Taking your dog on holiday to Japan

Japan is one of the strictest countries to bring a dog into, and there is no shortcut. You need an ISO microchip, two rabies vaccinations, a rabies antibody blood test at a MAFF-approved lab, and then a 180-day wait measured from the blood draw. MAFF themselves say to start preparing roughly seven months before you want to land. The good news is the return to Hong Kong is the easy direction — Japan is a Group I (rabies-free) country, so with a Special Permit and the right paperwork your dog comes home without quarantine.

There is no MAFF-designated rabies titre laboratory in Hong Kong. Your vet has to send the serum abroad — the nearest options are RIASBT in Sagamihara (Japan), APQA in Seoul, or the Veterinary Research Institute in Taiwan. Kansas State University and the UK's APHA are also on both the MAFF and AFCD approved lists, which matters if you want the same result to also serve your Hong Kong return. One trap to avoid: BioBest Laboratories in the UK was revoked by MAFF on 25 June 2025, so do not use them for a Japan-bound test even though they still appear on the AFCD list.

At least 40 days before you land, you must file an advance notification with Japan's Animal Quarantine Service at your port of entry, via the NACCS online system or by email. AQS sends back an Approval of Import Inspection — print it, because the airline wants to see it at check-in. You cannot bring the arrival date forward after submitting, and you cannot add or swap animals, so only file once your flights and the 180-day wait are nearly done. Within ten days of boarding, a vet does a clinical inspection and AFCD endorses the health certificate (Form AC is the recommended template).

If everything is in order on arrival, quarantine is cleared within 12 hours — effectively same-day. Dogs can only enter through designated ports: eleven airports (Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, New Chitose, Fukuoka and others) and eight seaports. Most Hong Kong flights land at Narita, Haneda or Kansai, all of which have caretaker companies on site if detention is needed. Japan does not ban any breed at the national level, though some prefectures designate Tosas, Akitas and German Shepherds as specified dogs needing muzzles locally.

Coming home: Japan is Group I, so a Residence Certification Waiver is not needed — the standard Group I Special Permit (Form AF240, HK$432, five working days) covers it. You will need a health certificate issued in Japan within 14 days of the return flight, your dog's core vaccinations (distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus) given 14 days to 1 year before export, and a Captain's Affidavit (Form PC101) from the airline. The dog must travel as manifested cargo, not as excess baggage. Notify the AFCD Duty Officer on (852) 2182 1001 at least 24 hours before arrival.