Bringing a dog or cat into South Korea

The short version

• Rabies blood test for some origins

How early to start

The least time the officially fixed waiting periods allow, by where your dog is coming from. Vet, lab and paperwork appointment times come on top.

Where your pet is coming from matters

South Korea sorts countries into groups. These are the groups exactly as the authority publishes them (South Korea: rabies-free countries (regions) for dog and cat imports, checked 2026-10-09).

• APQA publishes only the rabies-free list; every other country is treated as not rabies-free.
• The only list we could read is the Korean-language HWPX attachment 'status as of 4 April 2023'. APQA says it adjusts the list quarterly and removes a country as soon as it reports rabies to WOAH. A country that has since lost its status would be shown here as rabies-free: re-check the current list before relying on it.
• Hawaii (US-HI) and Guam (GU) are listed; the rest of the USA is not. The Korean names were mapped to ISO codes by us (e.g. 'Kiribati' = KI, 'Wallis and Futuna' = WF, 'Réunion' = RE).
• Not on the 2023 list (so shown as not rabies-free): e.g. France (mainland), the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, Canada, mainland USA.

Every requirement

For every pet

1. Identification

   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. Paperwork

   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.

   “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.”

3. On arrival

   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.”

Depends on your pet or your route

1. Blood test

   Rabies blood test (antibody titer)

   Applies when: the country you travel from is in the group: Not on APQA's rabies-free list — rabies antibody test needed (pets aged 90 days or older) and (your pet is 3 months old or older on arrival, or you don’t know your pet’s birth date)

   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. Paperwork

   Hendra / Nipah virus certificate (cats from Australia; cats and dogs from Malaysia)

   Applies when: you travel from Australia and your pet is a cat, or you travel from Malaysia and your pet is a dog or cat

   Cats from Australia and cats and dogs from Malaysia need an additional certificate. It must confirm either that there were no cases of Hendra and Nipah virus disease in the exporting country or state, or that the animal tested negative within 14 days before export and was kept for 60 days before departure in an area with no reported cases.

   Details and the official words

   If this is missed: Without such a certificate the quarantine period will be extended by 21 days.

   “Cats imported from Australia and cats and dogs imported from Malaysia required an additional certificate”

   “Without such a certificate, the quarantine period will be extended by 21 days.”

When this route doesn’t work

• Not covered by us yet · The pet is being sold, adopted or rehomed

  APQA's pet page describes pets travelling with their owners. Imports for sale or rehoming aren't described there, and we don't cover commercial imports yet.

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.
• Bringing ten or more cats and/or dogs: you must send APQA an advance notification form and get approval to use an animal quarantine facility before you travel.When: You bring 10 or more pets
• 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.