Guidelines of Quarantine Requirements for Importing Dogs or Cats
from countries considered infected with rabies into Taiwan
（21 October 2015）
(In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese text and the English translation thereof, the Chinese text shall govern.)
Owners intending to import their dogs or cats into Taiwan, please make sure of the
epidemiological situation of the exporting country, and then proceed the application
according to this quarantine instruction.
1. Rabies-free country:
According to the latest promulgation of the Council of Agriculture, Japan, United
Kingdom, Sweden, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Norway (not including archipelago
of Svalbard), Hawaii State and Territory of Guam of the United States of America and
Singapore are recognized as Rabies-free countries (zones).
2. Countries considered infected with rabies (hereinafter called rabies-infected countries):
The countries (zones) which have not been promulgated and listed in Rabies-free
countries (zones) by Council of Agriculture.
3. The requirements for Importing dogs or cats from rabies-infected countries:
(1) The dog or cat to be imported shall have been at the age of at least 90 days old,
implanted microchip, and vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days (but no more than
1 year) prior to shipment.
(2) At least 180 days (but no more than 1 year) prior to shipment, blood sample of the dog
or cat to be imported shall be taken and sent to rabies reference laboratories of the
World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) or laboratories designated by the Bureau of
Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, Council of Agriculture (BAPHIQ)
(list is as attachment C) for neutralization antibody titration test for rabies antibody.
A report showing test result of at least 0.5 IU/ml is required.
(3) The importer shall apply for an import permit (Application form, attachment A) and
make reservation of the post-entry quarantine space from animal quarantine authority
at the port of entry (hereinafter called the branch of the BAPHIQ) (contact information,
attachment B-1) at least 20 days prior to shipment by submitting the following
documents.
a. Veterinarian-issued certificate of vaccination against rabies is indeed inactivated
vaccine;
b. Civil identification card of the importer. If the importer is not a resident and thus
not registered in Taiwan, the other personal identification documents shall be
provided (certificates or other documents of visual impairment and certificates of
the guide dog are required to import guide dogs for the visually impaired); and
c. The report of rabies neutralization antibody titer test in compliance with the
regulations.
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(4) The importer shall apply to the animal quarantine authority of exporting country for a
veterinary certificate, and the certificate shall be in Chinese or English and include the
following information:
a. Breed, sex, age, and microchip number of the dog or cat;
b. Date of vaccination against rabies, which is in compliance with item 2 of Article 3 of
the “Regulations for Importation of Dogs or Cats into Taiwan”;
c. No clinical signs of rabies shown upon inspection of the dog or cat;
d. The result of the rabies neutralization antibody titer test which shall be at least 0.5
IU/ml, date of sampling and name of laboratory (otherwise the original report of
rabies neutralization antibody titration test shall be provided); and
e.The series number of the import permit (otherwise the photocopy of the import
permit shall be provided).
(5) On arrival of the dog or cat at the port of entry, the importer shall apply to the branch of
the BAPHIQ for quarantine inspection and submit the import permit, original veterinary
certificate issued by the animal quarantine authority of exporting country, bill of lading
(B/L) or customs declaration form. The dog or cat without an original veterinary
certificate issued by the animal quarantine authority of exporting country shall
be re-exported or destroyed.
(6) When conducting quarantine inspection, the branch of the BAPHIQ will check the
veterinary certificate and detain the dog or cat at the designated post-entry quarantine
premises (listed as the attachment B-2 ) for 21 days.
During quarantine detention, the blood of the dog or cat will be sampled and tested
again for rabies antibody. If the rabies antibody is under 0.5 IU/ml, the dog or cat shall
be revaccinated with inactivated rabies vaccine.
4. Other regulations:
(1) The pregnant dog or cat to be imported is suggested to be shipped when the
pregnancy is under 4 weeks at the time of shipment.
(2) The dog or cat from Bangladesh is not allowed to be imported into Taiwan.
(3) The dog or cat shall not be transshipped through Bangladesh.
(4) Due to the special restrictions of trade between Taiwan and China, dogs and cats
from China are not allowed to be imported into Taiwan unless a special permit from
the Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is granted prior to
the importation. Only if you obtain the special permit, you may apply to the branch of
the BAPHIQ for a BAPHIQ import permit. However, if your pet dogs or cats were
previously exported from Taiwan, the special permit from the Bureau of Foreign Trade,
MOEA is not needed. You may apply directly to the branch of the BAPHIQ for a
BAPHIQ import permit.
(5) The dog or cat to be imported from Malaysia shall be in compliance with the
regulation of importing from rabies-infected country and the following Nipah virus
quarantine requirements:
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(A) The dog or cat shall be detained for pre-export quarantine in an approved isolated
quarantine premises under the supervision of the animal quarantine authorities of
Malaysia government for at least 45 days prior to shipment. During the pre-export
quarantine, the dog or cat shall be inspected and found free from clinical evidence
of Nipah virus disease.
(B) The dog or cat shall be bled at least 14 days but not more than 45 days prior to
shipment. The sera shall be sent to Veterinary Research Institute, Department of
Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture Malaysia (VRI) or Australian Animal
Health Laboratory (AAHL) for Nipah virus serology using enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or virus neutralization test. The test results shall be
negative.
(C) The original veterinary certificate in English issued by the animal quarantine
authorities of Malaysia government should attest additionally the dogs and cats
are inspected and found free from clinical evidence of Nipah virus disease, the
beginning and end dates of pre-export quarantine, date of samples collection for
Nipah virus tests, test methods, name of the test laboratory, dates of tests and test
results.
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