US pet export documentation for moves to Asia

What we handle on the US side

Export paperwork fails in predictable ways: a certificate signed too early for the destination's window, a test run at a laboratory the destination does not accept, a permit filed after the cut-off. We prevent those by planning backward from your flight:

• A document calendar for your pet and route: which form, which tests, which dates, which order.
• Guidance for your veterinarian, who must be USDA-accredited, on the destination's certificate and its timing.
• Permits and import applications that must exist before the certificate is endorsed, such as Taiwan's import permit or Hong Kong's special permit.
• Tracking the APHIS endorsement so the endorsed certificate is back in hand, or printable, before departure.
• Flight booking arrangements and crate guidance, matched to the certificate's validity window.

Your veterinarian examines your pet and signs; USDA APHIS endorses; we keep the sequence and dates straight. Ground transport to the airport and boarding before departure are available through local partners where available.

For a plain-language explainer of the certificate itself, read our guide to the USDA pet health certificate.

Who needs this

• Americans relocating to Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, mainland China or Southeast Asia with a dog or cat, for example moving from California to Japan or from Texas to Singapore.
• Asian families and expats heading home after years in the US.
• Anyone whose veterinarian is accredited but has not prepared a certificate for this destination before.
• Owners of dogs who plan to come back to the US later from a country on CDC's high-risk list.

How USDA export certification works

APHIS tells owners to contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as they decide to travel. The veterinarian confirms the destination's requirements, completes the health certificate and submits it to APHIS for endorsement on your behalf (APHIS).

There are two routes to endorsement, and APHIS asks you to use one or the other, not both (APHIS process overview):

1. VEHCS: the accredited veterinarian submits the certificate electronically through the Veterinary Export Health Certification System, with vaccination records, lab results, any import permit and payment.
2. Mail: the original certificate and supporting documents are shipped to a USDA endorsement office with a prepaid return label.

Because the electronic route exists, your departure city matters much less for paperwork than it used to. A family moving from Chicago and one moving from Seattle follow the same certificate process; what changes is the destination's form and timing.

Some destinations accept APHIS's digital endorsement. For Japan, for example, APHIS digitally endorses certificates for most pets through VEHCS, using Form AC for dogs and cats leaving states other than Hawaii and Guam (APHIS Japan). Where a destination does not accept digital endorsement, APHIS asks for a prepaid express label so the endorsed paper can be returned. We check which applies for your destination when we plan.

Timing is the main trap. A destination may accept a certificate only for a limited period after the vet signs it, and APHIS itself gives 30 days as an example. Your endorsement has to fit inside that window, with margin for shipping.

What each destination adds

The US certificate is only the last document. The destination decides what has to happen before it:

• Japan: ISO chip, two rabies vaccinations after the chip, a titer of at least 0.5 IU/ml, arrival no earlier than 180 days after the blood draw, and notification at least 40 days before arrival (MAFF). See USA to Japan.
• Taiwan: import permit and rabies titer test declaration for pets from rabies-infected areas such as the US mainland (APHIA). See USA to Taiwan.
• Singapore: import license valid 90 days (AVS). See USA to Singapore and, for West Coast families, California to Singapore with pets.
• South Korea: government health certificate confirming the microchip and an antibody test done within 24 months (APQA). See USA to South Korea.
• Hong Kong: special permit granted before travel is booked (AFCD). See USA to Hong Kong.

The full veterinary sequence for each route is covered in veterinary documents.

Planning the return before you leave (dogs)

If your dog may come back to the US from a country on CDC's high-risk list, such as the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia or mainland China, the return paperwork starts before you leave.

CDC's route for US-vaccinated dogs requires a Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination, signed electronically by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and endorsed by USDA, then printed. USDA export health certificates issued after July 31, 2025 are no longer accepted for this purpose (CDC). The form must be endorsed before the dog leaves the United States, and CDC warns endorsement may take several weeks (CDC FAQ). APHIS adds that the form cannot be issued retroactively (APHIS).

We build this into the export plan so the return is possible later. Cats are not covered by CDC's dog rules. Coming back is covered under US pet import.

A note for military families

For Japan, APHIS states that active-duty personnel may use a dog or cat health certificate issued by a military veterinarian without APHIS endorsement, while retirees need APHIS endorsement (APHIS Japan). We are an independent company; see military relocation for how we help with PCS moves.