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Pet travel route

Dog or cat from Taiwan 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 8 official pages

Make my dated plan Reverse: South Korea → Taiwan

In short

Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Taiwan publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. APHIA's own pages (aphia.gov.tw) did not open from our network, so this is built from the law itself, in the Ministry of Agriculture's official English texts: the Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Diseases (Art. 36), the regulations for animals carried by passengers and the quarantine fee regulations. They say when APHIA issues an export certificate and what you bring, but not where or how far ahead to apply, whether a vet's health certificate or other records are needed, or how long the inspection takes. Ask the APHIA branch at your airport of departure.

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

Part of this route is still under review, so we don’t say what it doesn’t need.

Which rules apply to you

South Korea puts Taiwan 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? Taiwan rule changes · South Korea rule changes

Taiwan → South Korea

What your pet needs

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

Taking a dog or cat out of Taiwan (APHIA): we summarised this from a short or older official page and it is still under review, so it may be incomplete.

  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. PaperworkTaiwan 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.

      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.

      APHIA export animal quarantine certificate (when your destination asks for one): Your destination asks for an official certificate, so apply to APHIA (Taiwan's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency) for export quarantine: fill in the application form and show your passport, your ticket and other relevant documents (the law doesn't list them: ask APHIA). APHIA inspects your pet and, if it meets the requirements, issues the export animal quarantine certificate. Your pet may only leave once it has the certificate.

      The law doesn't say how far ahead to apply or how long the inspection takes. Ask the APHIA branch at your airport.

      “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.”

      “The quarantine objects may be exported only after they are inspected and certified as qualified by import/export animal quarantine authorities, and an export animal quarantine certificate is issued”

      “must complete the application form with the presence of passport, ticket and other relevant documents.”

      “Animal quarantine objects: Veterinary certificates must be issued by the import/ export animal quarantine authority”

  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.
  • APHIA issues an export animal quarantine certificate for a pet when your destination's authority asks for Taiwan's certificate, and turns down applications otherwise. Check what your destination asks for before you apply.
  • A passenger taking up to 3 dogs and 3 cats pays no quarantine fee and no quarantine-label fee. APHIA charges NT$100 per application for computer processing unless you enter the application yourself, on the computer at the counter or online.
  • Planning to bring your pet back to Taiwan? Apply for Taiwan's import permit before your pet leaves. If it will stay somewhere that isn't on Taiwan's rabies-free list, have its rabies blood test done before it leaves Taiwan: coming back within one year of that sample, it can skip the post-entry quarantine.

Money

What it costs

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

Government fees on this route

  • Export quarantine fee for a pet travelling with youLeaving TaiwanFree

    Exempt for the number of pets a passenger is allowed to carry (fee regulation, Art. 7).

    “The quarantine fees shall be exempted for the following cases: 1. The articles are used for military purposes and accompanied with proof from military authorities. 2. The articles of imported food are used for military or official purposes and accompanied with proof from food administration authorities. 3. The allowed quantity of quarantine objects or regulated articles carried by passenger or crew serving on vehicles, vessels and aircrafts pursuant to the Regulations for Quarantine of Animal/Plant Regulated Articles Carried by Passengers and Service Personnel on Vehicles”

    Regulations Governing Fees for Animal and Plant Quarantine (English, amended 14 Nov 2025) · as of 2025-11-14

4 more fees may apply, depending on your case
  • Computer processing fee per applicationLeaving Taiwan100 TWD

    Not charged if you enter the application yourself at the counter computer or online.

    “Every application for importing or exporting animals and/or plants and their products shall be charged a computer processing fee of NT$100.”

    Regulations Governing Fees for Animal and Plant Quarantine (English, amended 14 Nov 2025) · as of 2025-11-14

  • Reissue or copy of the veterinary certificateLeaving Taiwan120 TWD

    Per new certificate, only if you need one.

    “For separation, reissuance, replacement or copy of the veterinary/ phytosanitary certificate, a fee of NT$120 shall be charged for each new certificate.”

    Regulations Governing Fees for Animal and Plant Quarantine (English, amended 14 Nov 2025) · as of 2025-11-14

  • 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 Taiwan: 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 Taiwan

Nothing for the trip back has to happen before your pet leaves Taiwan.

The trip back asks for 9 steps: microchip, rabies vaccination (over 90 days old), rabies vaccination 30 days to 1 year before arrival and rabies blood test (at least 0.5 IU/ml) and more.

Every step from South Korea to Taiwan

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

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

Entering South KoreaLeaving TaiwanReport a mistakeGet rule-change alerts

Questions owners ask

Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Taiwan 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?

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 South Korea?

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 Taiwan 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

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