Taking your dog on holiday to Thailand

Getting into Thailand is straightforward. Your dog needs an ISO microchip, five core vaccinations (rabies, distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and leptospirosis) all given at least 21 days before arrival, a DLD import permit (Form R1/1, 500 baht fee paid on arrival), and a health certificate issued within 10 days and endorsed by AFCD. You email the Animal Quarantine Station at your port of entry — Suvarnabhumi is [email protected], Don Mueang is [email protected] — between 7 and 60 days before departure; processing takes 5 to 7 business days. No rabies titre test is required to enter Thailand, and there is no mandatory quarantine on arrival if the documents are clean.

There is a genuine discrepancy on breeds. The Thai foreign ministry's official instructions say no breeds are banned, but the Department of Livestock Development has had an import ban on the books since 2005 covering American Pit Bull Terriers, Rottweilers, Dobermans and Fila Brasileiros, with a 5,000-baht fine. If your dog is one of these, email the AQS at your port of entry before you travel to confirm what is actually enforced today.

The return is where it gets painful, and the key is to do the rabies titre test before you leave Hong Kong. Book the quarantine space the moment you start planning, not after your trip — government quarantine spaces for dogs currently have an estimated three-month wait. You submit Form PC100 with your AF240 Special Permit application (HK$432), and you can also book a Licensed Quarantine Centre like the SPCA Tsing Yi facility directly with your AFCD reference number. The health certificate for the return must be issued by a Thai government veterinary officer within 7 days of export, and the dog must arrive as manifested cargo. Notify AFCD on (852) 2182 1001 at least 24 hours before arrival.