wording. Without the certificate, the annex prescribes twenty-one days of detention followed by satisfactory checks.
Dogs / Cats · Departure countries/regions: MY
The test is an alternative to the disease-free country/state declaration, so this plan does not schedule a mandatory test for every animal on this route. If using the test route, book it within 14 days before export and substantiate the 60-day disease-free-area history.
Source: Republic of Korea, National Law Information Center / competent ministry · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Carry the valid EU-issued passport and required original reports
Confirm both conditions: departure is from an EU member state and the dog/cat passport was issued by an EU member state. The passport can replace the export quarantine certificate. It must still allow APQA to verify the animal and its birth date, matching chip and any required titer; carry a separate accepted original antibody report when needed. This does not waive APQA clinical examination or origin-specific disease conditions.
Dogs / Cats · Departure countries/regions: AT, BE, BG, HR, CY, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IE, IT, LV, LT, LU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SI, ES, SE · Entry pathway: EU-issued pet passport, departing from an EU member state
Source: Republic of Korea, National Law Information Center / competent ministry · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Republic of Korea, National Law Information Center / competent ministry · Checked Nov 12, 2026
US-origin dog/cat: record current rabies vaccination
The current USDA certificate for dogs/cats exported to Korea requires rabies vaccination before arrival, except for animals younger than 90 days. Record the vaccine date, product and actual period of validity on the endorsed certificate. This is an origin-specific certificate requirement, not a claim that the Korean general dog/cat rule independently requires vaccination for every origin.
Dogs / Cats · Departure countries/regions: US, US-HI, GU · Except when all of these apply: (Younger than 90 days on arrival) · Entry pathway: Export-government veterinary certificate
Use the product’s actual valid-until date. The planner’s fallback is a conservative 12 months when expiry is missing; it is not a universal Korean vaccine-validity rule.
Source: USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: USDA APHIS, health certificate for the Republic of Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Verify the original Korean export certificate for the return route
Produce the Korean-issued export quarantine certificate from the animal’s earlier departure and confirm with APQA that it identifies this same dog/cat and is accepted for this return under Article 35(1)(9). Carry the matching chip/age records and any currently required original titer report; neither the prior certificate nor selecting this route waives the present identification, rabies-test or arrival clinical checks. Other species cannot use this dog/cat-only certificate exception.
Dogs / Cats · Entry pathway: Return with a Korean-issued export quarantine certificate
MANDATORY EVIDENCE CHECK: pathway selection does not provide the original Korean certificate or prove APQA acceptance. Confirm the document and any origin-country departure formalities before booking.
Source: Republic of Korea, National Law Information Center / competent ministry · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Republic of Korea, National Law Information Center / competent ministry · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Incheon International Airport, Republic of Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
On arrival
Present the documents for Korea's arrival quarantine examination
Before customs clearance, present the government health certificate and the animal for the APQA document, identification and clinical checks. Same-day release is possible when the requirements are met. Missing certificates can require return; missing/mismatched chips or a missing or inadequate required titer can mean extra quarantine at your expense.
Dogs / Cats
Source: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea · Checked Nov 12, 2026
Source: Republic of Korea, National Law Information Center / competent ministry · Checked Nov 12, 2026
How many pets can you bring?
Caps recorded for South Korea 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 South Korea. 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.
No stand-alone form is recorded for this destination. The steps above name the documents to carry.
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.
Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), South Korea: Korean FAQ for dog and cat import quarantine
Checked Nov 12, 2026Recent rule changes
Sourced entries that affect this country.
Second data batch: entry rules for Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the six EU countries Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands (the EU six extend the shared EU base); US and China exit coverage for these routes; new airlines Condor, Aer Lingus, ITA Airways, Iberia, TAP, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand; and new/updated transit files for Munich, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Lisbon, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland.
All rule updatesExpanded 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 updatesPersonal 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