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Bringing a cat from South Korea to Germany

Yes — but plan about 7 months, because of one fact most people get wrong: South Korea is NOT on the EU's listed-country list. Cats follow the same non-listed protocol as dogs — microchip, rabies vaccination, then a rabies antibody blood test at an EU-approved laboratory (sample at least 30 days after vaccination, result 0.5 IU/ml or higher), then a 3-month wait from the sampling date before your cat may enter Germany. The EU animal health certificate must be endorsed by an official vet (APQA) within 10 days before entry. There is no quarantine if every step is right — and no shortcut around the wait.

~7 months

Earliest timeline

Vaccination + 30 days + sampling + 3-month wait

0.5 IU/ml

Titer threshold

At an EU-approved laboratory

3 months

Post-sample wait

Korea is not an EU-listed country

10 days

Cert window

Health certificate endorsed within 10 days before entry

Step-by-step checklist

Requirements — Cat · South Korea → Germany
Step	What to do	When
Microchip	Implant an ISO 11784/11785 microchip before the rabies vaccination (the same day is allowed). The chip number must match across the vaccination record, the blood test report and the health certificate.	Before anything else
Rabies vaccination	Vaccinate against rabies after the microchip, at 12 weeks of age or older. For the blood test clock, what matters is that the sample is drawn at least 30 days after this vaccination.	Day 0 of the clock
Wait at least 30 days	The blood sample for the antibody test may only be taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination. A sample drawn earlier is invalid for EU entry, however good the result looks.	≥30 days after vaccination
Rabies antibody (titer) test	Blood test at a laboratory approved by the EU, result 0.5 IU/ml or higher. Ask your Korean vet which EU-approved laboratory they use and keep the original lab report — it travels with the cat and is recorded on the health certificate.	After the 30-day wait
Wait 3 months	Your cat may not enter the EU until at least 3 months after the blood sampling date. Kittens therefore arrive at about 7 months old at the earliest.	3 months from sampling
EU animal health certificate + APQA endorsement	In the final 10 days, an authorised vet completes the EU animal health certificate for non-commercial movement and an official veterinarian endorses it — in Korea this runs through APQA, which issues the export (veterinary) certificate at its airport/port offices (fee ₩10,000 per case) after document review and a clinical examination. The certificate covers entry checks for 10 days and onward EU travel for up to 4 months. Bring the pet, its vaccination certificate and the lab report.	Final 10 days
Entry through a designated point	Enter the EU through a designated travellers' point of entry (the major German international airports) and present the certificate, lab report and your signed non-commercial declaration. Expect the chip to be scanned and documents checked against it.	Arrival

Your preparation timeline

1~7 months out — Microchip, then rabies vaccination
2~6 months out — Blood draw (≥30 days after vaccination) at an EU-approved laboratory
3Months 1–3 of the wait — The 3-month post-sampling wait runs — no paperwork can shorten it
4Final 10 days — EU health certificate completed and APQA-endorsed at the export quarantine inspection (₩10,000)
5Arrival — Document and chip check at the designated entry point — no quarantine if compliant

The mistake that causes trouble on this route: Assuming Korea gets the 'listed country' shortcut because Japan does. It does not: Japan and Singapore are on the EU Annex II lists, South Korea is not — so the blood test and the 3-month wait are mandatory for cats exactly as for dogs, and a file prepared the Japanese way will be refused at the German border. The second trap is timing the blood draw before the 30 post-vaccination days are up, which invalidates the sample and restarts the clock.

Costs you can plan for

Germany charges no entry fee and there is no quarantine bill if the file is right. Your costs are the process itself: the EU-approved laboratory's titer test fee (the expensive single item — ask your Korean vet for the current price), the vet visits for vaccination and certification, and APQA's export inspection fee of ₩10,000 per case. Add the air fare. The real cost of an error is time: an invalid sample means a new test and a new 3-month wait.

✈️ 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

Why does Korea need a blood test when Japan doesn't?

Because of the EU's country lists. Japan (and Singapore) appear in Annex II of the EU pet-movement rules, which waives the antibody test; South Korea does not appear, so it is treated as a non-listed country: test at an EU-approved lab, 0.5 IU/ml or higher, then a 3-month wait from sampling. The rule applies to cats exactly as it does to dogs.

Can the 3-month wait be shortened?

No. It runs from the blood sampling date and is fixed in the EU rules for non-listed countries. The only recognised exception is for pets whose favourable test was done and recorded in the EU before they left it — which does not apply to a cat that has always lived in Korea.

How long is the health certificate valid?

It must be issued within 10 days before you enter the EU and stays valid for the entry checks in that window; once inside, it covers onward travel within the EU for up to 4 months from issue.

Does my cat need any extra treatments for Germany?

No — Germany (unlike Finland, Ireland, Malta or Norway) does not require a tapeworm treatment for cats or dogs arriving from a third country. The chip, vaccination, blood test, wait and endorsed certificate are the whole federal file.

Related guides

✓ Last verified: 2026-11-12

Official sources for this page

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