Bringing a Dog to Japan: The Import Steps in Plain English

In short: to bring a dog into Japan, you follow the rules of Japan’s Animal Quarantine Service (AQS). From most of the world, which AQS calls “non-designated regions,” the dog needs an ISO microchip, at least two rabies vaccinations, a rabies antibody test at a designated laboratory with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, and a waiting period of 180 days or more from the blood sampling date. You must notify AQS at your port of entry not less than 40 days before arrival, have a vet check the dog within 10 days before boarding, and carry certificates issued by the government agency of the exporting country. From the six designated regions (Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, and Guam), the AQS steps are different and do not list the rabies vaccinations or antibody test. A dog that doesn’t meet the requirements can be held in quarantine for up to 180 days or sent back. After arrival, you register the dog with your city within 30 days and keep up yearly rabies shots.

Moving to Japan with a dog takes months of planning, and the order of the steps matters. This post walks through the official AQS steps in plain English, so you know what to ask your vet and the quarantine office.

Please read this first: this post is a plain-English summary of official pages. It is not about my own dog, and it is not legal or veterinary advice. I am not a veterinarian or a quarantine officer. Rules can change, and details depend on where your dog comes from. Before you book anything, please confirm every step with the Animal Quarantine Service and your vet. The numbers below are given as the AQS pages stated them when I checked on October 8, 2026.

First: where is your dog coming from?

AQS says import procedures differ depending on where the dogs come from. There are two routes.

	Designated regions	Non-designated regions
Which places	Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, and Guam (AQS lists these “as of July, 2013”)	Everywhere else
What AQS calls them	Countries or regions “designated as rabies-free” by Japan’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries	“Other regions”
Rabies shots and antibody test	Not part of the AQS steps	Required
Waiting period	No waiting-period step; a residence rule applies (see below)	180 days or more after blood sampling

AQS also notes that some places were moved off the designated list: Ireland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland only) from January 1, 2012, Norway (with some exceptions) from January 20, 2012, and Taiwan from July 25, 2013. Dogs from these places follow the non-designated route.

The non-designated route: eight steps

The AQS page for non-designated regions lays out eight steps. AQS asks you to check the dog’s microchip number at steps 1, 2, 3, and 6.

Step	What AQS requires
1. Microchip	Implanted before or on the same day as the first rabies vaccination. It should comply with ISO 11784 and 11785 (a 15-digit code made only of numbers)
2. Rabies vaccinations	Twice or more after the microchip is implanted
3. Rabies antibody test	Blood drawn on or after the day of the second vaccination and tested at a designated laboratory. The result must be 0.5 IU/ml or more
4. Waiting period	Arrive in Japan after 180 days have passed from the blood sampling date
5. Advance notification	Notify AQS at the expected port of entry not less than 40 days before arrival
6. Clinical inspection	A vet checks the dog within 10 days before boarding
7. Certificates	Obtain certificates issued by the government agency of the exporting country
8. Import inspection	AQS inspects the dog on arrival in Japan

Step 1: Microchip

The microchip must go in first. AQS says that if the chip is not ISO standard, you should contact AQS at the expected port of entry, and if their reader can’t read it, you need to prepare a reader that can.

AQS also gives two warnings about chip numbers:

Microchip numbers starting with “900 202” are “currently under investigation for their validity” and, for the time being, are not accepted as a means of identification (notice dated April 7, 2023).
There have been cases where the same number was implanted in different animals. In such cases, AQS says it “may be necessary to re-implant a new microchip and redo the required procedures,” and asks you to submit your notification promptly once your timing is decided (notice dated December 19, 2025).

Step 2: Rabies vaccinations (twice or more)

	AQS timing
First vaccination	At least 91 days old (the date of birth counts as day 0), and after the microchip is implanted (the same day counts)
Second vaccination	30 days or more after the first (the date of the first counts as day 0), and within the effective period of the first

AQS accepts inactivated (killed) virus vaccines or recombinant/modified vaccines. It says live virus vaccines and RNA vaccines are not accepted. It also points out that some countries allow a first shot at 12 weeks old (84 to 90 days), but under Japanese rules a vaccination given under 91 days old is invalid.

If the effective period of a vaccination will run out before arrival, AQS says an additional vaccination must be given within that period. A shot given after the previous one has expired does not count as an additional vaccination, and you have to start again from the first vaccination.

