United States
South Korea
Pet Relocation From the USA to South Korea
South Korea does not treat the U.S. mainland as rabies-free, so dogs and cats 90 days or older need a passing rabies titer test. Unlike Japan, there is no waiting period after the blood draw: once the result passes and the certificate is endorsed, your pet can fly.
At a glance
Rules on this page apply to: dogs and cats.
- Microchip
- ISO 11784/11785, or bring your own reader for another type.
- Titer test
- 0.5 IU/ml or higher for pets 90 days or older, within 24 months of the blood draw.
- Waiting period
- None after a passing result.
- Certificate
- Korea health certificate, ink-signed and embossed by USDA APHIS within 30 days of export.
- Arrival
- Compliant pets can be released the same day after the document and health check.
- Hawaii and Guam
- Both are on Korea's rabies-free list.
Who this guide is for
Families moving from the U.S. mainland to South Korea with a dog or cat: Korean Americans returning home, corporate and university transfers to Seoul, Busan or Daejeon, and military families heading to Camp Humphreys, Osan or other installations.
If your pet will come back to the U.S. later, see our South Korea to USA route as well.
What we coordinate on this route
Yunifly plans the move, prepares and checks the documents, and arranges the flight. Physical steps such as ground transport and arrival help go through local partners where available.
- A dated plan from microchip check to flight, including the lab turnaround
- Titer timing with your veterinarian and the lab submission
- The Korea health certificate, reviewed before your accredited veterinarian submits it, and the APHIS endorsement with its 30-day window
- Airline, aircraft and mode for your pet's size and breed, and the booking
- Crate preparation (choosing an IATA travel crate)
- Arrival at Incheon or another Korean port, with onward coordination through local partners where available
Moving to South Korea with a pet?
Get My Free Quote (opens the enquiry form in a new tab)Dogs and cats
Korea applies the same import rules to dogs and cats: microchip, titer for pets 90 days or older from areas that are not rabies-free, and a government-endorsed certificate. Some dog breeds have extra arrival steps (see the arrival section). Airline rules often differ more between dogs and cats than Korea's rules do.
How long it takes
For an adult pet with a current rabies vaccine and an ISO microchip:
- Check the chip and the vaccine dates.
- Blood draw for the titer test, sent to the lab.
- Wait for the result. Lab turnaround is the main variable.
- Health certificate from your accredited veterinarian, then APHIS endorsement within 30 days of export.
- Fly.
There is no Korean waiting period after the draw, so a prepared pet can often move within several weeks. A pet that needs a new vaccine first, or a puppy, takes longer. If the timeline is tight, tell us your flight date first and we will work backward.
From Hawaii or Guam
Korea's rabies-free list (APQA notice 2026-43) includes Hawaii and Guam. Pets from rabies-free areas do not need the titer test. We confirm with APQA what proof of origin it expects for your pet before the certificate is drawn up.
Microchip
Korea requires an ISO 11784/11785 microchip. If your pet has another type, you must bring a reader that can scan it. A pet without a matching chip can be held to have one implanted, at the owner's expense. The chip number must match the certificate and the titer report.
Rabies vaccination
APHIS's Korea page states that rabies vaccines must be current and given before arrival; pets under 90 days old are exempt. Korea's import notice ties the outcome to the titer result rather than to a set vaccination schedule. Keep the vaccine current through the flight: Osan's installation guidance notes that the titer stays valid only if the vaccine has not lapsed.
Rabies titer test
Pets 90 days or older from areas that are not rabies-free need a rabies neutralizing antibody test (FAVN or RFFIT) of 0.5 IU/ml or higher, run by an internationally approved lab or a government lab of the exporting country. The blood draw must be within 24 months of arrival.
Which U.S. lab to use is worth a conversation before the draw. APQA refers to internationally approved lab lists; Osan's installation guidance names Kansas State University and the DoD lab for U.S. pets. We confirm the lab with you before your veterinarian sends the sample.
Import permit
Korea does not require an import permit for a family's pets. An advance notification to APQA is required only when you bring ten or more dogs and cats.
Health certificate
Korea requires a health certificate from the exporting country's government. For pets 90 days or older it must show the microchip number, the date of birth and the titer result. APHIS publishes a Korea dog and cat certificate that a USDA-accredited veterinarian completes and submits through VEHCS.
Without the certificate, Korea returns the pet to the exporting country at the owner's cost.
USDA APHIS endorsement
APHIS accepts the accredited veterinarian's electronic signature, but for Korea "USDA must ink-sign and emboss the health certificate." The original travels with your pet, so plan for mailing time or an endorsement office visit. APHIS will mail it back if you supply a prepaid, pre-addressed return label. The certificate must be endorsed within 30 days of export.
