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Dog or cat from Japan to the Dominican Republic: the rules

Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 4 weeks ahead. The main steps: rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure, rabies vaccination within the 12 months before departure and vet examination within 72 hours before departure and 3 more.

Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 3 official pages

Make my dated plan Reverse: Dominican Republic → Japan

In short

Limited official guidance. The authority for entering the Dominican Republic publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. DIGEGA's page lists what the health certificate must state, but it doesn't say what happens when your pet arrives (inspection, fees), whether a pet travelling as cargo or without its owner needs anything more, or which vaccinations other than rabies are expected. Ask DIGEGA (809-535-9689) before you travel if any of these apply to you.

At a glance

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

How early to start

4 weeks

if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet

Set by: Rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure (at least 30 days before the departure date)

2 weeks

if it is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Apply for export inspection (NACCS) (at least 14 days before export)

The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.

On this route

  • No rabies blood test
  • No import permit
  • No quarantine
  • Parasite treatment before travel
  • Tell the authority in advance

Prefer a feed reader? Japan rule changes · Dominican Republic rule changes

Japan → Dominican Republic

What your pet needs

In the order you do them. Each step says whether Japan (leaving) or the Dominican Republic (entering) asks for it.

  1. Get ready

    1. VaccinationEntering the Dominican Republic

      Rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure

      Your pet is vaccinated against rabies with an inactivated-virus vaccine, given at least 90 days after birth. After a first vaccination, wait 30 days before travelling: the vaccination must be at least 30 days before the departure date.

      Details and the official words

      “La vacuna debe ser de virus inactivado y administrada no más de 12 meses ni menos de 30 días antes de la fecha de salida.”

      “Los cachorros deben haber recibido la vacuna contra la rabia al menos 90 días después del nacimiento (3 meses o 12 semanas) y esperar 30 días después de la vacunación antes de viajar.”

    2. VaccinationEntering the Dominican Republic

      Rabies vaccination within the 12 months before departure

      The rabies vaccination on the certificate must be no more than 12 months before the departure date, even if your pet's vaccine is valid for longer. If your pet's last shot will be older, give a booster before you travel. An adult dog with a history of rabies vaccination and boosters doesn't need to wait 30 days after the booster; a cat does.

      Details and the official words

      Add the date of your pet's most recent rabies shot to check this.

      DIGEGA's exemption from the 30-day wait names adult dogs only, so we apply the 30 days to every cat's vaccination.

      “La vacuna debe ser de virus inactivado y administrada no más de 12 meses ni menos de 30 días antes de la fecha de salida.”

      “Los perros adultos con antecedentes de vacunación contra la rabia y dosis de refuerzo no necesitan esperar 30 días después de la vacunación.”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. Vet examEntering the Dominican Republic

      Vet examination within 72 hours before departure

      A vet examines your pet within the 72 hours before the departure date and finds it free of infectious or contagious diseases. By then it must already have been treated against internal and external parasites.

      Details and the official words

      “El animal fue examinado dentro de las 72 horas previas a la fecha de salida. Se determinó que no padecía enfermedades infecciosas o contagiosas y que había recibido tratamiento contra parásitos externos e internos.”

    2. TreatmentEntering the Dominican Republic

      Internal and external parasite treatment before the vet examination

      Your pet is treated against internal and external parasites before the vet examines it. The certificate names the dewormers with their manufacturer and active ingredients. DIGEGA gives no time window: ask your vet.

      Details and the official words

      “El animal fue examinado dentro de las 72 horas previas a la fecha de salida. Se determinó que no padecía enfermedades infecciosas o contagiosas y que había recibido tratamiento contra parásitos externos e internos.”

      “El certificado debe especificar: las vacunas administradas y el control de parásitos internos y externos (los desparasitantes deben especificar el fabricante y los principios activos).”

    3. PaperworkJapan and the Dominican Republic

      Vet's health certificate, endorsed by an official vet at the port of embarkation

      A vet issues and signs a health certificate after the examination, and an official vet at the port of embarkation endorses and stamps it. It gives the name and address in the Dominican Republic of the person accompanying the pet, the pet's full identification (name, breed, sex, colour, date of birth, microchip and/or tattoo), the vaccinations given and the parasite treatments. Attach the vaccination record with the vaccine labels (batch number, manufacture and expiry dates).

