Exporting your dog/cat out of Japan to a foreign country is a complex and time-consuming process, and it is really difficult to obtain the necessary papers for exportation with a language barrier.
HALU Animal Hospital has several English speaking staff、including veterinarians that can help you out with this process, providing you with an English health certificate if necessary.
In this article we will explain the basics ways to export your dog/cat out of Japan, but the necessary papers and the due date will be different for each country, so please contact the embassy or the animal quarantine authorities of the country of destination, to acquire them.
STEPS to take for exportation
(Taken from Animal Quarantine Office of Japan)
A）Check the entry conditions of the country of your destination
The entry conditions for immigration differ with every country, so please check with the embassy or the animal quarantine authorities of the country of destination.
The tests, procedures, and papers necessary may take time to obtain, so plan as early as possible to have them in time for your departure.
These may include the insertion of a microchip, vaccinations, blood tests, and health certificates. HALU Animal Hospital can provide you with all of the above (issuing the papers takes about a week so plan ahead), so please feel free to contact us.
B）Applying for the export inspection (within 10 Days of the departure date)
Dogs and cats being exported out of Japan must undergo an export inspection, in accordance with the Rabies Protection Law and the Domestic Animal Infectious Diseases Law, by the Animal Quarantine Service. The export inspection itself is a basic clinical test.
The export inspection has to be done within 10 Days of the departure date, and applying for this inspection also has to be done 10 days prior to the desired date of the inspection, so this will at least take 20 days to complete, so again please plan ahead.
To apply for the inspection, send an Email (the address will differ for the airport, so please search online) to the AQS of the airport of departure, and state the preferred date and times.
On this Email, make sure to attach; 1. application forms, 2. the documents necessary for entering the country of destination, 3. other necessary documents.
Copies of the documents can not be used, so be sure to bring the original documents.
After confirmation, they will text you back with the specific date and times of the inspection.
For issuing the necessary English documents, the export inspection will take about 30~60min. minimum so please make an appointment with ample time before your flight.
C) The documents necessary for the export inspection
Written below are the necessary documents for the export inspection.
Again, these will differ depending on the country of destination, so please check with their embassy or animal quarantine service.
You may send these documents via Email to the AQS beforehand, to check if they are viable and that they have the necessary data written on them.
- Application for the export inspection
1-1. Application forms available on the website of the animal quarantine service
or
1-2. Application number of NACCS (Nippon Automated Cargo and port
Consolidated System) if used for registration
- The documents necessary for entering the country of destination
- Health certificate from your home doctor (if needed for the importation process)
These must be the original file, and not copies of them.
What We Can Do at HALU Animal Hospital
We at HALU Animal Hospital have English speaking staff on most days, and can help with the documents, tests, and procedures required.
Every week on Wednesday from 8:00~10:00 AM, there will always be an English speaking staff on call at our secondary hospital (HALU+ Animal Hospital, map below), to help you solve all these problems.
(The date above is not the only time available, please call for other dates.)
If you, or anyone you know have trouble with the exportation process, or just finding a home doctor who can speak English, please do not hesitate to call us, we will be of assistance anytime.
We also have a wide variety of specialists available, such as orthopedics, oncology, ophthalmology, neurology, dermatology, rehabilitation, and even acupuncture, so
you will not have the need to go and find a secondary hospital for these specialists.
We are open everyday, even during the holidays, so you will not have to find another hospital that is open, when your home doctor is not.
Our staff performing orthopedic surgery
Some of our staff have also spent time abroad, so we know that it is very hard to find a necessary service that speaks your native language.
So please do not hesitate to ask about anything regarding you and your beloved family members, and we will help to make your time here in Japan a comfortable one.