Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from the United States → 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
The United States 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
“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；”
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
USDA APHIS endorsement: Your accredited vet submits the certificate to USDA APHIS (usually electronically through VEHCS) for endorsement; the endorsement date counts as the issue date for the destination.
“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。”
“assist you through the process of obtaining a USDA-endorsed pet health certificate”
Vet exam
Use a USDA-accredited veterinarian
Only a USDA-accredited veterinarian can issue your pet's international health certificate. Tell them the destination, any transit countries, your departure date and whether the pet travels in the cabin or as cargo.
Details and the official words
“contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as you decide to travel”
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.
- USDA: destination requirements can change at any time — check them every time you travel.
- Coming back to the U.S. with your dog? Your destination is high-risk for dog rabies, so get the 'Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination' from a USDA-accredited vet BEFORE you leave — it can't be issued afterwards.
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
“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；”
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
USDA APHIS endorsement: Your accredited vet submits the certificate to USDA APHIS (usually electronically through VEHCS) for endorsement; the endorsement date counts as the issue date for the destination.
“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。”
“assist you through the process of obtaining a USDA-endorsed pet health certificate”
Vet exam
Use a USDA-accredited veterinarian
Only a USDA-accredited veterinarian can issue your pet's international health certificate. Tell them the destination, any transit countries, your departure date and whether the pet travels in the cabin or as cargo.
Details and the official words
“contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as you decide to travel”
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.
- USDA: destination requirements can change at any time — check them every time you travel.
Government fees we know of
- USDA APHIS health certificate endorsement101 USD
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 need a rabies blood test to go from the United States 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.