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Bringing a dog from Japan to the United Kingdom

Good news: Japan is a listed country for Great Britain, so this is a short route. Your dog needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination (then a 21-day wait after the first one), a tapeworm treatment in the last 5 days, and a Great Britain pet health certificate endorsed by an official veterinarian in Japan. No blood test, no import permit, and no quarantine if the paperwork is right — but you must travel on an approved route, and Japan adds its own AQS export inspection before departure.
21 days
Minimum wait
After a primary rabies vaccination
None
Titer test
Japan is a listed country
None
Quarantine if compliant
Up to 4 months if rules are broken
10 days
Cert window
Enter GB within 10 days of the certificate being issued

Step-by-step checklist

Requirements — Dog · Japan → the United Kingdom
StepWhat to doWhen
MicrochipISO 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 vaccinationAt 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 testJapan is a 'listed' country for Great Britain, so no rabies blood test and no 3-month wait apply. —
Great Britain pet health certificateThe 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 & carrierYou must travel on an approved route with an approved company. On a plane your pet travels as cargo unless it is a recognised assistance dog or you charter a private plane. Booking stage
Tapeworm treatment (dogs only)A vet-administered treatment containing praziquantel, given no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before you enter Great Britain, recorded with date and time on the health certificate. 24–120 hours before entry

Your preparation timeline

  1. 1Any time — Microchip (or check the existing chip reads and is ISO)
  2. 2≥21 days out — Primary rabies vaccination if this is the first after chipping
  3. 3≥14 days out — Apply for the AQS export inspection
  4. 4Final 10 days — GB pet health certificate issued and endorsed; AQS export inspection in the last days
  5. 5Final 24–120 hours — Tapeworm treatment, recorded on the certificate
  6. 6Arrival — Carrier checks the chip and certificate; compliant pets go straight home
The mistake that causes trouble on this route: Missing the tapeworm window. The 24–120 hours is counted to your arrival in Great Britain, not your departure from Japan — on a long-haul itinerary with a layover, a treatment given '5 days before the flight' can fall out of range by landing, and a dog that misses the window can be quarantined at your expense.

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 or the tapeworm window are wrong.

✈️ Government rules are only half the trip. Airlines set their own pet carriage rules (crate size, breed limits, seasonal embargoes). Re-confirm carriage with your airline after you meet the rules above.

Questions people ask about this route

Does my dog 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. EU or GB pet passports do not replace it for this route.

Can my dog fly in the cabin to the UK?

No — on approved routes pets travel as cargo on planes, unless they are recognised assistance dogs or you use a chartered private plane.

Are any dog breeds banned?

Yes — it is illegal to own Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully types in Great Britain; 'type' is judged by appearance, and a banned type cannot be brought in without a Certificate of Exemption. Note that the Japanese Tosa is banned despite being a Japanese breed.

What if the paperwork is wrong?

Your dog can be quarantined for up to 4 months at your expense. This is why the certificate issue date and the tapeworm timing matter more than anything else on this route.

What changes if my dog 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 dog back to Japan later: the UK is a non-designated region for Japan, so re-entry runs the full AQS programme — 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 scoring 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 (rabies signs, and leptospirosis for dogs), and a government certificate endorsed by an official UK veterinarian (AQS recommends Form AC). The shortcut is to complete the vaccinations, test and 180-day wait BEFORE you leave Japan and keep rabies cover unbroken while abroad: attach a copy of your AQS export quarantine certificate to the return notification and the arrival inspection normally clears within about 12 hours. Skip the pre-departure prep and your dog cannot come home until the sequence is finished abroad — or it is detained for the missing days.

Related guides

✓ Last verified: 2026-11-12

Official sources for this page

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.

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