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Bringing a cat from the United States to Hong Kong

Yes — and usually with no quarantine at all. The continental US sits in Hong Kong's Group II, so a fully compliant cat is exempt from quarantine on arrival. The discipline is in the order of operations: an AFCD Special Permit (Form AF240, HK$432) must be granted before you book travel, your cat must have lived in the US for the 180 days before export, and it must fly as manifested cargo — not in the cabin. Add a microchip, a rabies vaccination given 30 days to 1 year before export, full core vaccinations, and a USDA-endorsed health certificate (VC-DC2) issued within 14 days of departure.
HK$432
Special Permit
Form AF240; valid 6 months, one shipment
180 days
US residence
Continuously before export, or since birth
No quarantine
If compliant
Group II exemption on full compliance
Cargo only
Transport mode
Manifested cargo — no cabin or baggage pets

Step-by-step checklist

Requirements — Cat · the United States → Hong Kong
StepWhat to doWhen
Special Permit — before you book anythingApply to AFCD with Form AF240 and the UN110 declaration (fee HK$432 for one animal, HK$102 for each additional animal on the same permit). Processing takes at least 3 working days — allow 5 — and the permit is valid for 6 months for one consignment only. AFCD is explicit: final travel arrangements should not be made until the permit is granted. First — weeks ahead
MicrochipImplant a microchip readable by an AVID or ISO scanner. AFCD adopted ISO 11784/11785 chips as its standard, so a standard 15-digit US chip is fine. Your cat must be at least 5 months old at import, and a female no more than 4 weeks pregnant. Before vaccinations
Rabies vaccinationGiven not less than 30 days and not more than 1 year before export, under AFCD's Group II permit terms (DC-02). A primary vaccination must be given at 90 days of age or older. 30 days – 1 year before export
Full core vaccinationsCats must be fully vaccinated against feline panleucopaenia and the feline respiratory disease complex — again not less than 14 days and not more than 1 year before export under the permit terms. 14 days – 1 year before export
Residence requirementYour cat must have resided continuously in the United States for the 180 days immediately before export (or since birth). The health certificate also confirms the area around your premises has been free of reported rabies cases in that period. 180 days before export
Health certificate + USDA endorsementAFCD's VC-DC2 certificate, one cat per certificate, issued by a USDA-accredited vet within 14 days of departure and endorsed by USDA-APHIS (for continental US shipments, VEHCS digital endorsement is accepted). Notify AFCD's Import & Export duty officer at least 24 hours before arrival, and the airline completes a captain's affidavit (Form PC101) confirming your cat stayed crated for the whole journey. Final 14 days

Your preparation timeline

  1. 1~6 months out — The 180-day US residence clock is already running — keep your cat in the US
  2. 2~1 month out — Apply for the AFCD Special Permit (AF240 + UN110); do not book flights until it is granted
  3. 3Final 14 days — VC-DC2 health certificate issued and USDA-endorsed, one cat per certificate
  4. 4Final 24 hours — Notify AFCD's duty officer of the arrival; cat travels as manifested cargo
  5. 5Arrival — Inspection at Hong Kong International Airport — no quarantine if the permit terms are fully met
The mistake that causes trouble on this route: Trying to fly your cat in the cabin. Hong Kong's Group II permit terms require cats to travel as manifested cargo — excess-baggage and in-cabin carriage are not accepted on this route, however small the cat. The second trap is sequencing: a permit applied for after the flights are booked cannot rescue a departure date that falls outside the vaccination and certificate windows.

Costs you can plan for

AFCD publishes its fees: HK$432 for the first animal on a Special Permit and HK$102 for each additional animal in the same shipment. If a cat ever falls into quarantine for missing documents, boarding is at the owner's expense — AFCD warns it can run to a minimum of 4 months — so the US-side costs (vaccinations, USDA endorsement, cargo freight) are the ones to budget, and cargo freight is usually the largest.

✈️ 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 cat need a rabies titer (blood) test for Hong Kong?

No. A titer test is not part of the Group II permit terms that cover the continental US — it applies to higher-risk groups. For a US cat the rabies requirement is the vaccination itself, given 30 days to 1 year before export.

Can my cat fly in the cabin to Hong Kong?

No. Under the Group II permit terms, dogs and cats must be transported to Hong Kong as manifested cargo. In-cabin and checked-baggage carriage are not permitted for pet imports on this route.

Are any cat breeds restricted in Hong Kong?

Yes — Bengal cats. AFCD will not accept a Bengal unless you provide documentation certifying it is of the 5th or a later generation. Contact AFCD before applying so you know exactly which documents they want for your cat.

How long is the Special Permit valid, and how long does it take?

The permit is valid for 6 months and covers one consignment only. AFCD's stated processing time is at least 3 working days once the application and fee are received — its own guidance works out to about 5 working days from receipt to issue, before any mailing time, so apply well ahead.

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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