Taking Dogs & Cats to Hong Kong

Hong Kong; exciting, bustling, futuristic and ready for a brand new adventure with your pet. As a major expat destination drawing in workers from all around the world, every day Hong Kong sees dozens of pets arriving at its airports. If you’re moving to – or visiting – Hong Kong in the near future and are looking to take your dog or cat with you then in this article you’ll uncover the key points you need to understand before leaving home.

As with so many other countries, when it comes to exporting cats and dogs to Hong Kong there are a considerable number of points that you’ll need to tick off. However, get all of these points in place and the process of transporting pets to Hong Kong is far from difficult.

General Pet Transportation Rules

For dog  or cat from the UK to Hong Kong you’re going to need a DEFRA-approved export permit which aims to confirm that your pet is free from infectious diseases as well as confirming that a number of essential vaccinations have been received. These export permits are issued by government-approved vets and must be obtained no more than two weeks before travel.

The other side of the equation is that as well as the export certificate you’re going to need approval to import your dog or cat into Hong Kong. This is issued by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation in Hong Kong. Note that if desirable a pet transportation specialist, familiar with the paperwork required, can generally arrange for these essential documents on your behalf, thus saving you considerable time and effort.

All dogs and cats arriving in Hong Kong should be micro-chipped using one of the approved chips on the market so that the animal can be tied to the paperwork neatly, thus ensuring everyone is kept safe from infectious diseases. They must also be at least 60 days of age at the time of exporting.

Transporting Cats to Hong Kong

Before shipping your cat to Hong Kong you should ensure that your pet has received a number of vaccinations. At present the requirements are that your pet should have received jabs for feline pan leukopenia and feline respiratory disease complex. The timing of these injections is of vital importance; vaccinations (or boosters) must be received between 10 days and 12 months before travel. In this way your cat’s immune system will have had suitable time to build up protection against these potentially fatal feline diseases.

Transporting Dogs to Hong Kong

As with cats, in order to export your dog to Hong Kong you will need to be able to prove that your pet has received a number of vaccinations. At present adult dogs will need to have received vaccinations for canine distemper virus, canine parvovirus and infectious canine hepatitis between 10 days and 12 months from their date of travel.

For puppies – classed as dogs under 12 weeks of age – it is essential that the vaccines used have been approved for dogs of this age and that the injections have been received no less than 10 days before the date of travel.

Note that on arrival in Hong Kong when you present your importation paperwork your dog will be given a rabies jab. This applies whether or not your dog has received the same medication in the past so do not be surprised when this injection is given. It is merely a formality and should in no way be considered a reflection of how you have kept your dog.

Lastly dog owners looking to export their pet from the UK to Hong Kong should be aware that as in many other countries, certain breeds of dog are banned from Hong Kong. Generally these are the breeds that are considered more dangerous, having been bred for a boisterous attitude. At present the breeds banned from Hong Kong include Japanese Tosas, Fila Brazileiros, Dogo Argentinos and pit-bull-type breeds.