BRINGING A CAT FROMJapan to Canada

Cat · Moving

Bringing a dog instead?
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Prep time about 1 week

No quarantine. Needs rabies vaccination, rabies-freedom certificate, customs declaration and arrival inspection.

Timing assumes an adult pet; young or unvaccinated pets may face other rules.

Always confirm with the destination's official authority and your airline before travelling.

Entry requirements

Tap the seal to stamp a step done.0 OF 4 STAMPED
Source:Canadian Food Inspection Agency — Automated Import Reference System (opens official site: AIRS — Cats (Domestic), origin Thailand)· checked 24 Sep 2026

Either a rabies vaccination certificate, or a vet certificate of residence plus an official rabies-freedom letter from the government veterinary authority.

ONE OF THESE IS ENOUGH
01
Rabies vaccination
before travel

Cat 3 months or older at arrival: certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian (English or French) identifying the cat (age, breed, sex, colour/markings, weight, microchip/tattoo if any) and showing it is currently vaccinated against rabies, with vaccination date, vaccine trade name and serial number and duration of immunity (1 year if not stated). The cat must have been at least 3 months old when vaccinated. No waiting period after vaccination is stated. An EU pet passport is accepted if complete.

DETAILS +

Cat 3 months or older at arrival: certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian (English or French) identifying the cat (age, breed, sex, colour/markings, weight, microchip/tattoo if any) and showing it is currently vaccinated against rabies, with vaccination date, vaccine trade name and serial number and duration of immunity (1 year if not stated). The cat must have been at least 3 months old when vaccinated. No waiting period after vaccination is stated. An EU pet passport is accepted if complete.

  • · For pets aged 3 months or more
02
Rabies-freedom certificate
before travel

Instead of a vaccination: veterinary certificate (English or French, clinic letterhead, licensed vet) identifying the cat and stating it has lived in the exporting country since birth or for the 6 months before export, PLUS documentation from the country's central competent (government) authority — a letter on its letterhead, or the vet's letter endorsed by it — stating rabies has not occurred there for the 6 months before shipment. (The IRD asks only for the vet certificate; the CFIA's tool and AIRS add the government document — follow the stricter version.)

DETAILS +

Instead of a vaccination: veterinary certificate (English or French, clinic letterhead, licensed vet) identifying the cat and stating it has lived in the exporting country since birth or for the 6 months before export, PLUS documentation from the country's central competent (government) authority — a letter on its letterhead, or the vet's letter endorsed by it — stating rabies has not occurred there for the 6 months before shipment. (The IRD asks only for the vet certificate; the CFIA's tool and AIRS add the government document — follow the stricter version.)

  • · For pets aged 3 months or more
Source:Canadian Food Inspection Agency — Automated Import Reference System (opens official site: AIRS — Cats (Domestic), origin Japan (rabies-free))· checked 24 Sep 2026
03
Customs declaration
before travel

Declare the pet to CBSA on arrival and present it with all documents at the first port of entry. Undeclared animals, including family pets, can be refused entry, confiscated or detained.

DETAILS +

Declare the pet to CBSA on arrival and present it with all documents at the first port of entry. Undeclared animals, including family pets, can be refused entry, confiscated or detained.

Source:Canada Border Services Agency (opens official site: Travelling with animals)· checked 04 Oct 2026
04
Arrival inspection
before travel

CBSA officers check the documents (rabies certificate valid, description matches the animal) and look at the pet. A healthy pet with correct papers that was transported humanely is released without the CFIA. A sick animal or a humane-transport problem is referred to a CFIA veterinarian (extra CFIA fees). A pet without a valid rabies certificate gets a Notice to Vaccinate: vaccinate within the deadline given (at most 14 days) and send proof to the CFIA; otherwise the CFIA typically orders the animal removed from Canada. Carry paper originals.

DETAILS +

CBSA officers check the documents (rabies certificate valid, description matches the animal) and look at the pet. A healthy pet with correct papers that was transported humanely is released without the CFIA. A sick animal or a humane-transport problem is referred to a CFIA veterinarian (extra CFIA fees). A pet without a valid rabies certificate gets a Notice to Vaccinate: vaccinate within the deadline given (at most 14 days) and send proof to the CFIA; otherwise the CFIA typically orders the animal removed from Canada. Carry paper originals.

Source:Canadian Food Inspection Agency (opens official site: Bringing animals to Canada: Importing and travelling with pets (interactive tool — dog and cat results))· checked 24 Sep 2026
  • The Import Reference Document (the legal text) asks only for a vet certificate showing 6 months' residence in a rabies-free country; the extra government document comes from CFIA guidance and AIRS. — Canadian Food Inspection Agency (incorporated by reference into the Health of Animals Regulations)
  • The rabies-free list is "under review"; check it before relying on the freedom route. — Canadian Food Inspection Agency
  • Otherwise the same applies as for a cat from any other country.

No quarantine

No source says explicitly that cats are not quarantined; inferred from HAR s. 12(4) and IRD s. 1 (the only condition is the certificate). HAR s. 9 lets an inspector order quarantine if documents are missing or disease is suspected.

