🇭🇰Taking a dog or cat to Hong Kong: entry rules and flights

✓ Rules checked: September 16, 2026Official sources only

Preparing from scratch takes 4 weeks to 4 months, depending on where you fly from.

Hong Kong sets its own requirements for bringing in dogs and cats. From any departure country your pet needs import permit, microchip, additional vaccination and veterinary health certificate. What is needed on top — rabies vaccination, rabies antibody titre test and import declaration — depends on the country you fly from. The rules are the same for dogs and cats.

The titre test sets the pace: blood is drawn no earlier than 30 days after the vaccination, and entry is allowed no earlier than 90 days after the draw. There is no quarantine if the rule's conditions are met — otherwise the pet is held. Order matters more than the list: the microchip goes in before the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination does not count. 14 carriers in our directory fly direct to Hong Kong, and their pet conditions differ.

Check your own route

Free, no signup: timings, documents and airlines for your pet

🐕 🐈 Same rules for dogs and cats

Airlines with direct flights

14 airlines in our directory fly direct to and from Hong Kong. Their conditions differ — the cabin weight limit, whether they carry pets in the hold, the fee and breed restrictions — so it is worth choosing the carrier before buying the ticket.

Airline	Cabin	Hold	Cabin fee	Direct flights
Cathay Pacific no snub-nosed breeds in the hold	no pets	✓ up to 32 kg	—	from 77 cities in 28 countries
Hong Kong Airlines no snub-nosed breeds in the hold	✓ up to 8 kg	✓	—	from 29 cities in 12 countries
China Eastern Airlines no snub-nosed breeds in the hold · banned breeds: 9	no pets	✓ up to 32 kg	—	from 11 cities in 1 country
Air China no snub-nosed breeds in the hold · banned breeds: 29	no pets	✓ up to 32 kg	—	from 7 cities in 1 country
Emirates no snub-nosed breeds in the hold · no snub-nosed breeds in the cabin	no pets	✓	—	from 4 cities in 3 countries
United Airlines	✓	no pets	150 USD per flight	from 4 cities in 3 countries
Turkish Airlines no snub-nosed breeds in the hold	✓ up to 8 kg	✓ up to 50 kg	70 EUR per flight	from 4 cities in 4 countries
China Southern Airlines no snub-nosed breeds in the hold · banned breeds: 5	no pets	✓ up to 32 kg	—	from 3 cities in 1 country
Shenzhen Airlines Co. no snub-nosed breeds in the hold · no snub-nosed breeds in the cabin	no pets	✓ up to 32 kg	—	from 3 cities in 1 country
HK Express	no pets	no pets	—	from 35 cities in 8 countries

Showing the 10 carriers serving the most cities out of 14 with direct flights. Schedules: AeroDataBox, AirLabs, Travelpayouts; pet conditions come from our airline directory.

Restrictions

The limits people find out about last: how many animals one person may bring, the minimum age and which breeds are turned away at the border.

Quarantine Yes, if the conditions are not met +

What the quarantine depends on:

Full compliance with the permit conditions — otherwise even Group I or II pets are quarantined
A doubtful history or clinical signs of disease: the quarantine period is extended
Missing proper documentation: a minimum of four months' quarantine at the owner's expense, or return to the country of departure

Banned breeds 6 breeds +

American Pit Bull Terrier
Pit Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Japanese Tosa
Dogo Argentino
Fila Brasileiro

Fighting dogs listed in Schedule 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Regulation (Cap. 167) may not be imported into Hong Kong — Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and any of their crossbreeds. A Staffordshire Bull Terrier requires a statutory declaration of breed.

Pets per person Not stated

Minimum age no limit; vaccination from 90 days

Points of entry Designated points, list held by the country +

A dog aged 5 months or over is licensed in Hong Kong on arrival, at the owner's expense. The licence includes a rabies vaccination given in Hong Kong, and if the chip does not meet local requirements a conforming one is implanted.

There is no post-arrival quarantine: pets from this group are normally exempted from it, subject to full compliance with the permit conditions. AFCD may impose quarantine only if the documents are not in order or the animal's history is doubtful.

Savannah cats are not covered by the standard AFCD import terms: the permit form states the terms do not apply to them. Import is possible only by separate arrangement with AFCD — contact them before buying tickets.

What you need to enter Hong Kong

The full list of documents and procedures for entering Hong Kong. Every item carries its official source and last-checked date, and is marked as always required or required only from some departure countries.

Identification

Microchipalways+

A microchip compliant with ISO 11784/11785 or AVID. The chip number must match the number in every certificate: a mismatch makes the animal ineligible for import. If the chip cannot be read on arrival, the owner or agent must provide a reader — otherwise the animal is returned at their expense.

«The animal must be implanted with a microchip that is compliant with the International Standards Organization (ISO) or AVID standards and able to be read by an AVID, or other ISO compatible reader.»

Source ↗Rules checked: August 18, 2026government

Vaccination

Additional vaccinationalways+

Dogs only. Vaccinations: distemper, infectious hepatitis and parvovirus. Given not less than 14 days and not more than 1 year before departure.