Step 3: Rabies antibody test

The test must be done at one of the designated laboratories on the AQS list.
The blood sample must be drawn after the second vaccination (the second shot and blood sampling can be on the same day), and within the effective period of the vaccination.
The antibody titer must be 0.5 IU/ml or more. If it is lower, the dog must be retested.
The result is valid for 2 years from the date of blood sampling.

The designated list can change. On its dog and cat page, AQS says one laboratory, Biobest Laboratories Ltd., “has been revoked from the list of designated laboratories,” and asks people with certificates issued between November 27, 2024 and June 25, 2025 to contact the quarantine office at their port of entry. Check the current list before you test.

Step 4: Waiting period (180 days or more)

The dog must arrive in Japan after 180 days have passed from the blood sampling date (that date counts as day 0). The arrival date must also fall within the effective period of the rabies vaccine and within the 2-year validity of the antibody test.

If fewer than 180 days have passed, AQS says the dog “will be subject to quarantine at a detention facility” for the period needed to make up the shortage. AQS strongly recommends finishing the waiting period before arrival.

Step 5: Advance notification (40 days)

You must notify AQS at the expected port of entry not less than 40 days before arrival. You can do this online through NACCS or send the notification form by e-mail. AQS then examines it and issues an “Approval of Import Inspection of Animals,” which you print or save for export and boarding.

Points AQS lists:

In principle, a notification submitted less than 40 days before arrival is not accepted.
Moving the arrival date earlier, adding animals, swapping animals, or changing anything after the scheduled arrival date are, in principle, not accepted as modifications.
If the detention facility is full, you may need to change your arrival date or port.
Dogs can enter Japan only through designated airports and seaports. In Hokkaido, the list includes New Chitose airport and Tomakomai seaport.

Step 6: Clinical inspection before departure

Within 10 days before boarding, a vet must check that the dog is free from any clinical signs of rabies and, for dogs, leptospirosis.

Step 7: Certificates from the exporting country’s government

The certificates must be issued by the government agency of the exporting country (the body that corresponds to AQS). AQS lists what they must show: the dog’s details including date of birth or age, the microchip number and implant date, the rabies vaccination details, the antibody test details including the laboratory name, and the result and date of the clinical inspection. AQS recommends its Form AC, filled in by a private vet and endorsed by an official government veterinarian.

AQS also says: don’t use pencils or erasable ink, and correcting fluid or correction tape is not acceptable. If there are deficiencies in the certificates, the dog “will be subject to detention quarantine for up to 180 days or will be shipped back.” AQS recommends sending copies in advance so they can check them.

Step 8: Import inspection on arrival

On arrival, you apply for import inspection with the original certificates, the antibody test result report, and the application form (NACCS can be used). If no problems are found, AQS issues an import quarantine certificate. AQS’s dog and cat page says that if dogs meet the requirements, “the quarantine period will be within 12 hours.”

The designated-region route

For dogs coming from Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, or Guam, the AQS page lists seven steps.

Step	What AQS requires
1. Microchip	ISO 11784 and 11785, the same chip rules and warnings as above
2. Residence	At least one of three conditions (below)
3. Advance notification	Not less than 40 days before arrival
4. Clinical inspection	Within 10 days before boarding
5. Certificates	From the exporting country’s government agency, including that there has been no case of rabies for at least 2 years before export there. AQS recommends Form AB
6. Transportation	Direct flight or ship to Japan. If the trip passes through a non-designated region, a sealed transport cage or an additional certificate (ANNEX) is needed
7. Import inspection	AQS inspects the dog on arrival

The residence rule says the dog must meet at least one of these three conditions:

It has lived continuously in a designated region since birth.
It has lived continuously in a designated region for at least 180 days immediately before export to Japan.
It has lived continuously in a designated region since being directly imported from Japan.

If none applies, AQS says the dog must be held in detention quarantine on arrival to make up the difference (180 days minus the days spent in the designated region). Problems with the cage seal or the ANNEX can also lead to detention quarantine of up to 180 days.

