Orders in hand, pet in tow: a PCS checklist for Japan and Korea

Before you start

This is a planning checklist written for families, not official guidance. Your transportation office, finance office and gaining installation have the final word on travel, reimbursement and on-base rules. We are an independent pet relocation service with no military affiliation. Our military relocation service page explains how we work alongside your official PCS process.

Phase 1: the week your orders arrive

• Find your pet's records. Microchip number, every rabies vaccination certificate, and any rabies antibody (titer) test results.
• Check the destination's waiting period. Japan is the long one. For pets from the US mainland, MAFF requires a microchip before the rabies shots, at least two rabies vaccinations, a titer from a designated laboratory, then arrival at least 180 days after the blood sample (MAFF). A pet starting from scratch needs roughly seven months.
• Compare that with your report date. If your pet's earliest legal arrival is after your report date, plan now for it to follow later.
• Check installation pet rules. Military OneSource suggests asking your transportation office about installation regulations, including breed restrictions and quarantine (Military OneSource).
• Start a receipts folder. Every vet, lab, airline and boarding invoice, itemized.

Phase 2: three to four months before departure

• Ask about Patriot Express pet space. Military OneSource says pet spaces on Patriot Express are limited and booked first come, first served, that pet reservations are made through your local transportation office, and that requests may be made 90 to 120 days before departure.
• Prepare a commercial backup. Pet space on any flight can run out. Some airlines carry pets in cargo only for specific groups: Delta, for example, currently ships pets only for active US military and State Department Foreign Service staff with PCS orders (Delta). See cabin, checked baggage or cargo for how commercial options differ.
• Get the crate. Size it to IATA's formula and start training early (crate guide).
• For Korea, check the titer. APQA requires an ISO microchip and a rabies antibody test for dogs and cats aged 90 days or more from non-rabies-free countries, with the test done within 24 months (APQA). Osan's installation page adds that FAVN results are valid for two years only if the rabies vaccine has not lapsed (Osan).

Phase 3: 40 days or more before arrival (Japan)

• File the advance notification. Japan requires notification at least 40 days before arrival. Yokota's installation page is explicit that this is mandatory even if you fly on the AMC rotator (Yokota).

Phase 4: the final two weeks

• Health certificate exam. For Japan, the clinical inspection must take place within 10 days before boarding (MAFF). Yokota asks for an original health certificate from a military or USDA-accredited veterinarian.
• Originals, not copies. Osan states that health certificates must carry original signatures in blue ink and that copies are not accepted.
• Confirm the flight. Reconfirm pet space, crate size and check-in time with whoever is flying your pet.
• Pack a pet folder for your carry-on: certificates, titer report, microchip record, notification number.

Phase 5: the first days at your new installation

• Register your pet. Osan requires registration at the installation veterinary treatment facility within 10 days of arriving in Korea. Check your own installation's deadline.
• Expect quarantine costs if quarantine applies. Osan notes quarantine, if granted, is at your expense.
• File your claim with the receipts folder you started in Phase 1.

What the pet allowance covers (and what it does not)

According to the Defense Travel Management Office, as published on Army.mil, PCS orders effective on or after January 1, 2024 can include reimbursement for one household pet, a cat or a dog: up to USD 550 within the continental US and up to USD 2,000 for moves to or from outside it, for costs such as pet transportation or quarantine fees. The authority is Joint Travel Regulations paragraph 050107. Military OneSource adds that relocation costs for an additional pet are at your own expense.

Whether a given cost is reimbursed in your case is decided by your finance office, not by us or any pet relocation company. Keep itemized receipts for everything.