BRINGING A CAT FROMGermany →to Japan

Microchip, then two rabies vaccinations at least 30 days apart (first at 91 days old or more), a rabies antibody test at a laboratory designated by Japan, and at least 180 days from that blood sample to arrival. Notification 40 days ahead, vet check within 10 days before boarding, government-endorsed certificate. Arriving early means detention for the missing days; errors in the paperwork can mean up to 180 days' detention or return.

• Arriving before the 180 days are up (all else in order) means detention at the AQS for the missing days, at the owner's cost; the AQS strongly advises finishing the wait abroad. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• No exceptions to the 180 days, even for sick animals. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• If the antibody test result expires before arrival, a new test is enough — no new 180 days — provided the rabies vaccinations never lapsed, the new blood sample is at least 180 days after the first one, and the titer is again ≥0.5 IU/ml. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Vaccine rules: boosters must be given before the previous vaccination's effective period ends; a late one does not count and everything restarts. Live and RNA vaccines are not accepted; doses given at 84–90 days are invalid. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• A rabies vaccination given before the microchip can still count as the first dose under the conditions in the AQS guide's Reference 1 (pet at least 91 days old at that dose; chip implanted afterwards; blood sample and second dose on the same day, at least 30 days after the first and within its effective period — or two antibody tests around the second dose). Contact the AQS first. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Accepted test methods are FAVN or RFFIT; micro-RFFIT is not accepted. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• micro-RFFIT is not an accepted measurement method. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Biobest Laboratories (UK) was struck off the designated list on 2025-06-25; holders of Biobest reports issued 2024-11-27 … 2025-06-25 must contact the AQS at their port of entry. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• The Pas-de-Calais departmental laboratory (France) was also struck off, because it was dropped from the French government's approved list (no date given). — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Dog serum sent to the designated laboratory in Japan must carry a certificate from the exporting country's government agency. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• The notification can be filed during the 180-day wait; attach a copy of the antibody test report. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Notification precautions: later than 40 days is not accepted in principle; moving the arrival date forward, adding or swapping animals, or changes after the arrival date are not accepted in principle; if the detention facility is full you may have to change date or port. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Certificate precautions: no pencil, erasable ink or correction fluid/tape; any error means up to 180 days' detention or return — send a copy to the AQS in advance to have it checked. Electronic certificates are accepted where the exporting government issues them (AQS names the US, Brazil and Spain). — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Where to present the pet: cabin or checked baggage — AQS counter in the baggage claim area before customs; cargo — AQS office after collecting the papers from the airline. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Dogs arriving at Narita, Haneda, Chubu or Kansai may be picked at random for a blood sample (rabies antibody monitoring); the importer is told in advance. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Detention (up to 180 days) is at an AQS facility near the port; the owner pays transport to it, care, food, utilities, vet visits and reshipment. Caretaker companies are stationed only at Narita, Haneda and Kansai. Pets that must be detained for more than 12 hours have to arrive at a port with a detention facility. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Detention at home is never allowed. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Transit: no extra papers if the pet does not enter the transit country; if it does, a health certificate from the transit country is needed. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Microchip warnings: chips starting "900 202" are not accepted for now (2023-04-07); duplicated chip numbers (especially 900113, 900115, 900128, 900201, 900215, 900217, 900263) may force re-chipping and redoing the procedure (2025-12-19) — file the notification as soon as the date is known. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Vaccines other than rabies are not required; combination vaccines and parasite treatment are recommended, especially for pets facing detention. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• After import: keep the import quarantine certificate (not reissued); dogs must be registered with the municipality within 30 days and vaccinated against rabies once a year. — Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF
• Legal basis for the 12-hour release: blood drawn within 2 years before arrival, titer ≥0.5 IU/ml at a designated laboratory, and either more than 180 days since the blood sample, or a repeat sample at least 180 days after the previous one, or the sampling date recorded on an AQS certificate (Japanese pets tested before leaving Japan). Otherwise detention for 180 days minus the days since sampling. — e-Gov (Digital Agency); ordinance of MAFF
• Preparation time 30 weeks: microchip + first vaccination on day 0, second vaccination and blood sample on day 30, arrival no earlier than day 210. Laboratory turnaround is extra and not stated by the AQS.