Flying with a Dog from Germany to Japan — Requirements

The dog must receive two or more rabies vaccinations after microchip implantation. The first dose must be administered when the dog is at least 91 days old. The second dose must be given 30 days or more after the first. Only inactivated (killed) virus vaccines or recombinant / modified live vaccines are accepted. Rabies RNA vaccines are NOT accepted by Japan AQS. Vaccinations must remain current through the date of arrival in Japan.

The importer must notify the Animal Quarantine Service (AQS) at the expected port of entry at least 40 days before the dog's arrival in Japan. Notification must be submitted via NACCS (online system) or by email using the official notification form for dogs. AQS will examine the notification and issue an 'Approval of Import Inspection of Animals'. Modifications to the notification (e.g., moving up arrival date, increasing number of animals, replacing animals) are not accepted in principle once submitted. Dogs may only enter Japan through designated airports and seaports.

A health certificate issued (or endorsed) by the government agency of the exporting country (equivalent to Japan's Animal Quarantine Service) is required. Japan recommends using Form AC to ensure all required information is included. The certificate must state: (1) individual information including date of birth or age, (2) microchip number and date of implantation, (3) dates of rabies vaccinations, effective period, vaccine type, product name and manufacturer, (4) date of blood sampling for the rabies antibody test, antibody titre value, and name of the designated laboratory, (5) result and date of the pre-export clinical inspection. Do not use pencil or erasable/correcting ink. Deficiencies in the certificate will result in up to 180 days of detention quarantine.

A rabies antibody titre test must be performed at one of the MAFF-designated laboratories after the second rabies vaccination. The antibody titre must be equal to or greater than 0.5 IU/mL. The test result is valid for 2 years from the date of blood sampling. Blood sampling must occur after the second vaccination — the 180-day waiting period is counted from this blood sampling date (day 0 = sampling date). If the titre test result is below 0.5 IU/mL, the dog must be re-vaccinated, re-tested, and the 180-day wait restarts. Note: Biobest Laboratories Ltd has been revoked from the designated lab list for certificates issued between November 27, 2024 and June 25, 2025 — contact the AQS port of entry if this applies.

The dog must be identified by an ISO 11784/11785 compliant microchip (15-digit numeric code) BEFORE the first rabies vaccination. If the dog is vaccinated before microchipping, the vaccination sequence must be restarted after microchip implantation. The microchip number must be readable by standard veterinary microchip readers. Note: microchips starting with '900202' are currently under investigation and will not be accepted by Japan AQS.

The dog must not depart for Japan until 180 days have passed from the date the blood sample was taken for the rabies antibody titre test (the sampling date itself is counted as day 0). Arrival in Japan must also fall within the validity period of both the rabies vaccine AND the titre test result. Partial credit may be available if the dog has continuously resided in a designated region during part of the 180-day period — the remaining days of quarantine are served at an AQS detention facility on arrival.

Before departure, and within 10 days before boarding, the dog must undergo a clinical inspection by a veterinarian. The inspection must confirm that the dog shows no clinical signs of rabies and no clinical signs of leptospirosis. The result and date of the clinical inspection must be recorded in the government-issued health certificate.

The dog must be inspected by Japan's Animal Quarantine Service (AQS) upon arrival. The importer must apply for import inspection at the AQS desk. Required documents: original government health certificate, rabies antibody test result, AQS Approval of Import Inspection, and Application for Import Inspection (available via NACCS or paper form). If all requirements are met, AQS issues an Import Quarantine Certificate and the dog is released within 12 hours. Dogs that do not meet requirements are subject to detention quarantine for up to 180 days at the importer's expense, or may be returned to the exporting country. After import, the dog must be registered with the local municipality within 30 days, and vaccinated against rabies annually under Japan's Rabies Prevention Law.