Bringing Your Pet to Japan Part II: Requirements

Disclaimer – I’m giving my imperfect account of our journey. Please do not rely on this post to determine what the requirements would be for you to bring your pet to Japan. Look it up online and talk to your vet!

Japan – “rabies-free island nation” – has a complex set of rules for allowing animals entry. All in all the process takes about 8 months. Here is a simplified version of the hoops we jumped through to get Nola approved:

1. Find the right vet. Nola goes to a vet in the States that specializes in cats. We were able to get a vet there who has experience getting animals ready to move abroad. She has sent animals all over the world, and while this was her first transfer to Japan, she is familiar with the “rabies-free island nation” requirements.

2. Microchip. Nola got a microchip (her second). This was a bit of a pain, because the Little Miss already had a microchip from the shelter. Unfortunately, the Japanese Quarantine officials have only a certain kind of microchip reader, and it cannot read Nola’s first chip. We could have purchased a chip reader to bring with us to Japan, but it ended up being less expensive to just get a second microchip. Plus – I think it is better to let the Japanese officials read her chip with their own reader – the more routine our entry is, the less likely we are to have any problems.

3. Rabies vaccine #1. Nola had to get a specific vaccine (again – make sure you look it up!). Luckily, our vet is on top of these things. It is important to get the microchip BEFORE the rabies vaccine, even if it is all done at the same appointment, because the vet will be required to scan the microchip, record the microchip number on the vaccine certificate, and THEN administer the vaccine. If things are not done in this order, then the vaccine will not be considered to have occurred “within the process” and will have to be re-administered at a later date.

4. Wait. After the first rabies vaccine, you have to wait 30 days.

5. Rabies vaccine #2. After the 30 day period, a second rabies vaccine is administered. The procedure is the same as above, so you should make sure the vet scans the microchip BEFORE administering the vaccine.

6. Blood titre. Blood is drawn to be tested for rabies antibodies. This blood draw can be taken at the same appointment when the second rabies vaccine is administered. This blood is then sent to a Japanese government approved laboratory (ours was in Kansas). That laboratory determines the level of rabies antibodies, which is quantified with a number. If your number is in the correct range, you can move on to step 7. If not, you need to wait an additional 30 days and perhaps administer a third rabies vaccine. Nola’s levels were good, so we moved on to step 7.

7. Wait. From the date the blood was drawn (with an appropriate level of antibodies), the animal needs to wait 180 days (6 months) before entering Japan. If the animal enters Japan before the end of the 180 day period, the animal must stay in quarantine for the remainder of the 180 days. Unfortunately for us, we needed to be in Japan about one month into this waiting period. Luckily, we found a wonderful “foster family” for Nola (Thanks, Katie and Dave!) where she is staying until her flight.

Next Installment – Requirements, cont. (yes, there are more….)