Pet travel route
Dog or cat from Panama to China: official requirements
Possible. There is no official waiting period for a dog, but you still need: electronic microchip, rabies vaccination certificate and rabies antibody test report (pets from non-designated countries) and 3 more.
Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 4 official pages
In short
- Dogs and cats differ on this route: choose Dog or Cat to see just yours.
- China puts Panama in the group “Non-designated country or region”, which decides part of the rules.
- On this route: rabies blood test needed.
Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Panama publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. MIDA's pages describe only the basic steps for the export licence. They don't say how far ahead to apply, how long the licence is valid or whether any other office must sign. A 2026 Ministry of Health decree has a section on export certificates for dogs and cats, but the official gazette blocks automated readers and we couldn't check it there: ask MIDA (560-5890) and the Ministry of Health before you travel.
Limited official guidance. The authority for entering China publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. This is the customs announcement of 2019 plus Shanghai's English summary (2023). The announcement's attachments (the detailed quarantine requirements, the laboratories whose antibody test reports customs accepts and the ports with quarantine facilities) are on the customs site, which we cannot read, so deadlines for the vaccination and the blood test, and the official list of designated countries, are missing. Confirm with Chinese customs or your airline before you travel.
At a glance
How early to start (dogs)
No official wait
whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated
No official wait still means appointments: electronic microchip, rabies vaccination certificate and rabies antibody test report (pets from non-designated countries) and 3 more. Book them early; lab and paperwork times are not counted.
On this route (dogs)
- Rabies blood test needed
Part of this route is still under review, so we don’t say what it doesn’t need.
How early to start (cats)
No official wait
whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated
No official wait still means appointments: electronic microchip, rabies vaccination certificate and rabies antibody test report (pets from non-designated countries) and 3 more. Book them early; lab and paperwork times are not counted.
On this route (cats)
- Rabies blood test needed
Part of this route is still under review, so we don’t say what it doesn’t need.
Which rules apply to you
China puts Panama in the group “Non-designated country or region”. See every group
Official name: Not designated: exempt from quarantine only with a valid chip and a rabies antibody test report from a laboratory accepted by customs
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Panama → China
What your pet needs
In the order you do them. Each step says whether Panama (leaving) or China (entering) asks for it.
Dogs
Bringing a dog or cat into China: we summarised this from a short or older official page and it is still under review, so it may be incomplete.
Taking a dog or cat out of Panama (MIDA): we summarised this from a short or older official page and it is still under review, so it may be incomplete.
Get ready
IdentificationEntering China
Electronic microchip
Your pet must have an electronic microchip; a valid chip is needed for any exemption from quarantine.
Details and the official words
“宠物应当具有电子芯片。”
“（一）来自指定国家或者地区携带入境的宠物，具有有效电子芯片，经现场检疫合格的；”
VaccinationEntering China
Rabies vaccination certificate
You must give customs a rabies vaccination certificate issued by the official animal quarantine authority of the country or region you leave. The announcement gives no timing; its attachment may.
Details and the official words
“携带宠物入境的，携带人应当向海关提供输出国家或者地区官方动物检疫机构出具的有效检疫证书和狂犬病疫苗接种证书。”
Blood testEntering China
Rabies antibody test report (pets from non-designated countries)
A pet from a country that is not on China's designated list needs a rabies antibody test report from a laboratory customs accepts, with a titre above 0.5 IU/ml, to avoid 30 days' quarantine. The announcement gives no timing; its attachment may.
Details and the official words
“（二）来自非指定国家或者地区的宠物，具有有效电子芯片，提供采信实验室出具的狂犬病抗体检测报告（抗体滴度或免疫抗体量须在0.5IU/ml以上）并经现场检疫合格的；”
In the days before you travel
Vet examEntering China
Official clinical inspection within 14 days before arrival
The official agency of the country or region you leave inspects your pet for rabies and other infectious or parasitic disease within 14 days before it arrives in China.
Details and the official words
“Pets must undergo an animal health clinical inspection conducted by the official agencies of the departing country or region within 14 days prior to their arrival in China.”
Vet examLeaving Panama
Certificate of good health from a qualified vet (no more than 72 hours old) and an up-to-date vaccination card
A qualified vet (médico veterinario idóneo) examines your pet and issues a certificate of good health, no more than 72 hours old when you collect MIDA's licence. Bring the up-to-date vaccination card (combined vaccine and rabies) and the record of parasite treatments, originals and one set of copies.