What happens if the requirements are not met

Situation	What AQS says
The dog doesn’t meet import requirements	Detention quarantine “for up to 180 days,” or the dog “will be returned”
Deficiencies in the certificates	Detention quarantine for up to 180 days, or the dog is shipped back
Waiting period short of 180 days	Detention for the period needed to make up the shortage
Costs during detention	The importer is responsible for caretaking, feeding, and all costs
Leaving the facility	Not allowed under any circumstances, except when the dog is returned to the exporting country

AQS adds that visits are allowed with restricted hours and visitors, and a vet can visit for treatment if needed. Its dog and cat page also warns that a person who fails to have a dog inspected can face a custodial sentence of up to three years or a fine of up to three million yen.

After arrival: city registration and yearly rabies shots

The steps don’t end at the airport.

Keep the import quarantine certificate. AQS says it cannot be reissued, and you will need it if you ever take the dog out of Japan.
Register the dog with your city within 30 days. AQS says to bring the import quarantine certificate to the municipality where the dog is kept, “for registration within 30days of import.”
Rabies shots once a year. AQS says dogs must be vaccinated against rabies once a year under Japan’s Rabies Prevention Act.
Microchip registration in Japan. AQS says an ISO microchip number can be registered domestically with the import quarantine certificate, and points to AIPO (Animal ID Promotion Organization) for details.

If you will live in Sapporo, the City of Sapporo’s page on dog registration and rabies vaccination says the Rabies Prevention Act requires owners of dogs 91 days old or older to register the dog and get a rabies shot once a year. Registration is done once in the dog’s lifetime, and you receive a registration tag. The shot is every year, and you receive a vaccination tag. The city says both tags must be attached to the dog, for example on the collar. Registration and the rabies shot are separate procedures, and the page also says microchip registration is separate from dog registration.

My post Living with a Dog in Japan: Basic Rules and Manners covers registration, rabies shots, and everyday manners in more detail. If your dog will travel in a carrier, Carrier Training for a Small Dog: A Step-by-Step Guide walks through small steps. And if your dog will arrive just before the cold season, Your First Sapporo Winter with a Small Dog: A Simple Checklist may help.

A simple timeline to discuss with your vet

For the non-designated route, the order is fixed by the AQS steps. This is only a way to picture it, not a schedule for your dog.

Order	What to do	AQS number to remember
1	Microchip	ISO 11784 and 11785, 15 digits
2	First rabies vaccination	At least 91 days old, after the chip
3	Second rabies vaccination	30 days or more after the first
4	Blood sample for the antibody test	On or after the day of the second shot, at least 0.5 IU/ml
5	Waiting period	180 days or more from blood sampling
6	Advance notification	Not less than 40 days before arrival
7	Clinical inspection	Within 10 days before boarding
8	Certificates and arrival	Government-issued certificates, then inspection
9	City registration	Within 30 days of import

Start early, keep every document, and check each step with the Animal Quarantine Service and your vet. Rules and lists can change, so read the latest AQS pages before you book a flight.

FAQ

How long does it take to bring a dog to Japan?

From a non-designated region, the dog needs a microchip, at least two rabies vaccinations, an antibody test, and then a waiting period: AQS says the dog must arrive after 180 days have passed from the blood sampling date. You also need to notify AQS not less than 40 days before arrival. Confirm your own timeline with AQS and your vet.

Will my dog be quarantined when it arrives in Japan?

AQS says that if a dog meets the import requirements, the quarantine period will be within 12 hours. A dog that does not meet them can be held at a detention facility for up to 180 days or returned, and the importer pays the costs. Confirm the current rules with AQS before you travel.

What do I need to do after my dog arrives in Japan?

AQS says to bring the import quarantine certificate to your municipality to register the dog within 30 days of import, and that dogs must get a rabies vaccination once a year. Keep the import quarantine certificate, because AQS says it cannot be reissued.

Sources checked: Animal Quarantine Service (MAFF), “Other regions” (Import dogs and cats into Japan from non-designated regions), Animal Quarantine Service (MAFF), “Designated regions” (Import dogs and cats into Japan from the designated regions), Animal Quarantine Service (MAFF), “Designated regions(map)”, Animal Quarantine Service (MAFF), “Quarantine for Dogs & Cats”, City of Sapporo, 犬の登録と狂犬病予防注射 (dog registration and rabies vaccination) (Japanese). Checked on October 8, 2026. Rules can change, so please confirm the latest requirements with the Animal Quarantine Service and your vet.