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Bringing a cat from Japan to the United Kingdom
Step-by-step checklist
| Step | What to do | When |
|---|---|---|
| Microchip | ISO 11784/11785 (15-digit) microchip, implanted before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination. If the chip is not ISO standard, travel with your own reader — an unreadable chip can mean quarantine. | Before vaccination |
| Rabies vaccination | At 12 weeks of age or older. After a first (primary) vaccination you must wait at least 21 full days before travel; boosters must be in date on the day you enter Great Britain. | ≥21 days before travel |
| No titer test | Japan is a 'listed' country for Great Britain, so no rabies blood test and no 3-month wait apply. | — |
| Great Britain pet health certificate | The accepted travel document from Japan. It is completed by a veterinarian and endorsed by an official veterinarian — in Japan that endorsement runs through the Animal Quarantine Service (AQS). You must enter Great Britain within 10 days of the certificate being issued, and you also sign a declaration that your pet is not for sale or rehoming. | Final 10 days |
| AQS export inspection (Japan) | Japan's own exit procedure: apply to the AQS office at your departure airport at least 14 days before your inspection date, by email or NACCS — inspections are reservation-based. AQS recommends completing the inspection by the day before departure and issues an export quarantine certificate. | Apply ≥14 days out; inspection in the final days |
| Approved route & carrier | You must travel on an approved route with an approved company. On a plane your pet travels as cargo unless it is a recognised assistance animal or you charter a private plane. Cats need no tapeworm treatment — that requirement is dogs only. | Booking stage |
Your preparation timeline
- 1Any time — Microchip (or check the existing chip reads and is ISO)
- 2≥21 days out — Primary rabies vaccination if this is the first after chipping
- 3≥14 days out — Apply for the AQS export inspection
- 4Final 10 days — GB pet health certificate issued and endorsed; AQS export inspection in the last days
- 5Arrival — Carrier checks the chip and certificate; compliant pets go straight home
Costs you can plan for
The UK charges no government entry fee on this route. Your costs are the Japanese vet and AQS-side paperwork and the approved carrier's cargo fee — pets fly as cargo to Great Britain, which is usually the largest single cost. The expensive scenario is quarantine: up to 4 months at your expense if the certificate dates are wrong.
Questions people ask about this route
Does my cat need a tapeworm treatment?
No. The tapeworm (Echinococcus) treatment requirement applies to dogs only.
Does my cat need a pet passport?
No. From Japan the travel document is a Great Britain pet health certificate, issued and endorsed in Japan before you travel.
Can my cat fly in the cabin to the UK?
No — on approved routes pets travel as cargo on planes, unless they are recognised assistance animals or you use a chartered private plane.
What if the paperwork is wrong?
Your cat can be quarantined for up to 4 months at your expense. The certificate issue date is the detail that matters most on this route.
What changes if my cat will return to Japan afterwards?
The UK is a non-designated region for Japan, so plan the return before you leave: complete the microchip, two rabies vaccinations, designated-lab antibody test and 180-day wait in Japan first, keep vaccinations unbroken abroad, and notify AQS at least 40 days before the flight home. See the return section on this page.
Returning to Japan
Bringing your cat back to Japan later: cats follow the same AQS re-entry programme as dogs (only the leptospirosis check is dog-specific), and the UK is a non-designated region for Japan. That means an ISO microchip before the first vaccination, two rabies vaccinations (first at 91 days old or older, second at least 30 days later; inactivated or recombinant vaccines only), a rabies antibody test at a MAFF-designated laboratory at 0.5 IU/ml or higher, arrival at least 180 days after the blood draw, advance notification to AQS at least 40 days before you fly, a pre-export clinical exam within 10 days of boarding, and a government certificate endorsed by an official UK veterinarian (AQS recommends Form AC). Complete the sequence in Japan before you leave and keep vaccinations unbroken abroad: attach your AQS export quarantine certificate copy to the return notification and the arrival inspection normally clears within about 12 hours.
Related guides
- Bringing a dog from Japan to the United Kingdom
- Rabies titer tests (FAVN / RNATT): validity and waiting periods by country
- How many days before travel do you need a pet health certificate?
- Pet quarantine by country: how long, where, and how to avoid it
- Microchip before or after rabies vaccination?
- How far in advance should you start preparing?
Official sources for this page
- GOV.UK — Bringing your pet to Great Britain: what you need to do
- GOV.UK — Great Britain pet health certificate
- Japan MAFF Animal Quarantine Service — Export dogs and cats from Japan
- Japan MAFF Animal Quarantine Service — Import from non-designated regions (return rules)
We check each rule against the exporting country's official page and the destination country's official page. If the two disagree, we show the disagreement instead of guessing.
Want a professional to run this route for you?
Licensed pet relocation companies handle permits, vet paperwork and flights daily. We are adding vetted partners for this route — check back soon.