      Details and the official words

      DIGEGA's page places the official endorsement at the port of embarkation. In many countries the official vet endorses certificates before you go to the airport (in the US, USDA APHIS): ask your country's official veterinary service how it endorses a certificate for the Dominican Republic.

      Export inspection and AQS export quarantine certificate: Bring your pet and all the original certificates to the AQS at the reserved time (an agent needs a power of attorney from you). The inspection and the English export quarantine certificate usually take 30 to 60 minutes. The inspection is done within 10 days before departure unless the destination sets a different period.

      If the destination's rules set a different period for the inspection, follow that; our 10-day window is Japan's general one.

      “Los animales deben ir acompañados de un certificado sanitario expedido y firmado por un veterinario. Este certificado debe ser refrendado y sellado por un veterinario oficial en el puerto de embarque.”

      “El certificado debe contener el nombre y la dirección de la persona que acompaña al animal en la República Dominicana y la identificación completa del animal (nombre, raza, sexo, color, fecha de nacimiento, microchip y/o tatuaje).”

      “Debe ir acompañado de un registro de vacunación con las etiquetas de las vacunas, incluyendo el número de lote, la fecha de fabricación y la fecha de caducidad.”

      “Export inspection is conducted within 10 days before departure, unless conditioned by the destination country.”

    4. NoticeLeaving Japan

      Apply for export inspection (NACCS)

      Once your travel is confirmed, apply to the Animal Quarantine Service through NACCS (or by email to the AQS where you want the inspection), at least 14 days before you leave. Attach the certificates from your vet clinic, fill in your preferred date and time in the remarks, and wait for AQS to reply: you cannot reserve a time before you have applied.

      Details and the official words

      “Apply for export inspection by NACCS at least 14 days before export.”

Good to know

  • Your pet must meet both the destination country's entry conditions and Japan's exit conditions. Check the destination's conditions with its animal quarantine authority or its embassy in Japan.
  • Might your pet come back to Japan? Check Japan's re-entry conditions before you leave: depending on the measures taken, the import quarantine can be under 12 hours or up to 180 days. Blood sampling and the rabies antibody test must be done at a vet clinic and a MAFF-designated laboratory.
  • Check that your pet's microchip can be read before the day of export inspection.

Money

What it costs

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

Government fees on this route

  • Export inspection and AQS export certificateLeaving JapanFree

    Vaccinations and vet checks the destination asks for are your own cost.

    “Inspection by animal quarantine officers is free of charge, but the exporter has responsibility for bearing the cost of vaccinations, health checks at the vet clinic and others, required to fulfil the entry requirements of the destination countries.”

    Dogs & Cats departure Q&A · as of 2026-10-13

What vets and labs charge Not official figures

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 Japan

Do before your pet leaves Japan (dogs)

  • ISO microchip
  • Rabies vaccination #1
  • Rabies vaccination #2
  • Rabies antibody test at a designated lab

Their timing rules put them before the outbound trip, for a three-month stay.

The trip back asks for 9 steps: ISO microchip, advance notification to Animal Quarantine Service, pre-export clinical inspection and government certificate from the exporting country and more.

Do before your pet leaves Japan (cats)

  • ISO microchip
  • Rabies vaccination #1
  • Rabies vaccination #2
  • Rabies antibody test at a designated lab

Their timing rules put them before the outbound trip, for a three-month stay.

The trip back asks for 9 steps: ISO microchip, advance notification to Animal Quarantine Service, pre-export clinical inspection and government certificate from the exporting country and more.

Every step from the Dominican Republic to Japan

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

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

Entering the Dominican RepublicLeaving JapanReport a mistakeGet rule-change alerts

Questions owners ask

Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Japan to the Dominican Republic?

No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for a rabies blood test.

Do I need an import permit to bring my dog or cat into the Dominican Republic?

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 the Dominican Republic?

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 Japan to the Dominican Republic?

With nothing done yet, start at least 4 weeks ahead. The main steps: rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure, rabies vaccination within the 12 months before departure and vet examination within 72 hours before departure and 3 more.

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

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