APHIS charges from $101 per certificate when no lab tests are listed and $160 when one or two are; your veterinarian's fees are separate. We confirm the tier with APHIS for a certificate that lists the titer result.
Airline
Airline rules on age, weight, crate, breed and season differ widely and change often, and snub-nosed breeds face extra limits. As one example, Delta's pet page (read October 29, 2026) does not list Korea among the countries closed to cabin pets, charges $200 each way for international cabin pets, and allows no pets in Delta One or Premium cabins.
For other airlines we confirm the carrier, aircraft and mode for your pet before booking. See snub-nosed breeds and flying.
Cabin, checked baggage or cargo
Small pets may fly in the cabin where the airline and cabin allow it; that is never automatic. Larger pets fly in the hold as checked baggage or as cargo. Korea's rules do not change with the mode, but the crate, booking and arrival process do. More in cabin, checked or cargo.
Arrival in Korea
An APQA officer checks the documents and the microchip, then examines your pet. Pets that pass can be released the same day. APQA has quarantine offices at Incheon (both passenger terminals and cargo), Gimhae, Gimpo, Muan, Cheongju, Daegu and Jeju airports.
For dogs Korea lists as dangerous breeds, the importer or a dog handler must attend the clinical exam and chip check. Korea's list includes the bull terrier family (including pit bulls), the mastiff family, American Staffordshire Terrier, Cane Corso, Tosa, Doberman, Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Caucasian Ovcharka, Jindo, Chow Chow and wolf hybrids. We confirm any additional local reporting for your breed.
Quarantine
A compliant pet has no quarantine. A pet with a missing or mismatched chip, a missing or low titer, or other document problems is held. APQA gives an average extended quarantine of 10 days, longer in some cases. A pet with a low titer is held and retested 30 days after vaccination; if it still falls short, it is boosted and released. Costs are the owner's.
A missing government certificate is not fixed by quarantine: the pet is sent back at the owner's cost.
What drives the cost
- Your veterinarian's fees for the exam, vaccine and certificate
- The titer test and sample shipping
- The APHIS endorsement fee, plus return mailing for the original
- The airline charge, which depends on mode, crate and route
- Any holding in Korea if a document is wrong (avoidable with checking)
- Ground transport and arrival help through local partners where available
Mistakes we see on this route
- Endorsing too early. The certificate must be endorsed within 30 days of export.
- Sending a copy. Korea needs the ink-signed, embossed original.
- A titer older than 24 months at arrival.
- A non-ISO chip without a reader.
- Assuming a large or snub-nosed breed can fly any route. Airline limits often decide the plan.
Questions about this route
Is there a waiting period after the titer test for Korea?
No. Once the result is 0.5 IU/ml or higher and the certificate is endorsed, your pet can fly. The draw must be within 24 months of arrival.
Does my puppy need a titer test?
Pets under 90 days old are exempt from the titer and rabies vaccination requirements. Airline age limits may still apply.
Will my pet be quarantined in Korea?
Not if everything is in order: compliant pets can be released the same day. Pets with chip, titer or document problems are held, on average about 10 days according to APQA.
We're moving with the military. Is anything different?
Korea's import rules apply in full to SOFA pets. Osan's installation guidance says pets must be registered at the base veterinary facility within 10 days of arrival. See our military relocation service.
Our dog is a German Shepherd. Can it come?
Korea's import notice lists the German Shepherd among breeds whose owner or handler must attend the arrival check. It does not ban the breed. We also check airline crate and breed rules for your route.
Official sources
The requirements on this page come from these authorities.
- APQA (Korea) — Import of pets
- APQA notice 2026-43, Annex 9 — quarantine methods for imported dogs and cats, rabies-free list, dangerous dogs (Korean)
- USDA APHIS — Pet travel from the United States to Korea (modified January 16, 2026)
- USDA APHIS — Cost to endorse your pet's health certificate (modified June 18, 2026)
- Delta Air Lines — Pet travel overview
- MilitaryINSTALLATIONS — Osan Air Base, shipping pets
- Military OneSource — Moving with pets (Patriot Express pet spaces)
Requirements last verified against these sources on .
Requirements change. Before anything is booked, we confirm each one again with the authorities, the airline and your veterinarian for your pet and your dates.
Going the other way?
Other destinations
Moving to South Korea with a pet?
Send us your flight window and your pet's vaccine and chip records. We'll tell you whether the titer, certificate and endorsement can fit in time.
Takes a few minutes. No account needed.