Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Mexico → South Korea
What the official rules ask for on this route, for a family pet travelling with its owner. Enter your travel date and your pet’s details to turn it into a dated checklist.
We’re re-checking these rules. An official source they rely on has changed since we last verified them, so something here may be out of date. Before you book or travel, confirm the details with the official authority.
- Overseas rabies-free countries (regions): list as of 4 April 2023 (HWPX attachment, in Korean) · page changed, noticed 12 Oct 2026
How early to start
5 days
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet (the least time the official waiting periods allow)
5 days
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
Counted only from the officially fixed waiting periods. Vet, lab and paperwork appointment times are on top, so start earlier.
Which rules apply to you
Mexico is in the group “Not on APQA's rabies-free list — rabies antibody test needed (pets aged 90 days or older)” in South Korea’s published list.See every group
Headlines for South Korea
- Rabies blood test for some origins
What your dog or cat needs
Identification
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.”
Blood test
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/㎖”
Paperwork
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.
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.
SENASICA export certificate (CZE), first stamp: When the destination's and Mexico's requirements are met, SENASICA prepares the CZE and gives it a first stamp and signature: you don't need to bring your pet for this. It is free, and valid for 8 calendar days (the destination can set a different validity).
“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.”
“Es gratuito y tiene una vigencia de 8 días naturales (puede variar en caso de que el país destino establezca una vigencia diferente)”
“se elaborará el CZE y se otorgará un primer sello y firma, no es necesario presentar a tu mascota”
On arrival
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.”
Vet exam
Health certificate from a private vet
A private vet examines your pet and issues a good-health certificate with its name, microchip number (if it applies), breed, coat colour, sex and age, your name and address in Mexico, and a statement that it has no fresh wounds or signs of infectious disease. It must be no more than five days old (or the validity the destination sets) when you apply.
Details and the official words
“de no más de cinco días de expedido o de acuerdo a la vigencia establecida por el país de destino”
Official stamp
Apply for the CZE at a SENASICA office
Apply for the Certificado Zoosanitario para Exportación (CZE) at any authorised SENASICA office with the application form, the owner's official ID (plus a signed power of attorney with two witnesses if someone else applies), the health certificate, the vaccination record, a deworming record, a microchip document and lab results, when the destination asks for them. It is delivered within three working days after the working day you submit it.
Details and the official words
“Se te entregará en un plazo de tres días hábiles posteriores al día hábil de la fecha de entrega de tu solicitud”
Vet exam
Physical exam and second stamp on the day of travel
On the day you travel, bring your pet to SENASICA's office at the point of departure. Officials examine it and, if all is in order, give the CZE its second stamp and signature.
Details and the official words
“El día de tu viaje deberás llevar a tu mascota a la oficina de Senasica en el punto de salida, en donde el personal oficial realizará un examen físico, y si todo está en orden, otorgará el segundo sello y firma a su CZE.”
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.
- SENASICA tells you to look up the destination in its requirements module first: it shows the vaccinations or treatments your pet needs, and when they must be given. If a country isn't in the module, ask SENASICA at reqzoosan.dgsa@senasica.gob.mx.
- If the documents are incomplete or wrong, SENASICA can ask you to complete or correct them, or refuse the request, so leave time.
- The vaccination record must show the vaccine name, laboratory, batch number, expiry date, date given and validity period. Without a stated validity it counts as one year. The rabies vaccine counts from three months of age.
Government fees we know of
- SENASICA export zoosanitary certificate (CZE): free of charge0 MXN
Vet, lab and courier costs are not included. The final amount can depend on how many tests or pets are on the certificate.
Common questions
Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Mexico 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.
Does my dog or cat need a microchip?
Yes: Every dog and cat must have a microchip.