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Pet travel route

Dog or cat from Israel to South Korea: official requirements

Possible. There is no official waiting period, but you still need: ISO microchip, rabies blood test (antibody titer) and health certificate from the exporting country's government.

Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 6 official pages

Make my dated plan Reverse: South Korea → Israel

In short

Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Israel publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Israel's Veterinary Services publish the export procedure on a gov.il service page (last updated June 2025), read from a stored copy because gov.il blocks automated readers. It says that the international health certificate must be signed by the Veterinary Services before your pet leaves and that your private vet applies online through the 'Ye'ela' system. The page's details by destination (the US; Canada, the EU and some other countries; all other countries) load only by script, and no stored copy of them exists, so we don't know how long before departure to apply, where the certificate is signed, or the fee. Ask your vet or the Veterinary Services' import-export unit (03-9688986) before you plan the dates.

At a glance

The rules on this route are the same for dogs and cats.

How early to start

No official wait

whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated

No official wait still means appointments: ISO microchip, rabies blood test (antibody titer) and health certificate from the exporting country's government. Book them early; lab and paperwork times are not counted.

On this route

  • Rabies blood test needed
  • No import permit
  • No quarantine

Which rules apply to you

South Korea puts Israel in the group “Country not on South Korea’s rabies-free list”. See every group

Official name: Not on APQA's rabies-free list — rabies antibody test needed (pets aged 90 days or older)

Prefer a feed reader? Israel rule changes · South Korea rule changes

Israel → South Korea

What your pet needs

In the order you do them. Each step says whether Israel (leaving) or South Korea (entering) asks for it.

  1. Get ready

    1. IdentificationEntering South Korea

      ISO microchip

      Every dog and cat must have a microchip. It should be ISO-compliant (ISO 11784 and 11785); with any other chip you must bring your own scanner. Its number must match the one on the health certificate.

      Details and the official words

      If this is missed: An animal without a microchip, or whose chip number doesn't match the certificate, may be quarantined longer so one can be implanted at the owner's expense.

      “Microchips implanted in cats and dogs must be ISO-compliant (ISO11784 and 11785 standards). For any other chips, importers must bring their own microchip scanners.”

      “it is mandatory that they have microchips implanted in them.”

    2. Blood testEntering South Korea

      Rabies blood test (antibody titer)

      Dogs and cats aged 90 days or older that come from a country not on APQA's rabies-free list need a rabies-neutralizing antibody test at an internationally approved laboratory (or by the exporting country's competent authority). The result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml and is listed on the health certificate. Pets under 90 days old, or from a rabies-free country, do not need it.

      The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.

      Details and the official words

      Our age cut-off is 3 calendar months at arrival (APQA says 90 days): a pet whose 90th day falls just before its 3-month birthday in a long month is treated as under 90 days. If your pet is that close, ask APQA.

      Labs: APQA points to the EU's list of designated laboratories and Taiwan's list of approved laboratories.

      If this is missed: An animal that has not had the antibody test, or whose titer is below 0.5 IU/ml, may be quarantined for an extended period (average about 10 days, longer in some cases) to have the test done, at the owner's expense.

      “The rabies-neutralizing antibody test must be administered by an internationally approved laboratory or by the competent authority of the exporting country within 24 months after collecting blood samples.”

      “whose rabies-neutralizing antibody titer is below 0.5IU/㎖”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. PaperworkIsrael and South Korea

      Health certificate from the exporting country's government

      A health certificate issued by the government agency of the country your pet is leaving. It must show the microchip number and birth date, and for pets aged 90 days or older not from a rabies-free country, also the rabies antibody test result. You hand it to the animal quarantine officer on arrival.

      The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.

      Details and the official words

      APQA's pet page doesn't say how many days before arrival the certificate must be issued. Ask the exporting country's authority and APQA.

      Health certificate signed by Israel's Veterinary Services: Before your pet leaves Israel, its international health certificate must be signed by Israel's Veterinary Services. Your private vet fills in and signs the certificate your destination asks for and submits it online in the Veterinary Services' 'Ye'ela' system; a government veterinarian then signs it. Its dates follow the destination's rules for the certificate.

      The service page's details by destination and the list of offices that sign pet export certificates didn't load from the stored copy. Ask your vet how far ahead to submit the request and where the certificate is signed.

      “a health certificate issued by the government agency of the exporting country confirming the animal's microchip number and the result of the rabies antibody test must be submitted to the animal quarantine officer.”

      “a health certificate issued by the government agency of the exporting country which states the animal's microchip number and birth date.”

      “שירות זה מספק מידע לאזרחים ולווטרינרים על הנפקת תעודות בריאות בינלאומיות שיש להחתים לפני שמוציאים חיות מחמד לחו"ל.”

