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Bringing a Dog or Cat to Japan from Canada: What Canadian Owners Need to Know

General information, not veterinary advice. Requirements are set by the destination authority and can change: confirm with the official authority, your accredited vet and your airline.

Canadian owners follow Japan's non-designated region rules: microchip, two rabies vaccines, a titer test, a 180-day wait and an advance notification. Three points make the route from Canada different, and each can cost months if discovered late:

  • No laboratory in Canada is designated by Japan for the titer test.
  • The certificate must be endorsed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) before your pet leaves Canada.
  • Air Canada does not carry pets in the hold to Japan from June to September.

The rules themselves come from Japan's Animal Quarantine Service (AQS), part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).

The titer test: plan for a laboratory abroad

Japan accepts titer results only from laboratories on the MAFF designated list, and none is in Canada. MAFF tells owners in that situation to send the sample to a designated laboratory in another country and check both countries' procedures.

In North America, the list includes the Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory in the USA and CENASA in Mexico. A US Army laboratory is also listed, but only for US Forces personnel. Before the blood draw, ask the laboratory you choose whether it accepts samples from Canada and what shipping paperwork it needs.

The rules for the test itself:

  • Blood is drawn after the second rabies vaccine (the same day is allowed).
  • The result must be 0.5 IU/ml or more. Below that, your pet is retested, and the 180-day wait counts from the draw that passed.
  • The result is valid for 2 years from the draw date.

Before the test: chip and vaccines

The microchip must meet ISO 11784/11785 (15 digits, numbers only) and go in before the first rabies vaccine, or on the same day. Chips starting with 900202 are not accepted for now, and MAFF has flagged duplicate numbers on other 900-series prefixes.

Your pet then needs at least two rabies vaccinations after the chip. The first at 91 days of age or older, the date of birth counting as day 0. The second at least 30 days after the first, within the first vaccine's effective period. Only inactivated or recombinant vaccines are accepted. Each booster must be given before the current immunity period ends, or the sequence restarts.

The waiting period and the notification

Arrival in Japan must be at least 180 days after the passing blood draw, the draw date counting as day 0. A pet that arrives early is held at an AQS facility for the missing days.

At least 40 days before arrival, notify the AQS office at your arrival port through NACCS, Japan's online system. It asks for the titer result certificate, so the result must be back first. If NACCS is difficult, MAFF accepts the notification form by email. Once you have notified, you cannot move the arrival date earlier.

Phase What happens Timing rule
Identification Microchip, then first rabies vaccine Vaccine at 91 days of age or older
Immunity Second vaccine, blood draw sent abroad At least 30 days after the first vaccine
Waiting Result received, NACCS account set up 180 days from the draw to arrival
Notice NACCS notification filed At least 40 days before arrival
Departure Clinical exam, CFIA endorsement Within 10 days before boarding

From zero, this takes about 7 months for an adult pet. Puppies and kittens can arrive at about 10 months of age.

Your certificate and the CFIA appointment

The CFIA Japan page refers you to MAFF for the export certificate. MAFF's model is Form AC with its ATTACH sheet. Your licensed veterinarian examines your pet within 10 days before boarding, confirms no signs of rabies (and, for dogs, of leptospirosis), and completes and signs the certificate. An official CFIA veterinarian then endorses it.

Points to plan around:

  • CFIA endorsement is by appointment only, booked through your local CFIA office. There are no walk-ins.
  • CFIA cannot endorse once your pet has left Canada.
  • CFIA charges a service fee, and the amount is set by a CFIA officer after booking. Payment is online by credit or prepaid credit card, at least 3 days before the appointment.
  • Japan accepts electronic certificates from a short list of countries that does not include Canada, so carry the paper originals.

Every blank must be filled, without pencil or correction tape: a deficient certificate can mean detention for up to 180 days.

Choosing a flight

MAFF sets no cabin or cargo rule here, so the airline decides. At the time of writing, Air Canada's page states:

  • No pets in the hold to Japan from 1 June to 30 September.
  • No pets as checked baggage or cargo from 18 December to 4 January.
  • Short-nosed dog breeds cannot travel in the hold.
  • In the cabin, one cat or small dog per passenger in a soft-sided carrier under the seat.

ANA's page states that pets cannot travel in the cabin. Japan Airlines' page describes pets carried in an air-conditioned hold; ask JAL about breed and seasonal rules on your international flight.

Dogs must arrive at a designated port, such as Narita, Haneda or Kansai. Cats arriving elsewhere: contact AQS in advance.

Plan it with the kit

The Canada to Japan kit applies the MAFF and CFIA rules to your own move. It contains a user guide, a timeline workbook that computes every date from the flight date, a vet visit brief, a document and airline checklist, and letter templates.

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