Details and the official words
“Es indispensable portar la Cartilla de Vacunación actualizada (múltiple y rabia), y un Certificado de Buena Salud emitido por un médico veterinario idóneo con una vigencia no mayor a 72 horas.”
“Cartillas actualizadas de vacunas (múltiple y rabia) y desparasitaciones.”
PaperworkPanama and China
Quarantine certificate from the official animal quarantine authority
You must give customs a valid quarantine certificate issued by the official animal quarantine authority of the country or region you leave.
Details and the official words
MIDA export licence: request it on SITERPA, collect it in person: Request the export licence (Licencia Fitozoosanitaria de Exportación) online on MIDA's SITERPA portal with the red 'MASCOTAS' button, and note the request number. Then collect it in person at Plaza Edison (ground floor, single window) in Panama City or at MIDA's offices in Herrera or Chiriquí, with the vet's certificate and the vaccination card (originals and copies). One licence per species, 10 balboas each, paid by deposit at Banco Nacional (bring the slip).
Executive Decree 8 of 26 February 2026 (Ministry of Health) has a section on export certificates for dogs, cats and ferrets. The official gazette blocks automated readers, so we couldn't check it there. A copy on the UN's legal database (not an official source) says the certificates must be presented to the ministry's National Directorate of Food Control and Veterinary Surveillance 5 working days before the trip for evaluation and signature. Ask MIDA and the Ministry of Health whether this applies before you book.
“携带宠物入境的，携带人应当向海关提供输出国家或者地区官方动物检疫机构出具的有效检疫证书和狂犬病疫苗接种证书。”
“El Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario (MIDA) a través de la Dirección Ejecutiva de Cuarentena Agropecuaria (DECA) emite las Licencias Fitozoosanitarias de Exportación de mascotas (caninos y felinos).”
“Para lo cual los usuarios deben Ingresar a SITERPA , dando click al botón ROJO llamado «MASCOTAS» para registrar los datos requeridos y enviar la solicitud del documento vía web.”
“Para finalizar el proceso de exportación y retirar la Licencia (que tiene un costo de B/. 10.00), el solicitante debe presentarse personalmente en las oficinas designadas (Plaza Edison en Panamá o en las provincias de Herrera y Chiriquí) con la documentación original y copias.”
“Se emite una Licencia por Especie y cada Licencia tiene un costo de 10.00 balboas (debe entregar el slip del depósito realizado al Banco Nacional”
Good to know
- Only dogs and cats can be carried in, and only one pet per person per entry. Pets over the limit may be returned or destroyed.
- A pet that is not exempt (no chip, no accepted antibody test report when required, or signs of disease at the on-site check) is quarantined for 30 days at a site designated by customs, and must enter through a port with quarantine facilities.
- The list of designated countries, the laboratories whose antibody test reports customs accepts and the ports with quarantine facilities are whatever China's customs publishes; they may differ from what we show.
- These are only the basic steps for leaving Panama. You are responsible for checking and meeting every requirement of the destination, which may include extra paperwork for your pet.
- If your dog will come back to Panama, tell MIDA when you apply: it gives more information for that case.
Cats
Bringing a dog or cat into China: we summarised this from a short or older official page and it is still under review, so it may be incomplete.
Taking a dog or cat out of Panama (MIDA): we summarised this from a short or older official page and it is still under review, so it may be incomplete.
Get ready
IdentificationEntering China
Electronic microchip
Your pet must have an electronic microchip; a valid chip is needed for any exemption from quarantine.
Details and the official words
“宠物应当具有电子芯片。”
“（一）来自指定国家或者地区携带入境的宠物，具有有效电子芯片，经现场检疫合格的；”
VaccinationEntering China
Rabies vaccination certificate
You must give customs a rabies vaccination certificate issued by the official animal quarantine authority of the country or region you leave. The announcement gives no timing; its attachment may.
Details and the official words
“携带宠物入境的，携带人应当向海关提供输出国家或者地区官方动物检疫机构出具的有效检疫证书和狂犬病疫苗接种证书。”
Blood testEntering China
Rabies antibody test report (pets from non-designated countries)
A pet from a country that is not on China's designated list needs a rabies antibody test report from a laboratory customs accepts, with a titre above 0.5 IU/ml, to avoid 30 days' quarantine. The announcement gives no timing; its attachment may.