Source:Department of Justice Canada (Justice Laws Website) (opens official site: Health of Animals Regulations (C.R.C., c. 296), Part II ss. 7–16 and definition of "import reference document")· checked 24 Sep 2026

Timeline

Working out your dates…

Documents

One paper per requirement above; carry originals. 0 of 3 ready.

Official fees

Fees the authorities publish for this route, in their own currency. Vet and airline charges are not included.

CBSA inspection — first animal in the shipment
Source:Canada Border Services Agency (opens official site: Inspections and fees — Schedule of inspection fees)· checked 04 Oct 2026
CAD 36.95 per consignment (excl. tax)
CBSA inspection — each additional animal in the shipment
Source:Canada Border Services Agency (opens official site: Inspections and fees — Schedule of inspection fees)· checked 04 Oct 2026
CAD 6.16 per animal (excl. tax)
vaccination order — first animal in the shipmentif an officer issues a vaccination order (Notice to Vaccinate); charged for arrivals from every country, including the United States
Source:Canada Border Services Agency (opens official site: Inspections and fees — Schedule of inspection fees)· checked 04 Oct 2026
CAD 67.75 per consignment (excl. tax)
vaccination order — each additional animal in the shipmentif an officer issues a vaccination order (Notice to Vaccinate); charged for arrivals from every country, including the United States
Source:Canada Border Services Agency (opens official site: Inspections and fees — Schedule of inspection fees)· checked 04 Oct 2026
CAD 36.95 per animal (excl. tax)

Entry points

Where a pet may enter Canada, per the rules.

  • Any point of entry.
    No source designates ports of entry for personal pet dogs, cats or assistance dogs: present the pet to CBSA at the first port of entry (see the arrival inspection step). This is our reading of the sources' silence.
    CFIA inspectors are not at every port at all hours — book ahead only when a CFIA inspection is required (medical exemption, some commercial imports).

Airlines

Airline rules are separate from entry rules and change without notice — confirm in writing when you book. Only what the carriers' own pages say, read 25 Sep 2026. All airlines

  • Lufthansa LH
    CabinYes
    HoldYes
    Snub-nosedHold: no · Cargo: restricted
  • Emirates EK
    CabinNo
    HoldYes
    Snub-nosedCargo: only Nov – Apr
  • ANA (All Nippon Airways) NH
    CabinNo
    HoldYes, up to 45 kg incl. crate
    Snub-nosedHold: not 1 May – 31 Oct
  • Qantas QF
    CabinNo
    HoldCargo only
    Snub-nosedNot stated
  • Delta Air Lines DL
    CabinYes
    HoldNo
    Snub-nosedHold, cargo: no
  • KLM KL
    CabinYes, up to 8 kg incl. carrier46 × 28 × 24 cm
    HoldYes, up to 75 kg incl. crate
    Snub-nosedHold: no
  • Air France AF
    CabinYes, up to 8 kg incl. carrier46 × 28 × 24 cm
    HoldYes, up to 75 kg incl. crate
    Snub-nosedHold: no · Cargo: restricted
  • British Airways BA
    CabinNo
    HoldCargo only
    Snub-nosedCargo: restricted
  • Qatar Airways QR
    CabinNo
    HoldYes, up to 75 kg incl. crate
    Snub-nosedHold: restricted

Return trip to Japan

Moderate for a returning pet, about 6 weeks of preparation. No quarantine when the paperwork is in order (up to 12 hours on arrival).

  • Second rabies vaccination — 30+ days after the first rabies vaccination: Second rabies vaccination in Japan, at least 30 days after the first and within its effective period. While abroad, give each booster before the previous effective period ends and have it recorded on the government certificate of the country of stay.
  • Rabies antibody (titer) test — the blood draw must happen before you leave, so plan it into the outbound trip: Blood drawn in Japan after the second vaccination and within its effective period; test at a designated laboratory; titer ≥0.5 IU/ml; valid 2 years from blood sampling. If the return is more than 2 years after the blood sample, a new sample must be taken in the country of stay and tested at a designated laboratory.
  • Export certificate from home: Export inspection by the AQS before leaving Japan: apply at least 14 days before the desired inspection date; bring the originals of the microchip certificate, rabies vaccination certificates and the laboratory report, which the AQS records on the export quarantine certificate. Keep that certificate for the return.
  • Advance notice to the authority — 40+ days before arrival: Notify the AQS at the airport of return at least 40 days before arrival (NACCS or e-mail).
Source:Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF (opens official site: F.A.Q. — taking dogs and cats abroad from Japan (incl. "Short trips abroad"))· checked 04 Oct 2026

Full checklist for a cat from Canada to Japan

Leaving Canada with the pet

  • Leaving Canada with a dog — most destinations need an export certificate from a licensed vet endorsed by an official CFIA veterinarian.
Source:Canadian Food Inspection Agency (opens official site: Travelling with your dog)· checked 04 Oct 2026

What they actually checked at the border

Reports from people who made this trip, read by a person before publishing.

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Sources

Every requirement above comes from one of these pages. Last researched 24 Sep 2026. Seen a change? Tell us.

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More routes

Checklists for nearby trips — same rules engine, same official sources.