Questions about taking my dog home to USA

[Elizabeth]

Hi,

I am currently living in Yantai, China and I am moving back to the USA in August of this year. I want to take my dog with me when I move home. I got her in Yantai last September. The place I bought her from gave her a shot when she was around 6 weeks old and then she had a booster three weeks later but those are the only shots she's ever had. I read all of the information about what I need to do to get her back to the USA but I need to know if there is a certified vet clinic in Yantai where I can get her Rabies shot and other shots. Otherwise, I don't know how I would get her from Yantai to Beijing. Please let me know what my options are. I am more than willing to come to Beijing but I don't know how I would get her there.

Thanks Elizabeth

[aichong]

Dear Elizabeth,

Thank you for writing to ICVS.

Here are some steps to follow:

- For the official rabies vaccination certificates in Yantai, please contact the local Animal Husbandry Bureau and find an officially designated animal vaccination hospital that can administer the rabies vaccination and also issue the official rabies vaccination certificate. Tell them you are taking your pet out of China. You will likely have to also take your pet for an exit health examination at an officially designated animal hospital in Yantai. Every province has its own interpretation of exit requirements and issues its own “official vaccination immunity certificates” (Such as “Vaccination red book” in Beijing). Each province will have officially designated animal hospitals that are authorized to perform the exit health examination so please check with the official Animal Husbandry Bureau for Yantai. In Chinese and pinyin, the Animal Husbandry Bureau is: Xu4 Mu4 Ju2 畜牧局.

- PRC exit regulations require that all pets for export be vaccinated for rabies at least 30-days before departure but no more than 12-months before departure.

The information above is for owners departing China from Yantai. If you wish to depart China from Beijing, you will then need to clear all exit requirements in Beijing. Please contact ICVS if you need information on exiting from China from Beijing.

- For entry into the continental USA (all states except for Hawaii), your pet must be rabies vaccinated at least 30-days before arrival but no more than 12-months before arrival.

The continental USA does NOT require microchipping, rabies antibody titre testing or quarantine for healthy animals that satisfy these requirements.

Owners must still check with the embassy or Department of Agriculture or Quarantine Bureau of the country to which the pets are relocating for accurate guidelines on latest requirements. In the USA, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the governing agency in charge of animal import and export.

You may wish to check the web site (link below) of the USDA for the most up-to-date regulations, which are subject to change without prior notice:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/index.shtml

- You may also wish to contact a professional pet relocation company for advice. There are several companies on the link to the “Exiting from China with Pets” section of the ICVS web site below:
http://www.icvsasia.com/index.php?optio ... 75&lang=en

Please contact ICVS if you have any additional questions.

Best regards,
Aichong