«The animal was vaccinated against the following diseases not less than 14 days and not more than 1 year prior to export to Hong Kong: Dogs – canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis and canine parvovirus. Cats – feline panleucopaenia (infectious enteritis) and feline respiratory disease complex (cat flu).»

Source ↗Rules checked: August 18, 2026government

Rabies vaccinationdepends on origin+

Not required from every departure country — checking your own route gives the exact answer.

Rabies vaccination: not less than 30 days and not more than 1 year prior to export. For a primary vaccination the animal must be at least 90 days old. Vaccinate AFTER the microchip is implanted.

«The animal was vaccinated against rabies not less than 30 days and not more than 1 year prior to export. In the case of primary vaccination the animal was at least 90 days old when it was vaccinated.»

Source ↗Rules checked: August 18, 2026government

Tests and treatments

Rabies antibody titre testdepends on origin+

Not required from every departure country — checking your own route gives the exact answer.

Rabies antibody titre: blood sampled not more than 1 year and not less than 90 days before departure, result at least 0.5 IU/ml. FAVN or RFFIT method, in a laboratory recognised by AFCD. After a primary vaccination at least 30 days must pass before sampling. The chip number must appear in the report.

«The animal has been subjected to a rabies antibody test on a sample collected not less than 90 days and not more than 1 year prior to export, with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml. … The test must be conducted by FAVN or RFFIT method in a laboratory recognised by AFCD.»

Source ↗Rules checked: September 16, 2026government

Documents

Import permitalways+

An AFCD Special Permit — without it the pet will not be admitted to Hong Kong. It is issued under the Group I procedure: apply in advance (processing takes 3–5 working days) and notify the Duty Officer of the arrival time at least 24 hours ahead. Book the flight only after the permit is granted.

«The permittee must notify the Duty Officer of the Import & Export Section during office hours … at least 24 hours in advance of the anticipated time of arrival.»

Source ↗Rules checked: August 18, 2026government

Import declarationdepends on origin+

Not required from every departure country — checking your own route gives the exact answer.

A residence certificate: the pet has lived continuously in the country of departure for the last 180 days or since birth. It is a separate document from the health certificate, signed by a government vet.

«The animal has been continuously resident in the country/place of origin: during the preceding 180 days prior to export or since birth; OR for the entire period since the animal was directly imported from Hong Kong.»

Source ↗Rules checked: August 18, 2026government

Veterinary health certificatealways+

An AFCD-format veterinary certificate issued not more than 14 days before departure. Signed by a government vet, or by a registered vet and endorsed by the government service. It must carry the chip number and confirm the animal is not pregnant (or less than 4 weeks pregnant).

«Dated not more than 14 days before the export, certifying that the animal is free from clinical signs of infectious or contagious disease, fit to travel, free of any quarantine restrictions imposed by the government authority of the country/place of export … The animal’s identification and microchip details must be included.»

Source ↗Rules checked: August 18, 2026government

The order of preparation

The order matters more than the list: a step done too early has to be repeated. The intervals come from the same rule fields the engine uses for the earliest departure date.

Microchip

before the rabies vaccination
Rabies vaccination depends on origin

pet at least 90 days oldvalid after 30 days
Rabies antibody titre test depends on origin

no earlier than 30 days after the vaccinationentry 90 days after the blood draw
Additional vaccination
Import permit
Veterinary health certificate

no earlier than 14 days before entry
Import declaration depends on origin

Steps marked “depends on origin” are not needed by everyone — see the table above or check your own route.

Compared by departure country

Lapaport's engine on six examples, counted from zero: a dog of no particular breed with nothing done yet — no microchip, no vaccination, no tests — starting preparation today. Columns marked “always” are required from anywhere.

From	Microchipalways	Other vaccinesalways	Rabies jab	Titre test	Import permitalways	Declaration	Health certificatealways	Earliest departurepreparing from scratch
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	✓	✓	—	—	✓	✓	✓	no waiting period	Plan →
🇫🇷 France	✓	✓	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	October 24, 2026	Plan →
🇹🇷 Turkey	✓	✓	✓	—	✓	—	✓	October 24, 2026	Plan →
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	✓	✓	✓	—	✓	—	✓	October 24, 2026	Plan →
🇨🇳 China	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	—	✓	January 23, 2027	Plan →
🇺🇸 United States	✓	✓	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	October 24, 2026	Plan →

If the microchip and vaccination are already done, the wait is shorter: the clock runs from the vaccination date, not from today. Breed, weight and connections change the answer too — check your own route with the form above.

Arrival airports

Entry with a pet is only through a designated border post, but the list is kept by the country itself and we do not have it. Below are airports with direct flights; check your own before buying a ticket.

Not documented yet1

HKGHong Kong

FAQ

What documents do I need to enter Hong Kong?+

From any country: microchip, additional vaccination, import permit, veterinary health certificate. Depends on the departure country: rabies vaccination, rabies antibody titre test, import declaration.

Is a rabies titre test required for Hong Kong?+

It depends on the departure country. From China, for example, it is required; from United Kingdom it is not. The form above gives the exact answer for your route.

Which breeds are banned from entry?+

American Pit Bull Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro.

Which airlines take pets in the cabin?+

For example: Hong Kong Airlines, United Airlines, Turkish Airlines. The full list with conditions is in the table above.

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