Pet relocation from Asia to the USA

Who moves pets this way

Families immigrating to the United States from Taiwan, China, Korea, Japan, the Philippines or Vietnam; Americans and military families coming home after a posting; students and assignees whose contract ended; and people who adopted a dog or cat abroad and will not leave it behind.

Two facts shape every one of these moves. First, the CDC's dog rules look at the dog's last six months, so a dog that lived in Thailand and then spent four months in Japan is still a Thailand dog. Second, the rules are federal: your destination state (Hawaii above all) and your airline can add their own.

What we coordinate on an inbound move

• Placing your dog in the right CDC category from its records, and the paperwork that category needs.
• For high-risk origins: the titer at a CDC-approved lab, timed to the CDC's windows, and the reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility with a flight that lands at that airport.
• The CDC Dog Import Form for every dog, the USDA screwworm statement where APHIS requires it, and the origin country's export certificate.
• The flight: a routing that does not clear customs in a high-risk country, the carrier, the mode and the crate.
• Arrival in the United States: CBP, the facility where one is involved, and onward travel through local partners where available.

See pet import to the United States for the service in detail, and military PCS pet relocation if you are returning on orders.

The CDC categories, by Asian country

The CDC's list of high-risk countries for dog rabies, dated April 15, 2026, decides the category. Two questions settle it: has the dog been in a high-risk country in the past six months, and if so, where was its current rabies vaccine given?

Low-risk origins: one form

Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau are not on the list. A dog that has only been in such countries needs to be at least 6 months old, carry a microchip a universal scanner can read, appear healthy, and travel with a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. It can land at any airport, seaport or land border. Route guides: Japan to USA, South Korea to USA, Taiwan to USA, Singapore to USA, Hong Kong to USA.

High-risk origins, U.S.-vaccinated dog

Mainland China (excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and India are on the list. A dog that was vaccinated in the United States before it left, and whose Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination was endorsed by USDA before departure, can come back through any port on its receipt. Without that endorsed form, the dog falls into the next category.

High-risk origins, foreign-vaccinated dog

The most demanding path: a rabies titer from a CDC-approved lab drawn at least 28 days before entry (or a 28-day quarantine without one), a government-endorsed certification of the foreign rabies vaccination and microchip, a reservation at a CDC-registered animal care facility, and a direct flight into one of the eight airports with such a facility: Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Philadelphia, Seattle (cargo only) and Washington Dulles. Route guides: Mainland China to USA, Thailand to USA, Vietnam to USA, Philippines to USA, Malaysia to USA.

A dog that has been in a high-risk country and has no rabies vaccination cannot enter. CDC dog import rules, explained goes through each form.

Route guides, country by country

Each guide lists the requirements, the timeline, the costs we can quote with a source, and the mistakes we see on that route.

• Taiwan→ to USA 6–7 months (no quarantine)
• Japan→ to USA About 7 months from the mainland
• South Korea→ to USA Often several weeks
• Singapore→ to USA About 4 months
• Hong Kong→ to USA 3–6 weeks
• Mainland China→ to USA Weeks once the titer passes
• Thailand→ to USA Often 4–6 weeks
• Vietnam→ to USA About 1–2 months
• Philippines→ to USA Clearance: up to 11 working days
• Malaysia→ to USA 6–8 weeks

The USDA rules that sit alongside

USDA APHIS has its own entry rules for dogs. The one that affects Asian origins most is screwworm: a dog from a region APHIS lists as affected must arrive with a certificate signed by a full-time salaried veterinary official stating an inspection within five days before shipment. On APHIS's region list (modified October 27, 2026) that includes Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mainland China, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, and not Japan or South Korea. How each export authority issues that statement is one of the questions we confirm for your dates.

For dogs from regions with foot-and-mouth disease, including South Korea, APHIS asks that fur and bedding be free of excess dirt, that the dog be bathed on arrival and kept away from livestock for five days. No document is involved.

Cats

The CDC does not require proof of rabies vaccination for a cat entering the United States, and USDA has no animal health requirements for pet cats. A cat must appear healthy on arrival and may be examined if it does not. Your airline and your destination state may ask for a health certificate, and Hawaii and Guam apply their own quarantine rules to cats. Bringing a cat into the USA covers the practical side.

Leaving the origin country

Each Asian country has its own export step before the U.S. rules apply: Japan's Animal Quarantine Service export inspection (applied for at least 14 days ahead, mandatory for dogs from January 1, 2027), Taiwan's APHIA export inspection, Korea's APQA certificate, Singapore's AVS export license (S$50 or S$100), Hong Kong's AFCD examination booked at least 10 working days ahead. Each route guide gives the step, the fee where published, and the office.

Hawaii, Guam and the states

The federal rules are not the last word. Hawaii is rabies-free and runs its own program: direct airport release at Honolulu for pets whose documents, titer and vaccinations meet its conditions and arrive at least 10 days ahead ($185), a 5-day-or-less program ($244), and up to 120 days of quarantine otherwise. Guam has an exempt list that includes Japan, and conditions for everyone else. Other states rarely stop a pet at the airport, but several require a health certificate on paper. We check your destination state as part of the plan.

Arrival in the United States

For a low-risk dog, arrival is the airline check at boarding (the Dog Import Form receipt), then CBP on landing. For a foreign-vaccinated high-risk dog, the dog goes from the aircraft to the CDC-registered facility for its exam and revaccination, and stays for quarantine if it arrived without a valid titer. What happens when a pet lands at a US airport describes a normal arrival; US airports for pets compares the gateways.

Mistakes that stop a dog at the border

• A connection that clears customs in Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or mainland China, which turns a low-risk dog into a high-risk one.
• A U.S. dog that left without the CDC certification and now has to follow the foreign-vaccinated path.
• A titer from a lab that is not on the CDC's approved list.
• A flight into Newark, San Francisco, Chicago or Honolulu with a foreign-vaccinated high-risk dog: none of them has a CDC-registered facility.
• A dog under 6 months old.
• No screwworm statement from the origin's official veterinarian.