Importing a dog to Japan is one of the hardest and longest import processes. However, if the process is followed correctly, there is no need for any quarantine unlike countries like Singapore and Australia. You simply need to undertake a quarantine inspection on arrival. This should allow you to leave the airport within 12 hours. In my case I was done in around 20 minutes.
The whole import process can take up to 8 months if you need to start from scratch. So you really need to prepare well in advance if you want to take your dog with you to Japan. I started the process in early 2018 as I originally planned to go in 2019. However, I will only finally get to go in January 2023.
Your first essential tool for importing a dog to Japan is the MAFF website (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) which has all of the information you need to know on it. There are 2 different routes to go down depending on where you come from. The Designated Route is for those coming from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, Guam and Iceland. This is the easiest route but one not many of us will fall under. So on this page I will only look at the route if you are coming from an undesignated area, which is most countries. The MAFF has a very useful flowchart describing the import process;
Step 1 : Microchip implanting
Almost all dogs will be implanted with a microchip shortly after they are born. So in most instances, this will already be done. If not, you will need to arrange for a microchip to be implanted in the dog which must meet ISO standards.
Step 2 : Rabies Vaccines
Take note that Japan require at LEAST 2 rabies vaccines. The first rabies vaccine must be done AFTER the microchip implanting and the dog must be at LEAST 91 days old. The second rabies vaccine must be done MORE THAN 30 days after the first vaccine (the date of the first vaccine is classed as day 0). It must also be done within the effective period of the first vaccine (this is usually 1 year but some, especially those from Europe, can be effective for 3 years).
The rabies vaccines given must be INACTIVATED vaccines. The rabies vaccines must remain valid upon arrival into Japan. If they will expire before you arrive in Japan, you will need to get another booster rabies shot.
Step 3 : Rabies Antibody (Titer) Test
After the second rabies vaccine, they must do a blood test to test for rabies antibodies in their blood. This is commonly known as a titer test. This can be done the same day as the second vaccine, although every time I’ve done one the vet has advised to wait for 30 days. This is to give the vaccine time to produce more antibodies.
The blood test must be sent to a designated laboratory. There aren’t a huge amount of them, so please double check with your vet before they send it. If it is sent to an unapproved lab, it won’t be recognised and you’ll need to start again. The list of approved laboratories can be found here.
Japan only recognise titer tests for 2 years which is different to most other countries which don’t expire as long as you remain up to date with your rabies shots. Due to this, I’ve done 3 titer tests in total now. Each time, the vet has had to send overseas. This can increase the cost quite a bit. Both Singapore and Thailand vets sent the sample to the UK which was expensive, around US$350 each time. However, in Croatia we only paid €70 as they sent to Austria which wasn’t as far.
Each vet I have used have sent the sample on our behalf and then e-mailed us with the results. I did look into sending myself to save some money, but in the end it wasn’t worth it. The rules are strict as it is a blood sample. So the vet option was much easier for us.
In order to pass, the antibodies must come back equal to or greater than 0.5 IU/ml. To reconfirm, the blood sampling must also be done within the effective period of the rabies vaccine.
Step 4 : Waiting Period
Now the hard part! Once you have a valid titer test, you must wait. The waiting period is a total of 180 days from the date of the blood sampling (not the date of the result). The date the blood sample was taken is classed as day 0. If you try to enter within the 180 day period, the dog must go into quarantine for the same amount of time as you enter in early. If you enter on day 170, the dog will have to do 10 days of quarantine in Japan.
To complicate things, there are 2 more rules you must abide by when entering after the 180 day wait. Both the rabies vaccine AND the titer test must still be in their effective period. Whilst most countries state that a titer test is valid as long as you keep up to date with the rabies vaccine, Japan is different.
Japan only acknowledges a titer test result as effective for a period of 2 years after the sample date. So you need to make sure you have BOTH a valid rabies vaccine AND a valid titer test. This is why I’ve had to do 3 titer tests in total. Since my original one from 2018 ran out in 2020 and the 2020 one ran out in 2022. So even though most other countries would still accept my 2018 test as my vaccines have been kept up to date, I had to redo the titer test for Japan.
Step 5 : Advance Notification
So now you’ve endured the torturous 6 month wait, now what?! You must provide advance notification to the quarantine facility where you will arrive that you will be bringing your dog with you. For us, this was Narita Airport. This must be done AT LEAST 40 days before your arrival date in Japan. For this trip, I applied in October 2022 even though I wouldn’t be arriving until January 2023. So you can apply well in advance which I recommend, just in case there is any issue with your paperwork.
The advance notification form can be found here and they also have a guide on how to fill it in. If you are in any doubt at all over any section, please e-mail the quarantine section. They are super friendly and get back to you pretty quickly too. They answered every single question I had efficiently and politely. As we were flying into Narita, I e-mailed aqs.nrtr1@maff.go.jp. However, if you are entering elsewhere, you can find the full contact list here.
