United States
Taiwan
Pet relocation from the United States to Taiwan
Taiwan treats the US mainland as a rabies area, so every dog and cat needs a passing titer test, an import permit and a USDA-endorsed certificate. Start early enough and your pet can skip the 7-day quarantine.
At a glance
Rules on this page apply to: dogs and cats.
- US mainland status
- Rabies area for Taiwan. Hawaii and Guam are on Taiwan's rabies-free list.
- Rabies vaccine
- At 90 days of age or older, 30 days to 1 year before arrival.
- Titer test
- At least 0.5 IU/mL; blood drawn 90 days to 1 year before arrival.
- Import permit
- Apply online to APHIA at least 20 days before arrival.
- Quarantine
- 7 days, or none if the 180-day waiver conditions are met.
- USDA certificate
- APHIS form only, ink-endorsed; arrive within 30 days of endorsement.
Who this guide is for
Families, students and employees moving a dog or cat from anywhere in the continental US or Alaska to Taiwan, and Taiwanese families bringing a pet home after years in America. It also covers the shorter rules for pets that live in Hawaii or Guam.
It does not cover commercial imports, assistance-dog procedures, or pets born in mainland China, which follow separate rules.
What we coordinate
We build the timeline backward from your arrival date in Taiwan, then manage each dependency:
- vaccination and blood-draw timing with your veterinarian, and the lab submission;
- the import permit on APHIA's online system, with the quarantine booking or the waiver request;
- the USDA health certificate on the correct APHIS form and its endorsement;
- the airline booking, crate and routing;
- arrival at Taoyuan, and onward help through local partners where available.
Our related 886JetPet team handles the Taiwan side locally, which matters when a document needs fixing before a weekend.
Moving to Taiwan with a pet?
Get My Free Quote (opens the enquiry form in a new tab)Dogs and cats follow the same rules
Taiwan's import conditions apply to dogs and cats alike: same microchip, vaccine, titer and permit steps, same quarantine rules. The differences come from airlines (breed, size and season limits) and from Taiwan's ban on pit bull–type dogs.
Since March 1, 2022, keeping or importing pit bulls has been banned in Taiwan under the Animal Protection Act. APHIA asks owners of these dogs to check with the Ministry of Agriculture before starting any quarantine procedure. If your dog could be classified as a pit bull type, talk to us before anything else.
How long it takes
The blood draw date drives everything.
- No quarantine: the blood must be drawn 180 days to 1 year before arrival. Plan on about six to seven months from first vet visit to flight.
- Accepting the 7-day quarantine: the draw must be at least 90 days before arrival. Plan on about three and a half to four months.
- Pets living in Hawaii or Guam: no titer test, so roughly one to two months of paperwork for a pet that qualifies under Taiwan's residence rule.
These are realistic minimums for an adult pet with a valid vaccine, not official figures. A puppy or kitten cannot be vaccinated before 90 days of age, so the earliest arrival date moves accordingly.
Microchip
Your pet needs a microchip before the rabies vaccine and blood draw are recorded, because the chip number ties every document together. The vaccine certificate, titer report, USDA certificate and import permit must all show the same number.
APHIA's import steps simply require an implanted microchip. If your pet has an older or non-ISO chip, tell us before the blood draw: we check that it can be read reliably, because a chip that cannot be matched to the paperwork stops everything at the counter.
Rabies vaccination
Taiwan accepts a rabies vaccination given when the animal was at least 90 days old and no less than 30 days and no more than 1 year before shipment. The USDA certificate for Taiwan asks for an inactivated vaccine and states that Merial Purevax vaccines are accepted.
A US three-year rabies vaccine given more than 12 months before your flight does not meet Taiwan's rule. Your pet needs a booster at least 30 days before shipment, and the booster date must also fit the dates on your permit.
APHIA also advises against drawing blood for the titer test immediately after a first-ever rabies shot. Your vet should leave time for the antibody response to build.
Rabies titer test (FAVN)
The result must be at least 0.5 IU/mL, from a WOAH rabies reference laboratory or a laboratory designated by APHIA. On APHIA's list updated October 12, 2026, the US designated labs are:
- Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (Rabies Laboratory);
- Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine;
- the Department of Defense Veterinary Food Analysis and Diagnostic Laboratory;
- the University of Missouri VMDL One Health Rabies Laboratory.
The blood draw must fall 90 days to 1 year before arrival. If more than a year passes, a second test is needed; the USDA certificate explains how a second draw taken 91 days to 1 year after the first can count even if it is less than 90 days before shipment.
The quarantine waiver
Since February 29, 2024, a pet from a rabies area can skip quarantine if the blood was drawn 180 days to 1 year before arrival and the report reaches APHIA in one of these ways:
- you apply for the permit at least 120 days before arrival; or
- you apply at least 20 days before arrival and the result can be checked on the lab's own website (APHIA names Kansas State for this); or
- the lab e-mails the report to APHIA from its listed address; or
- the exporting country's animal health authority e-mails a signed declaration (RNATTD) to APHIA.
For most US clients, a Kansas State test drawn early enough is the simplest route. We confirm the reporting method with the lab before the sample is shipped.
Import permit (輸入檢疫同意文件)
Apply on APHIA's online system, the 輸入犬貓檢疫資訊網, at least 20 days before arrival. If you need quarantine, check cage availability on the same system first: receiving the permit means the quarantine space is booked.
The application needs the importer's ID or passport, the vaccination certificate and the passing titer report. APHIA changed the permit format on January 5, 2026; both versions are valid during 2026 and the old one stops being accepted on January 1, 2027.
The permit approves an arrival window. Plan your flight inside it.
USDA health certificate
A USDA-accredited veterinarian completes the APHIS Veterinary Certificate for the Export of Dog/Cat to Taiwan From the United States (version 20250228), one animal per certificate. Taiwan will not accept certificates on state health-certificate forms.
