Skip to content
Pawhopper
Plan a tripCountriesGuidesHow we verifyReport a mistake

Pet travel route

Dog or cat from Vietnam to China: official requirements

Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 2 days ahead. The main steps: 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 3 official pages

Make my dated plan Reverse: China → Vietnam

In short

Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Vietnam publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Viet Nam's 2026 circular on animal quarantine sets one export procedure for all animals; we found no official page written for pet owners. It doesn't give the fees or say what the quarantine office checks beyond a clinical examination and the destination's requirements. Ask the regional animal health sub-department (or your province's veterinary authority) where you will apply.

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

The rules on this route are the same for dogs and cats.

How early to start

2 days

whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Register your pet for export quarantine before you leave (1 working day to check the dossier, then 1 working day to issue the certificate (5 if samples are tested): 2 days is our reading, not an official figure; allow more over a weekend or if your destination asks for tests)

The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.

On this route

  • Rabies blood test needed
  • Official stamp on the certificate

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 Vietnam 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

Prefer a feed reader? Vietnam rule changes · China rule changes

Vietnam → China

What your pet needs

In the order you do them. Each step says whether Vietnam (leaving) or China (entering) asks for it.

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.

  1. Get ready

    1. 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；”

    2. 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。”

    3. 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；”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. 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.”

    2. PaperworkVietnam 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

      Export quarantine certificate (form 13a): The quarantine office examines your pet, checks it against the dossier and carries out the checks the destination (or you) ask for. If no samples need testing, it issues the export quarantine certificate (form 13a) within 1 working day of the quarantine; if samples are tested, within 5 working days. At the border where you leave, the quarantine office checks the certificate and confirms 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。”

      “Kiểm tra lâm sàng đối với động vật; kiểm tra thực trạng hàng hóa đối với sản phẩm động vật; đối chiếu thông tin lô hàng với hồ sơ kiểm dịch;”

      “Thực hiện kiểm tra các nội dung vệ sinh thú y theo yêu cầu của nước nhập khẩu hoặc chủ hàng;”

      “Đối với lô hàng không phải lấy mẫu xét nghiệm: Trong thời hạn 01 ngày làm việc kể từ ngày bắt đầu thực hiện kiểm dịch, nếu đáp ứng yêu cầu kiểm dịch, Cơ quan kiểm dịch động vật cửa khẩu cấp Giấy chứng nhận kiểm dịch động vật xuất khẩu theo mẫu 13a”

      “Đối với lô hàng phải lấy mẫu xét nghiệm: Trong thời hạn 05 ngày làm việc kể từ ngày bắt đầu thực hiện kiểm dịch”

      “Xác nhận đã kiểm tra vào Giấy chứng nhận kiểm dịch hoặc thực hiện cấp đổi Giấy chứng nhận kiểm dịch xuất khẩu theo yêu cầu của chủ hàng.”

    3. Official stampLeaving Vietnam

      Register your pet for export quarantine before you leave

      Before departure, send the registration dossier to the regional animal health sub-department (Chi cục Chăn nuôi và Thú y vùng) or the provincial veterinary authority it has delegated: the export quarantine registration form (form 2a), the destination's written veterinary requirements if any, and the destination's certificate model if any. You can send it through the National Single Window, the public service portal, by post, by email, by fax or in person (after an email or fax, send the original). The office checks the dossier within 1 working day and tells you when and where the quarantine will take place.

      Details and the official words

      “Trước khi xuất khẩu động vật, sản phẩm động vật có yêu cầu kiểm dịch, chủ hàng gửi 01 bộ hồ sơ đăng ký kiểm dịch theo quy định tại Điều 7 Thông tư này đến Chi cục Chăn nuôi và Thú y vùng hoặc Cơ quan quản lý chuyên ngành Thú y cấp tỉnh được Cục Chăn nuôi và Thú y ủy quyền”

      “qua Cổng thông tin một cửa quốc gia hoặc Cổng dịch vụ công hoặc qua dịch vụ bưu chính công ích hoặc gửi qua thư điện tử, fax hoặc gửi trực tiếp. Trường hợp gửi hồ sơ đăng ký qua thư điện tử, fax, sau đó chủ hàng phải gửi bản chính.”

      “Đơn đăng ký kiểm dịch động vật xuất khẩu theo mẫu 2a quy định tại Phụ lục V ban hành kèm theo Thông tư này.”

      “Văn bản thể hiện yêu cầu nội dung vệ sinh thú y của nước nhập khẩu hoặc chủ hàng (nếu có).”

      “Mẫu Giấy chứng nhận kiểm dịch của Cơ quan có thẩm quyền của nước nhập khẩu (nếu có).”

      “Trong thời hạn 01 ngày làm việc kể từ ngày nhận được hồ sơ đăng ký, Cơ quan kiểm dịch động vật cửa khẩu xem xét tính đầy đủ, hợp lệ của hồ sơ.”

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.
  • Dogs and cats are animals that must be quarantined. If neither the destination nor you ask for an export quarantine certificate, the circular instead requires the quarantine for moving animals out of a province.
  • A pet that leaves Viet Nam temporarily (and will come back) goes through the same export quarantine when it leaves.

Money

What it costs

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

Government fees on this route

No government fee is published on the official pages we use for this trip. That doesn’t always mean it’s free: ask the authority.

What vets and labs charge Not official figures

No published prices yet for Vietnam: 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 Vietnam

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

The trip back asks for 4 steps: quarantine (health) certificate from the exporting country, declare your pet at the border animal quarantine office, apply online to customs ("Internet + Customs"): Shanghai Customs recommends 10 to 14 days before departure and on-site health check by customs: Shanghai Customs recommends 7 to 10 days before travel.

Every step from China to Vietnam

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

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

Entering ChinaLeaving VietnamReport a mistakeGet rule-change alerts

Questions owners ask

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

With nothing done yet, start at least 2 days ahead. The main steps: 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.

Make a dated plan