Once I sent in my advance notification form along with all the relevant documents (microchip proof, vaccine confirmation and titer test results) I received a confirmation e-mail that they had been received. I was told I would receive an update within 14 days. Low and behold, on the 14th (calendar) day I received my import permit!
I’ve never felt such relief and satisfaction. I was finally going to go to Japan!
If for any reason any of the details change from your application ie your flight date or time, you can submit a modification form. They will then issue a new import permit.
Application for Import Inspection
When I received my import permit, they also confirmed I would need to complete an application for an import inspection. This only needed to be completed upon arrival into Japan. However, they recommended I complete it sooner so that I could send to them to be checked in advance. As they mentioned if there were any issues it’s harder to correct them at the time of import. So I filled it in straight away and sent back for their confirmation it was OK. I was glad I did it in advance as I did have a couple of questions for a couple of the boxes.
Step 6 : Pre Export Inspection
Next step was to do a pre export inspection. Along with your import permit, the quarantine team will send you Form AC or you can find it here. If the vet fills in this form correctly you are guaranteed they won’t miss anything off so it’s best to do in this format. It’s a simple health check just to confirm the dog is showing no signs of rabies and is in good health.
Step 7 : Get the Health Certificate Endorsed by the Government Agency of the Exporting Country
Once you have your health certificate form your vet, this must then be endorsed by the Government Agency of the Exporting Country. In Thailand, it is the Quarantine Section at Suvarnabhumi Airport. This was the same process as I went through when I left Thailand for my trip to Europe which you can see here. You can also read my experience on my other page here.
We originally thought the Government Vet could do both the Form AC and the endorsement but when we turned up they said they could only do the endorsement. It seemed a bit silly since they also do a health check and give you a health certificate. But there was no budging so we had to get a taxi to a vet to get form AC done first.
Once we had the vet signed AC form we took it back to the Quarantine section. En route I sent the form to the Quarantine team in Japan for them to check it before endorsement. It’s a good job I did as they asked me to amend one item which then had to be signed by the Government Vet. So it’s definitely worth checking with them before you get the endorsement otherwise we would have had a problem!
Total cost for the endorsement was 260 baht and it cost 360 baht for the health check at the standard vet.
Step 8 : Import Inspection
Upon arrival at the airport, you will need to take the dog for an import inspection. The exact location will depend on where you enter. For us we arrived at Narita and the Animal Quarantine Section was located next to luggage belt B1 and was very easy to find.
You need to take with you;
- Application for import inspection (which you should have checked by quarantine before arrival)
- Health certificate endorsed by Government Agency (original)
- Result of rabies antibody (titer) test (can be copy but best take original too if you have it)
- If travelling cargo – Application for Import Inspection (you can use online system ‘NACCS’), and a copy of Air Waybill or Bill of loading. The form can be found here. I flew in cabin so didn’t need this.
If everything is in order you should be allowed to exit the airport within 12 hours, although they don’t provide any guarantees. It was pretty quiet when we arrived as we landed early at 7am and there was no-one waiting in front of us. We handed our papers to the guy behind the desk and he checked them all thoroughly. I had missed out giving him the original titer test paper and he came back to make sure that we had the original so it’s important that you don’t just have print outs. They also checked my microchip.
After about 20 minutes everything was done and I was given an Import Quarantine Certificate. I had to sign for receipt and there was no charge at all.
If you don’t fulfill all of the criteria or are missing any documents at all, you run the risk of being turned away or your dog being put into quarantine at your own expense.
Upon Entering Japan
You can only enter through the following ports;
New Chitose airport, Narita international airport, Haneda airport, Chubu International airport, Kansai International airport, Kitakyusyu airport, Fukuoka airport, Kagoshima airport, Naha airport
Seaport
Tomakomai seaport, Keihin seaport (Tokyo, Yokohama), Nagoya seaport, Hanshin seaport (Osaka, Hyogo), Kanmon seaport, Hakata seaport, Kagoshima seaport, Naha seaport
You will be given an import quarantine certificate once you are approved to enter Japan. This must be kept as you will need it when you leave Japan. Noted on the paper is that you must register the dog with your local ward within 30 days of arrival if you are planning to stay in Japan for longer than 30 days. I will do this shortly and confirm the process.
You will also need to take the import quarantine certificate to the local municipality where you are staying within 30 days of your arrival. This is to register the dog with the municipality. You must also keep up to date with the rabies vaccine and ensure that it does not expire during your stay in Japan.
Conclusion
Whilst the process of importing a dog to Japan can be very long, it was totally worth it. I’ve been waiting for years to get there and I am so excited to finally touch down. I don’t think there’s any reason to hire an agent to help you with importing a dog to Japan as much of the steps are quite simple. The quarantine sections in Japan are also super helpful to answer any questions that you may have along the way.
Let me know in the comments below if you’ve successfully managed the process of importing a dog to Japan too!
Woof woof, Wylie x
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