Pit Bull Travel: Understanding Breed Specific Legislation and Destinations | PetRelocation
Your guide to countries that accept pit bulls and other commonly banned dog breeds.Bringing Pets to Taiwan
What to Know About Importing Dogs and Cats to Taiwan
Taiwan falls into the rabies free category of countries, so pet transport to Taiwan means following very specific rules and regulations.
Depending on a pet’s place of origin, importing countries such as Taiwan will board incoming pets for the first several days of residence in their new country at a quarantine facility. Be sure to ask your PetRelocation Specialist about visiting hours during your pet’s quarantine stay.
As with any pet travel, and particularly with bringing pets to Taiwan, it is essential to acclimate your pet to their travel kennel in the weeks before the move. Additionally, it is important to train pets to not become overly excited when you enter or leave a room. Treating your entry or exit as a common feature in your pet’s daily life will prepare them for your arrival and exit during quarantine visiting hours.
Of course, allowing time to plan and working closely with your veterinarian are also keys to a smooth relocation. Your PetRelocation Specialists will guide you through this process. Please see below for a closer look at the steps to relocate your pet to Taiwan.
Regulations for Importing Pets to Taiwan
Attention: This information is to be used as general guidelines and may not be updated to meet the current requirements. Before you travel, be sure to contact the appropriate authorities for your destination country.
Note: The rules and requirements listed here are geared towards pets coming from the United States.
Requirements for Pet Transport to Taiwan
Dogs, cats, and other small animals imported into Taiwan must undergo import quarantine in accordance with the Rabies Prevention Law. When following criteria have been fulfilled, the quarantine period for a dog or cat will be at least 21 days. Any dog or cat that has not fulfilled these criteria will be kept at an Animal Quarantine Station for the necessary period – up to 180 days.
Timeline for Entry
At Least 210 Days Prior to Arrival
Microchip
Each pet shall be identified by means of a microchip. No other form of identification is acceptable. The microchip used should comply with ISO Standard 11784 or Annex A to ISO standard 11785. Taiwan currently accepts AVID 9 and AVID 10 in addition to ISO. The microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccine is administered.
During import inspection at the time of arrival in Taiwan, if the microchip number is not confirmed or the microchip number is not the same as that on the inspection certificate, the pet will be subject to a 180-day quarantine period.
Make sure all microchip numbers match on every document.
Rabies Vaccine
After the microchip is implanted, the pet receives a rabies vaccination. This must be an “inactivated rabies vaccination.”
Be sure to obtain certification of the period of validity for the particular vaccinations you obtain (1, 2 and 3 year vaccines are all acceptable).
The rabies vaccine must be given within one year of departure.
In the case of a primary vaccination (given at the age of at least 90 days old), the period between the day of vaccination and the day of shipment shall be no less than 180 days and no more than one year.
In the case of a booster vaccination, the pet shall have been vaccinated no more than one year prior to shipment.
Pets must be at least 90 days old at time of first vaccination.
Inoculation by an inactive vaccine BEFORE microchip implantation OR inoculation by a live vaccine will not be recognized and re-inoculation will be necessary.
At Least 180 Days Prior to Arrival
The pet should be tested not less than 180 days and not more than one year prior to shipment using a neutralizing antibody titer test with a titer of at least 0.5 IU/ml rabies antibodies in the blood.
The test should be carried out in a rabies reference laboratory of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) or a laboratory designated by the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) of Taiwan.
The date of the blood sampling, the laboratory used, and the test results shall be well noted on all health certificates. The matching of these numbers is critical.
At Least 30 Days Prior to Arrival
At least 30 days before arrival, submit the following documents:
- Rabies Vaccination Certificate written in English stating:
- Pet Details (breed, DOB, color/markings, sex, age)
- Microchip
- Date of inoculation and validity period
- Lot/serial number
- Manufacturer and product name
- ‘Inactive’ or ‘killed virus’ used
FAVN: no more than ONE year prior to shipment, no less than 180 days prior to shipment.
At Least 3 to 10 Days Prior to Arrival
Obtain a Veterinary Certificate for the export of your pet to Taiwan from the United States from your vet within 10 days of departure.
The certificate must be approved by the national government in the country of export (the USDA if coming from the US).
Additional Vaccines
Though not required, we strongly recommend that the following immunizations and parasite treatments be given to your pets.
Dogs: Distemper, Contagious Hepatitis (Adenovirus type II acceptable), Parvovirus Infectious Disease Trivalent Vaccine, Parainflueza, Leptospirosis, and Corona Virus immunizations.
Cats: Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Feline Caliccivirus, Feline Panleukopenia Trivalent Vaccine
Parasite Treatment: We recommend that all treatments are completed as close as possible to your departure date.
External Parasites: Treat with medicine effective against both mites and fleas. Ask your vet to do a clinical inspection to confirm that your pet is free from these parasites.
Internal Parasites: Administer medicine effective against nematodes and tapeworms.
Arrival Procedure
Any pet arriving without an original veterinary certificate will be re-exported at the discretion of the Taiwanese government.
Inspection Process: When conducting quarantine inspection of the pet, the animal quarantine authority at the port of entry shall check the veterinary certificate and detain the pet at the designated post-entry quarantine premise for 21 days. During quarantine detention, the blood of the pet may be sampled and tested again for the rabies antibody. If the antibody is under 0.5IU/ml, the dog or cat shall be re-vaccinated with an inactivated rabies vaccine.
Pets arriving without the appropriate health certificate, without advance notice, without a readable microchip ID, or without the proper blood test and 180 day waiting period will be subject to quarantine upon arrival in Taiwan.