Shipping a Pet to Hong Kong
Owner's Paperwork
Make sure you have a copy of your visa or work permit along with a copy of your passport. These will be invaluable for any customs agent you hire.
Pet's Paperwork
You must apply for an import permit to Hong Kong. This can be arranged through a company like ours, or by contacting the government of Hong Kong directly.
An original health certificate, issued by your USDA accredited vet, called a Form 7001, must be issued within 10 days of departure and then endorsed by your state USDA office.
An original Animal Health Certificate - known as VC9R Part A, B, C - must be issued within 10 days of the flight and endorsed by the USDA as well. This document is available for download here.
You will also need your pet's original rabies vaccination record and/or certificate. It is important that the rabies shot was given more than one month but not more than 12 months prior to the date of departure. You also want to make sure that the rabies shot was given as a nervous tissue rabies vaccine.
A microchip is required, and the microchip number must be on the vaccination and health certificates.
Routes to Hong Kong
You want to make sure you are using a "pet friendly" airline. We prefer Continental Airlines because of their PetSafe program. They have a direct flight from Newark (EWR), NJ to Hong Kong (HKG). This flight is approximately 16 hours long and is ideal for pets departing from the east coast.
Conversely, those on the west coast can utilize Northwest Airlines. Their routes have a connection or a stop in Tokyo (NRT), Japan. Northwest has streamlined their program that the plane transfer in Japan is done quickly and efficiently.
Using the above information, your pet's trip to Hong Kong will go smoothly!