Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Türkiye → China
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.
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.
How early to start
No fixed wait
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet (the least time the official waiting periods allow)
No fixed wait
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
Türkiye is in the group “Not designated: exempt from quarantine only with a valid chip and a rabies antibody test report from a laboratory accepted by customs” in China’s published list.See every group
Headlines for China
- Rabies blood test for some origins
What your dog needs
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.
Identification
Electronic microchip
Your pet must have an electronic microchip; a valid chip is needed for any exemption from quarantine.
Details and the official words
Microchip, PETVET registration and pet passport: A pet living in Türkiye must be microchipped, registered in the national pet register (PETVET) and have a Turkish pet passport. A pet that came from abroad keeps its existing microchip number and passport if they meet international standards.
“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；”
“kimliklendirilmiş ve Ev Hayvanı Kayıt Sistemi (PETVET)’nde kayıt altına alınarak”
“düzenlenmişse, mevcut mikroçip numaraları ve pasaportları ile işlemlerine devam eder.”
Vaccination
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 test
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；”
Vet exam
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.”
Paperwork
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
Veterinary health certificate from the Provincial or District Directorate of Agriculture (within 48 hours of departure): An official vet at the Provincial or District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry where you live issues the veterinary health certificate, on the model agreed with your destination, no earlier than 48 hours before you leave. Bring the application letter, the pet passport and the lab report if the destination needs one. No dog or cat may leave without it.
“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。”
“erken çıkışa 48 saat kala veteriner sağlık sertifikası düzenlenir.”
“sahip olmayan hiçbir kedi ve köpek yurt dışına çıkarılamaz.”
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.
- Türkiye asks for a rabies antibody (FAVN) test report only when your destination requires one, but the ministry won't issue the certificate without knowing what the destination asks for. Samples are sent to the Etlik institute in Ankara (VKMAEM) at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination; while vaccination continues on schedule, the report stays valid for the pet's life.
- Kangal, Akbaş and Kars shepherd dogs, the Çatal Burun hunting dog, the Zağar İnci dog, the Ankara (Turkish Angora) cat and the Van cat are protected breeds: they need prior permission to leave Türkiye. Whatever the passport says, the official vet checks that your pet isn't one of them.
- The pet's passport must state its breed and colour exactly. If it only says 'mix' for breed or colour, the passport must be corrected (to the closest breed and colour) before the pet can leave.
- A registered dog of a breed Türkiye lists as dangerous may leave with its owner if the destination accepts it, but it will not be allowed back into Türkiye.
- If the pet doesn't travel within 5 days before or after its owner (or someone the owner authorised), or goes by cargo company, Türkiye treats it as a commercial movement with a commercial certificate.
What your cat needs
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.
Identification
Electronic microchip
Your pet must have an electronic microchip; a valid chip is needed for any exemption from quarantine.
Details and the official words
Microchip, PETVET registration and pet passport: A pet living in Türkiye must be microchipped, registered in the national pet register (PETVET) and have a Turkish pet passport. A pet that came from abroad keeps its existing microchip number and passport if they meet international standards.
“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；”
“kimliklendirilmiş ve Ev Hayvanı Kayıt Sistemi (PETVET)’nde kayıt altına alınarak”
“düzenlenmişse, mevcut mikroçip numaraları ve pasaportları ile işlemlerine devam eder.”
Vaccination
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 test
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；”
Vet exam
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.”
Paperwork
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
Veterinary health certificate from the Provincial or District Directorate of Agriculture (within 48 hours of departure): An official vet at the Provincial or District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry where you live issues the veterinary health certificate, on the model agreed with your destination, no earlier than 48 hours before you leave. Bring the application letter, the pet passport and the lab report if the destination needs one. No dog or cat may leave without it.
“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。”
“erken çıkışa 48 saat kala veteriner sağlık sertifikası düzenlenir.”
“sahip olmayan hiçbir kedi ve köpek yurt dışına çıkarılamaz.”
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.
- Türkiye asks for a rabies antibody (FAVN) test report only when your destination requires one, but the ministry won't issue the certificate without knowing what the destination asks for. Samples are sent to the Etlik institute in Ankara (VKMAEM) at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination; while vaccination continues on schedule, the report stays valid for the pet's life.
- Kangal, Akbaş and Kars shepherd dogs, the Çatal Burun hunting dog, the Zağar İnci dog, the Ankara (Turkish Angora) cat and the Van cat are protected breeds: they need prior permission to leave Türkiye. Whatever the passport says, the official vet checks that your pet isn't one of them.
- The pet's passport must state its breed and colour exactly. If it only says 'mix' for breed or colour, the passport must be corrected (to the closest breed and colour) before the pet can leave.
- If the pet doesn't travel within 5 days before or after its owner (or someone the owner authorised), or goes by cargo company, Türkiye treats it as a commercial movement with a commercial certificate.
Common questions
Does my dog need a rabies blood test to go from Türkiye 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 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 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.
Does my dog need a microchip?
Yes: Your pet must have an electronic microchip; a valid chip is needed for any exemption from quarantine.