Taking Your Dog to Japan From the US Mainland: The Steps in Order

Why the order matters more than the paperwork

Japan treats the US mainland as a "non-designated region" for rabies. In practice that means one thing: Japan wants proof that your dog's immunity was built in a particular sequence, then a long wait to show nothing went wrong. Every step depends on the one before it.

The official reference is the Animal Quarantine Service (AQS) page for dogs and cats from non-designated regions. What follows is that sequence in plain English, with the US side added.

The seven steps

1. Microchip first. An ISO 11784/11785 chip with a 15-digit number, implanted before (or on the same day as) the first rabies shot that counts. Japan does not currently accept chips starting "900 202", and the AQS has warned that some other "900…" numbers have been duplicated. Ask your vet to check the prefix before implanting.
2. First rabies vaccination. At 91 days of age or older, after the chip. The vaccine must be inactivated or recombinant; RNA and live vaccines are not accepted.
3. Second rabies vaccination. At least 30 days after the first, and while the first is still valid. A rabies history from before the chip does not count.
4. Titer blood draw. After the second shot (same day is allowed), sent to a lab Japan has designated. The result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml and stays valid for two years from the draw.
5. The 180-day wait. The dog may arrive no earlier than 180 days after the blood draw, counting the draw as day 0. The rabies vaccination must also still be valid on arrival.
6. Advance notification, 40+ days out. File through NACCS or the AQS email form at least 40 days before arrival. Once approved, you cannot move the arrival date earlier or add a dog.
7. Exam and certificate, 10 days out. A USDA-accredited veterinarian examines the dog within 10 days before boarding and completes Form AC, which USDA APHIS then endorses.

The lab detail that catches people out

Japan keeps its own list of designated laboratories. In the United States it names only two: the Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory and a US Army diagnostic lab that is open to US Forces personnel only.

Other well-known US labs produce results that are perfectly valid for Taiwan or Hawaii but not for Japan. A titer sent to the wrong lab means a new draw and a new 180-day wait.

What seven months looks like on a calendar

For an adult dog with no compliant vaccination history, the fastest realistic sequence is:

• Day 0: microchip and first rabies shot.
• Day 30: second shot and blood draw.
• Day 30 + 180 = day 210: earliest arrival in Japan.
• About day 170: latest date to file the 40-day advance notice.

A puppy cannot start until it is 91 days old, so the earliest arrival is roughly ten months of age. If your dog already has two valid post-chip shots, the clock can start from a blood draw. For the broader picture, see our USA to Japan route page.

The USDA certificate and endorsement

APHIS lists Form AC as the standard document for dogs from the mainland. Your accredited veterinarian can sign it electronically in VEHCS, APHIS endorses it, and an APHIS-endorsed paper copy must travel with the dog. Japan's AQS accepts electronic certificate records from the USA under its stated conditions, but bring the originals regardless, and never correct a certificate in pencil or correction fluid.

APHIS charges per certificate according to the number of lab tests on it ($101 with none, $160 with one or two for a single pet, per its fee page); your vet's fees are separate. Our guide to the USDA health certificate explains the process.

Active-duty service members and their families may use a military veterinarian's certificate without APHIS endorsement, according to APHIS; retirees need endorsement. Our military relocation service covers PCS moves.

Landing in Japan

Dogs may enter only through designated ports, which include Narita, Haneda, Kansai and Naha among the airports. The AQS inspects the dog against the certificate, the titer report and the advance-notice approval.

After arrival, register your dog with your city or ward office within 30 days. Japan also requires an annual rabies vaccination.

Booking the flight

Airline pet policies change often, and cabin travel on transpacific flights is the exception rather than the rule. Most dogs fly in the hold or as cargo in an airline-approved crate. We confirm the carrier, aircraft and mode for your dog once the arrival date is fixed, and our long-haul preparation guide covers the weeks before the flight.