      “הגשת בקשה מקוונת לווטרינרים במערכת "יעלה" - יצוא חיות מחמד”

      “יום החתימה הקובע הוא יום החתימה על ידי הרופא הווטרינר הפרטי”

  3. Travel day and arrival

    1. On arrivalEntering South Korea

      Quarantine inspection at the port of entry

      On arrival the quarantine officer checks your documents and your pet's health with a clinical exam. If all is in order your pet may be released the same day.

      Details and the official words

      If this is missed: Animals with missing or mismatched microchip, missing antibody test or low titer may be quarantined for an extended period at the owner's expense.

      “may be released on the day of arrival.”

Good to know

  • Whether your pet needs a rabies antibody test depends on APQA's list of rabies-free countries. The only version we could read is dated 4 April 2023, and APQA changes the list as countries report rabies or declare themselves free. Ask APQA (or check its current list) before you rely on the 'no blood test' route.
  • If you arrive without the government health certificate, your pet has to go back to the country it came from, at your cost.
  • APQA's pet page does not set a rabies vaccination schedule or a waiting period; it asks for the antibody test (pets aged 90 days or older, not from a rabies-free country). Your vet will need to vaccinate before that test.
  • Until further notice, the Veterinary Services offer no pet-export service at Ashdod port: signed health certificates can't be sent to or collected at Ashdod through the Ye'ela system, and certificates aren't signed by hand there.
  • If your destination needs a rabies blood test, an Israeli vet takes the sample, fills in the Veterinary Institute's online form (with the exact sampling date and the microchip number), pays in the ministry's online shop and delivers the printed form and the sample to the Veterinary Institute's reception. The result is emailed to the vet and to you; the cost depends on the number of tests.
  • Planning to come back to Israel soon? If no more than 30 days have passed since your private vet signed the export health certificate, Israel accepts that certificate, signed by an Israeli government vet, for the return trip instead of a certificate from the country you're coming from (for a dog, also bring its valid dog licence).

Money

What it costs

Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Israel publish for the steps above. The two are never added together.

Government fees on this route

No fee applies to every trip; these may, depending on your case

  • APQA health certificate when quarantine is extendedEntering South Korea10,000 KRW

    Per case. APQA states it in its answer on the costs of an extended quarantine (when a pet doesn’t meet the requirements); it doesn’t say whether it is charged on a normal clearance.

    “The government agency charges 110,000 KRW/animal for titration test for rabies antibody and 10,000 KRW/case for issuing a health certificate.”

    Bring a dog or a cat to Korea (FAQ) · as of 2026-10-13

  • Rabies blood test done by APQA on arrivalEntering South Korea · 110,000 KRW for each extra pet110,000 KRW

    Per animal, only if your pet arrives without a valid test; quarantine is extended, at your cost, until the result is in.

    “The government agency charges 110,000 KRW/animal for titration test for rabies antibody and 10,000 KRW/case for issuing a health certificate.”

    Bring a dog or a cat to Korea (FAQ) · as of 2026-10-13

What vets and labs charge Not official figures

No published prices yet for Israel: microchip, health certificate (vet’s fee).

Prices that businesses publish on their own pages, quoted as we read them; yours can differ. Ranges are the lowest to highest of these examples, never our estimate. How we collect prices

Airline fees aren’t included: check your airline’s pet page.

Round trip

Coming back to Israel

Nothing for the trip back has to happen before your pet leaves Israel (dogs).

The trip back asks for 10 steps: arrive at Ben Gurion Airport or the ports of Haifa, Ashdod or Eilat, at least 4 months old on arrival (3 months from rabies-free countries), ISO microchip (134.2 kHz), before the rabies vaccination and rabies vaccination from 3 months old, at least 30 days before arrival and more.

Nothing for the trip back has to happen before your pet leaves Israel (cats).

The trip back asks for 10 steps: arrive at Ben Gurion Airport or the ports of Haifa, Ashdod or Eilat, at least 4 months old on arrival (3 months from rabies-free countries), ISO microchip (134.2 kHz), before the rabies vaccination and rabies vaccination from 3 months old, at least 30 days before arrival and more.

Every step from South Korea to Israel

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

Last checked against the official pages: 2026-10-13.

Entering South KoreaLeaving IsraelReport a mistakeGet rule-change alerts

Questions owners ask

Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Israel to South Korea?

Yes: Dogs and cats aged 90 days or older that come from a country not on APQA's rabies-free list need a rabies-neutralizing antibody test at an internationally approved laboratory (or by the exporting country's competent authority).

Do I need an import permit to bring my dog or cat into South Korea?

No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for an import permit.

Will my dog or cat be quarantined in South Korea?

Not on the routes we have verified: the official rules list no quarantine for a pet that meets the requirements.

How early should I start preparing my pet for Israel to South Korea?

There is no official waiting period, but you still need: ISO microchip, rabies blood test (antibody titer) and health certificate from the exporting country's government.

Every rule here is quoted from the official page and checked word for word; not legal advice. How we verify · Report a mistake

Read next

Turn this into dates for your pet

Where from, where to, when. You get every step with its deadline and the official page it comes from.

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