How to bring your pet dog or cat into Shanghai

Credit: Imaginechina

What do you need to do to bring your pet cat or dog to Shanghai?

According to China's General Administration of Customs, each person is only permitted to bring one pet at a time.

All pets traveling to China must have a rabies vaccination within a year of departure and be older than 30 days at the time of travel.

At the port of entry, customs officers will check and quarantine all pets coming into the country.

Pet owners will be required to fill out a form with basic information about their pets. There are two types of pet entry issues.

1. Pets from designated countries and regions

Pets coming from such places will be exempt from quarantine, including New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hawaii, Guam, Jamaica, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Cyprus, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, and China's Hong Kong and Macau.

They must, however, show the on-site customs officers valid quarantine certificates and vaccination proofs for their pets issued by official institutions of the countries they are from.

Pets must also be implanted with valid 15-bit electronic chips that meet the international standards ISO 11784 and 11785.

Pets without electronic chips will be quarantined for 30 days in designated locations.

Pets must undergo a clinical health examination by the official institutions of the exporting country or region within 14 days of arrival to ensure that they are not infected with any of the infectious and parasitic diseases in the "List of Quarantine Diseases for Animals Imported to the People's Republic of China," which includes rabies.

Credit: Imaginechina

The following issues must be addressed on the pet's official quarantine certificate:

1. Information about the pet (such as breed, scientific name, gender, fur color, date of birth, or age);

2. Implanted electronic chip's number, date and location;

3. Clinical examination results and dates for animals.

2. Pets from other places

Apart from valid quarantine certificates, vaccination proofs and electronic chips, pet owners who are not from the designated areas must also prepare a rabies antibody test report issued by a laboratory recognized by Chinese Customs.

The antibody titer, or amount of immune antibody, should be greater than 0.5 IU/mL.

If owners cannot provide a rabies antibody test report or an implanted chip, their pets will be quarantined for 30 days at designated locations.

Based on the preceding two scenarios, pets whose owners are unable to provide quarantine or vaccination certificates will be denied entry.

Extra tips before travel

1. If you intend to bring your pets to China, please ensure that they are in good health and meet the above requirements.
2. Some pets, such as cats with short noses, are unsuitable for long-distance air travel.
3. Also, before purchasing air ticket, check with the airline to see if they offer pet seats or pet transportation services. Different airline companies may have different cage size and style requirements.
4. Make reservations at least one to two months in advance so that there is enough time to get ready.