Details and the official words
“（二）来自非指定国家或者地区的宠物，具有有效电子芯片，提供采信实验室出具的狂犬病抗体检测报告（抗体滴度或免疫抗体量须在0.5IU/ml以上）并经现场检疫合格的；”
In the days before you travel
Vet examEntering China
Official clinical inspection within 14 days before arrival
The official agency of the country or region you leave inspects your pet for rabies and other infectious or parasitic disease within 14 days before it arrives in China.
Details and the official words
“Pets must undergo an animal health clinical inspection conducted by the official agencies of the departing country or region within 14 days prior to their arrival in China.”
Vet examLeaving Panama
Certificate of good health from a qualified vet (no more than 72 hours old) and an up-to-date vaccination card
A qualified vet (médico veterinario idóneo) examines your pet and issues a certificate of good health, no more than 72 hours old when you collect MIDA's licence. Bring the up-to-date vaccination card (combined vaccine and rabies) and the record of parasite treatments, originals and one set of copies.
Details and the official words
“Es indispensable portar la Cartilla de Vacunación actualizada (múltiple y rabia), y un Certificado de Buena Salud emitido por un médico veterinario idóneo con una vigencia no mayor a 72 horas.”
“Cartillas actualizadas de vacunas (múltiple y rabia) y desparasitaciones.”
PaperworkPanama and China
Quarantine certificate from the official animal quarantine authority
You must give customs a valid quarantine certificate issued by the official animal quarantine authority of the country or region you leave.
Details and the official words
MIDA export licence: request it on SITERPA, collect it in person: Request the export licence (Licencia Fitozoosanitaria de Exportación) online on MIDA's SITERPA portal with the red 'MASCOTAS' button, and note the request number. Then collect it in person at Plaza Edison (ground floor, single window) in Panama City or at MIDA's offices in Herrera or Chiriquí, with the vet's certificate and the vaccination card (originals and copies). One licence per species, 10 balboas each, paid by deposit at Banco Nacional (bring the slip).
Executive Decree 8 of 26 February 2026 (Ministry of Health) has a section on export certificates for dogs, cats and ferrets. The official gazette blocks automated readers, so we couldn't check it there. A copy on the UN's legal database (not an official source) says the certificates must be presented to the ministry's National Directorate of Food Control and Veterinary Surveillance 5 working days before the trip for evaluation and signature. Ask MIDA and the Ministry of Health whether this applies before you book.
“携带宠物入境的，携带人应当向海关提供输出国家或者地区官方动物检疫机构出具的有效检疫证书和狂犬病疫苗接种证书。”
“El Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario (MIDA) a través de la Dirección Ejecutiva de Cuarentena Agropecuaria (DECA) emite las Licencias Fitozoosanitarias de Exportación de mascotas (caninos y felinos).”
“Para lo cual los usuarios deben Ingresar a SITERPA , dando click al botón ROJO llamado «MASCOTAS» para registrar los datos requeridos y enviar la solicitud del documento vía web.”
“Para finalizar el proceso de exportación y retirar la Licencia (que tiene un costo de B/. 10.00), el solicitante debe presentarse personalmente en las oficinas designadas (Plaza Edison en Panamá o en las provincias de Herrera y Chiriquí) con la documentación original y copias.”
“Se emite una Licencia por Especie y cada Licencia tiene un costo de 10.00 balboas (debe entregar el slip del depósito realizado al Banco Nacional”
Good to know
- Only dogs and cats can be carried in, and only one pet per person per entry. Pets over the limit may be returned or destroyed.
- A pet that is not exempt (no chip, no accepted antibody test report when required, or signs of disease at the on-site check) is quarantined for 30 days at a site designated by customs, and must enter through a port with quarantine facilities.
- The list of designated countries, the laboratories whose antibody test reports customs accepts and the ports with quarantine facilities are whatever China's customs publishes; they may differ from what we show.
- These are only the basic steps for leaving Panama. You are responsible for checking and meeting every requirement of the destination, which may include extra paperwork for your pet.
Money
What it costs
Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Panama publish for the steps above. The two are never added together.
