Travelling with Dogs

Travelling with dogs

Travelling to foreign countries with pets can be challenging and to our experience information about which rules apply, which documents, vaccinations or even quarantine periods are required hard to find.

We found Pettravel.com to be a good source of information even though it mostly applies to air travel (which is a completely different story).

Here we summed up our experiences when crossing from country to country with our Mutlu.

Iran: At the border only a vaccination card is required. We didn't had the impression that anybody checked what was written in there. In the country, traffic police reminded us 2 or 3 times that it is forbidden to have a dog in the car...
You can even find Iranian made dog food at vets.

Pakistan: No checks at all

India: No checks at all

Myanmar: No checks at all (even though the tour organiser claimed first that there is some paperwork required)

Thailand: No checks at all

Malaysia: Officially you need an import permit to bring your dog and it seems to be quite a hazzle and takes 7 to 10 days to obtain if you have all the required documents. Make sure border police and especially the quarantine officer doesn't see your dog and you'll be fine.

Laos: No checks at all

China: Here you find the official requirements for bringing your dog into China (PDF1, PDF2, PDF3). However when entering at Mohan we were not asked for any dog-related documents.

South Korea: For the first time we prepared ourselves for entering a country with Mutlu. The reason being that Korea has stricter rules and that you can only enter by ferry or plane which is both much more regulated. The latest requirements can be found on the web-page of the Animal & Plant Quarantine Agency.
Two days before the flight from Bangkok we went to the quarantine office with the vaccination card and a recent rabies serology test and obtained the health certificate and export permit within two hours (cost: 50 THB). On arrival at Gimhae International Airport (Busan) Mutlu was cleared for entry in minutes.

Japan: Probably the one that requires most preparation but also the one with the best guidance. You need to get your dog pre-approved, meaning you have to send all papers before entering Japan to the authorities. A great guide is provided here. Once you have the import permit, entry is super fast as only the chip is checked to match with the papers.

USA: As we had to fly to the US from Japan we were somewhat worried. The Japanese authorities were again super helpful and professional in providing the health certificate at the airport but actually no one cared when arriving in the US. We simple were waived through at customs.

Canada: As we were travelling from the US, no one cared about our dog.

Mexico: Again the same thing, no one really cared about us having a dog.

Belize: Having heard that Belize requires official paperwork we had health certificates prepared for our dogs in Chetumal, quick and easy. We had no time to pre-register the dogs with authorities in Belize City and thus had to pay an extra fee when crossing the border. The dogs recieved a permit to enter which again costs extra. Probably one of the most expensive countries to bring dogs to.