The certificate records the microchip, the vaccine (name, manufacturer, date), the titer sampling date, result and lab, and a clinical examination stating no signs of rabies. A pregnant dog or cat is accepted only if the pregnancy is under 4 weeks at shipment.
Different certificates apply to pets leaving from Hawaii or Guam. See USDA certificate help for how we prepare these with your vet.
APHIS endorsement
The certificate is endorsed by USDA APHIS Veterinary Services. For Taiwan, APHIS says the accredited vet may sign electronically, but the endorsement must be an original ink signature with the USDA embossed seal, and the original travels with your pet.
The animal must arrive in Taiwan within 30 days of the endorsement date. We time the vet exam and the endorsement appointment around that window and around shipping time for the original. Our US pet export service covers this step.
Airlines
Several carriers fly between the US and Taiwan, and each has its own rules on size, breed, season and aircraft. China Airlines, for example, states on its pet page that it carries dogs and cats as checked baggage only on flights it or Mandarin Airlines operate, not on its B738 or 32C aircraft, not under 10 weeks of age, and not on Taipei–Phoenix flights from April 1 to October 31. It asks for the request at least 48 hours before departure.
Airline policies change, and snub-nosed breeds face extra limits on most carriers. We confirm the carrier, aircraft and mode for your pet before you book.
Cabin, checked baggage or cargo
Taiwan's rules do not dictate the mode; the airline does. China Airlines' pet page describes checked-baggage carriage and only service dogs in the cabin. Do not plan on a cabin seat for your pet on a transpacific flight unless the specific airline confirms it in writing.
Larger dogs, pets traveling without you, or crates beyond baggage limits usually go as manifest cargo. Read our overview of airline cargo and crate guidance.
Arrival at Taoyuan
At the arrival port's APHIA quarantine counter you present the import permit, the original USDA-endorsed certificate, and your customs declaration (passenger) or air waybill (cargo). If the certificate does not show the titer data, bring the original lab report.
APHIA does not escort or receive animals for quarantine on weekends, national holidays or other government days off, and asks importers to avoid arriving on those dates. We choose flights accordingly.
Quarantine
Pets from a rabies area spend 7 days at a designated quarantine premise unless the waiver conditions above are met. APHIS notes that a repeat titer test is done during quarantine, and that a pet under 0.5 IU/mL is revaccinated.
APHIS also warns that animals that do not meet the requirements may be refused entry or destroyed. In practice, most paperwork errors mean a longer stay or a return flight, which is why we check every date against the permit before the endorsement.
Pets that have lived continuously in Hawaii or Guam (for the 180 days before export, or since birth) follow Taiwan's rabies-free rules: no titer test and no quarantine, but still a chip, vaccine and permit.
What drives the cost
We quote each move individually. The main factors are:
- airline and mode (checked baggage versus manifest cargo), and crate size;
- vet visits, vaccine boosters and the FAVN lab fee;
- the APHIS endorsement fee, which depends on the number of tests on the certificate;
- quarantine fees and transport to the quarantine premise if your pet does not qualify for the waiver;
- domestic transport to the departure airport and arrival help in Taiwan.
We do not publish average prices: two pets on the same route can differ widely. See how we work.
Mistakes we see most
- Drawing blood too late for the 180-day waiver, then discovering the 7-day quarantine is unavoidable.
- Relying on a three-year rabies shot older than 12 months.
- Using a state health-certificate form instead of the APHIS Taiwan form.
- Endorsing too early, so the 30-day arrival window closes before the flight.
- Arriving on a Saturday or a Taiwanese holiday.
- Booking a flight outside the arrival window on the permit.
Questions about this route
Can my pet avoid quarantine in Taiwan?
Yes, if the titer blood draw is 180 days to 1 year before arrival and APHIA receives the result directly (lab website, lab e-mail or official declaration) or you apply for the permit at least 120 days ahead. Otherwise the stay is 7 days.
Which US labs does Taiwan accept for the titer test?
APHIA's designated list includes Kansas State, Auburn, the Department of Defense lab and the University of Missouri. Kansas State results can also be checked on the lab's website, which counts as direct reporting.
My dog had a three-year rabies vaccine. Is it valid for Taiwan?
Only if it was given within 1 year of shipment and at least 30 days before. If it is older than a year, your dog needs a booster.
We live in Hawaii. Do we still need a titer test?
Taiwan lists Hawaii and Guam as rabies-free. A pet kept there for the 180 days before export, or since birth, needs no titer test and no quarantine, but still needs a chip, vaccine, permit and the Hawaii-specific USDA certificate.
Can my pet fly in the cabin to Taiwan?
Not on every airline, and often not at all on transpacific flights. We check what the airline allows for your pet's size and breed before you book.
Official sources
The requirements on this page come from these authorities.
- APHIA (Taiwan) — 狂犬病疫區輸入：犬貓自其他國家（疫區）輸入
- APHIA (Taiwan) — 狂犬病非疫區輸入：犬貓自日本、新加坡…美國夏威夷州及美國關島…
- APHIA — 犬貓輸入檢疫流程圖 (updated 2026-10-12)
- APHIA — Rabies antibody laboratory list and direct-reporting methods (updated 2026-10-12)
- USDA APHIS — Pet travel from the United States to Taiwan (modified July 30, 2025)
- USDA APHIS — Veterinary Certificate for the Export of Dog/Cat to Taiwan From the United States (version 20250228)
- China Airlines — Pet transport
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 Taiwan with a pet?
Send us your arrival date and your pet's vaccine and titer records. We will tell you whether quarantine can be avoided on your dates and what has to happen when.
Takes a few minutes. No account needed.