Government fees on this route
MIDA export licence (one per species, paid at Banco Nacional)Leaving Panama10 USD
“Se emite una Licencia por Especie y cada Licencia tiene un costo de 10.00 balboas”
Exportación de animales menores: caninos y felinos (MIDA, DECA, modified 1 August 2023) · as of 2026-10-13
Government fees in total: 10 USD (each currency separately)
What vets and labs charge Not official figures
Rabies blood test: the lab’s own pricean approved laboratory; your vet adds the blood draw and the courier · for: rabies antibody test report (pets from non-designated countries)Prices from 8 countries
Austria: 1 published price
- AGES (Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety), Institute for Veterinary Investigations Mödling: Lab price for the rabies antibody titre test for pets (EU-recognised lab), samples sent from EU countries, 20% VAT included; transport to the lab paid by the sender97.26 EUR · per sample · read 2026-10-13
France: 2 published prices
- Laboratoire départemental de la Haute-Garonne (LD31 EVA): Lab price for the FAVN (WOAH/OMSA method) rabies antibody test, VAT included, price guaranteed until 31/12/2026 (from the lab's order form)99 EUR · per test · read 2026-10-13
- Inovalys (laboratory): Lab price only: rabies antibody titration (COFRAC accredited), ordered online by the owner; the page says the blood sample is taken by your vet and sending it to the lab is the owner's responsibility (no amounts given for those)99.18 EUR · per test · read 2026-10-13
the United Kingdom: 2 published prices
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge: Lab price for the FAVN rabies antibody test for dogs and cats for pet travel (test code TC0712), single sample, excluding VAT72.30 GBP · per test · read 2026-10-13
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge: Lab price for the FAVN rabies antibody test for dogs and cats, extended method (test code TC0570), single sample, excluding VAT106 GBP · per test · read 2026-10-13
Japan: 1 published price
- Research Institute for Animal Science in Biochemistry and Toxicology (RIAS, 一般財団法人生物科学安全研究所): Lab fee only: rabies antibody test at RIAS (a MAFF-designated lab), tax included, paid in advance by bank transfer; vet's blood draw and shipping not included15,000 JPY · per sample · read 2026-10-13
Poland: 1 published price
- National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet-PIB), Puławy: Lab price for the FAVN rabies antibody test, standard service (max 21 calendar days), electronic report only, gross (VAT included)280 PLN · per test · read 2026-10-13
Sweden: 1 published price
- Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA): Lab price for the FAVN rabies vaccination-check antibody test (article D142410), excluding VAT (exkl. moms)1,365 SEK · per test · read 2026-10-13
the United States: 1 published price
- University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory: Lab price for the FAVN rabies antibody test for pet travel/export (University of Missouri VMDL One Health-Rabies Laboratory); shipping not stated79 USD · per test · read 2026-10-13
South Africa: 1 published price
- Agricultural Research Council – Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC-OVR): Lab price for the rabies neutralization (antibody) test per clear serum sample, VAT included; the price list does not name FAVN or RFFIT (ARC-Onderstepoort diagnostic price list, PDF created May 2026)2,030 ZAR · per clear serum sample · read 2026-10-13
No published prices yet for Panama: microchip, rabies vaccination, vet examination, 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 Panama
Nothing for the trip back has to happen before your pet leaves Panama (dogs).
The trip back asks for 8 steps: Tell MINSA 3 to 5 business days before your pet arrives, official export health certificate, apostilled, at most 30 days old, rabies vaccination from 3 months old, at least 30 days before the trip and dogs: distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus vaccinations and more.
Nothing for the trip back has to happen before your pet leaves Panama (cats).
The trip back asks for 8 steps: Tell MINSA 3 to 5 business days before your pet arrives, official export health certificate, apostilled, at most 30 days old, rabies vaccination from 3 months old, at least 30 days before the trip and cats: rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia vaccinations and more.
Where this comes from
Official sources
- 海关总署公告2019年第5号 (关于进一步规范携带宠物入境检疫监管工作的公告), copy on gov.cn
- How to bring pets to China (Shanghai Municipal People's Government, source: Shanghai Customs)
- Exportación de animales menores: caninos y felinos (MIDA, DECA, modified 1 August 2023)
- MIDA recuerda requisitos para entrada y salida de mascotas en el territorio nacional (MIDA, 14 November 2025)
Last checked against the official pages: 2026-10-13.
Questions owners ask
Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Panama to China?
Yes: A pet from a country that is not on China's designated list needs a rabies antibody test report from a laboratory customs accepts, with a titre above 0.5 IU/ml, to avoid 30 days' quarantine.
Do I need an import permit to bring my dog or cat into China?
We couldn't find this in our summary of the rules, but that summary is short and still under review. Ask the official authority before you rely on it.
Will my dog or cat be quarantined in China?
We couldn't find this in our summary of the rules, but that summary is short and still under review. Ask the official authority before you rely on it.
How early should I start preparing my pet for Panama to China?
There is no official waiting period for a dog, but you still need: electronic microchip, rabies vaccination certificate and rabies antibody test report (pets from non-designated countries) 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
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.