Moving to Hong Kong is exciting, but it can be a daunting experience when you want to bring your pet with you. Hong Kong has its own regulations regarding anyone bringing a pet from abroad, and they must know about pet immigration before they can stay with their pet. You certainly don't want to leave your fluffy friends behind, and this article will explain the application procedures for bringing pets to Hong Kong such as registered vets, licensing requirements, and how to be a responsible pet owner while in Hong Kong.
Can I bring my pet to Hong Kong?
Before arriving in Hong Kong and bringing your pet, you must apply for a special permit and pay the specified fee to bring your pet. That regulation relates to pet imports to Hong Kong, and must be transferred by the most direct route or the fastest way from the exporting country to Hong Kong. Animals must be transported to Hong Kong as Manifested Cargo. The pet will be transported with a label with the current IATA LAR (Live Animal Regulations).
For pet relocation to Hong Kong, you must prepare moving and immigration tasks including your belongings, arranging transportation, booking flights, and handling documentation. Hong Kong has regulations for all types of pets brought in, and as a rabies-controlled area, there is a lot to take care of when you bring a pet into Hong Kong.
What are application procedures for bringing animals to Hong Kong?
Before you carry out pet immigration, you can prepare several things below to make it easier for you to bring your pet to Hong Kong.
- Pet microchip
The dogs and cats you bring must be implanted with an ISO or AVID microchip. If the microchip cannot be found or read, the owner or importer must provide their own microchip scanner. If the microchip is not found anywhere on the body, the pet will be returned to the country of origin at the expense of the owner or importer.
- Vaccinations
Dogs must be fully vaccinated against Hepatitis, Distemper, and Parvovirus. Cats must be fully vaccinated against cat flu and Feline Panleukopenia. Both dogs and cats must be fully vaccinated no more than one year or at least 14 days before entering Hong Kong. Dogs and cats from Groups 1 and 3 do not need to be vaccinated against rabies, but it is still recommended to vaccinate against rabies if your pet comes from a Group 3 country. Especially for pets from Group 2 countries, you must be vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days and no more than 1 year before you go to Hong Kong.
- Health certificate
Dogs and cats must pass a health check, the health certificate can be made by the government vet, and not more than 14 days before the export.
- Import permit
Dogs and cats can only enter Hong Kong with a special permit. The permit can be obtained from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong. The permit requires at least 3 working days to process the application. After you get the special permit, the import permit is valid for 6 months.
Pet transport Hong Kong
Before thinking about steps to get pet immigration, you need to think about which country your pet comes from. This is necessary because it will determine whether your pet will be quarantined first, or other requirements depending on the source of the pet. Hong Kong government differentiates the source of animal entry into three groups.
The first group of countries are the United Kingdom, Australia, Hawaii, Fiji, Ireland, New Zealand, Japan, and Jersey administrative region. The first group does not require pet entry quarantine and can enter Hong Kong smoothly because it has gone through pet vaccines and pet microchip.
The second group of countries are Bermuda, Austria, Bahrain, Finland, Canada, Cyprus, Guam, Italy, Germany, Malta, Luxembourg, Papua New Guinea, Norway, Solomon Islands, Seychelles, Switzerland, Spain, Vanuatu, Taiwan, Belgium, Bahamas , Brunei, Denmark, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, France, Jamaica, Iceland, Mauritius, Maldives, Portugal, New Caledonia, South Korea, Portugal, Sweden, Netherlands, Singapore, United States, and Virgin Islands. The second group does not require pet quarantine.
For other countries that are not included in the first and the second group of countries, the pet must be quarantined for 120 days upon entry to Hong Kong, and the cost is HK$5,520 for cat and HK$10,800 for dog.
Pet travelers to Hong Kong must prepare vaccination records, microchip implantation, pet health certificate, dog or cat license, import permit, Hong Kong pet import as cargo, and do not include bringing dangerous animals that are prohibited from entering Hong Kong such as American Pit Bull Terriers, Japanese Tosa, Brazilian Fila, and Argentine Dogo.
Is there an agency that can handle pet immigration?
If you are confused about the many steps you have to prepare to bring your fluffy friend to Hong Kong, SMEBrother can help you with pet immigration. We offer the following services : IATA-approved pet crates for transportation, advising the best way for your pet to Hong Kong, handling all pet travel and immigration procedures, managing all import and export documentation with the AFCD (Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department) , planning the best immigration route for your booking airlines, and pet transportation procedures.
寵物移民最新懶人包
SMEBrother has helped many pet owners to transport their furry gamily to Hong Kong with great reputation and trust. We will efficiently handle the Hong Kong's pet immigration matters and ensure that your pet will have a safe journey including equipment and documentation. We offer competitive pricing for your pet's entry into Hong Kong, ensuring transparency without any additional costs at the end and there will be no hidden costs.
Contact us immediately before you arrange a trip to Hong Kong, provide us with your information about you and your pet's travel, and let us think about the best steps to ensure your pet gets to Hong Kong and has taken care of all the necessary documents.
