Bringing a dog or cat to Hong Kong
Every dog and cat needs an AFCD Special Permit and must arrive as manifested cargo. Pets from Group I and II places can skip quarantine if every condition is met. Group IIIA (including Mainland China, Macao, Malaysia and Thailand) does 30 days of quarantine after a titer test. Everyone else (Group IIIB) does at least 120 days.
Which rules apply to you
Hong Kong sorts arriving pets by where they travel from. Find your group, then follow its steps.
| Arriving from | Titer test | Wait after sample | Permit | Quarantine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group I (rabies-free)Pets imported directly from Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the UK or Jersey. Hawaii has no ISO2 code, so it is not in the list. | No | — | Yes | Only if rules not met |
| Group II (rabies under effective control)Pets exported from a Group II place, including the continental USA, Canada, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and many EU countries. AFCD lists just 'Virgin Islands', so both VG and VI are included. The pet must have lived there for at least 180 days or since birth. | No | — | Yes | Only if rules not met |
| Group IIIAPets exported from Mainland China (since 3 June 2025), Hungary, Lithuania, Macao, Malaysia or Thailand | Yes | 3 months | Yes | 30+ days |
| Group IIIB (all other places)Any country or place not in Group I, II or IIIA (for example India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and the UAE, and several EU members such as Poland, Romania and Greece) | No | — | Yes | 120+ days |
Step by step
Microchip the pet
Use an ISO or AVID chip. Dogs 5 months or older may be re-chipped on arrival if the chip doesn't match Hong Kong's format.
Get an AFCD Special Permit
Apply with forms AF240 and UN110 (fee HK$432, plus HK$102 per extra animal). Allow at least 5 working days. The permit is valid 6 months for one shipment.
Health certificate
Get the VC-DC1 animal health certificate from a government vet (or a vet with government endorsement) within 14 days of export. It confirms residency and health.
Fly as manifested cargo
Take the most direct route as manifested cargo; cabin and excess baggage are not allowed. The captain completes the airline certificate (PC101).
Notify AFCD and get a dog licence
Notify the AFCD duty officer at least 24 hours before arrival. Dogs 5 months or older must be rabies-vaccinated and licensed after arrival.
Normally exempt if all permit conditions are met. Pets without proper documents face at least 4 months' quarantine or are sent back.
Microchip the pet
Use an ISO or AVID chip. The number must match all certificates.
Vaccinate against rabies and core diseases
Give the rabies vaccine 30 days to 1 year before export; a first-ever rabies shot must be at 90 days of age or older. Give core vaccines (DHP for dogs, FVRCP for cats) 14 days to 1 year before export.
Get an AFCD Special Permit
Apply with AF240 and UN110 (HK$432 plus HK$102 per extra animal). The permit is valid 6 months.
Health and residence certificates
Get the VC-DC2 health certificate within 14 days of export, plus the residence and rabies vaccination certificates, endorsed by the government vet.
Fly as manifested cargo
Take the most direct route. A stopover in a Group III place needs prior approval. Notify AFCD at least 24 hours before arrival.
May be exempt from quarantine if fully compliant. Pets without proper documents face at least 4 months' quarantine or are sent back.
Microchip first
Implant an ISO or AVID chip before the rabies vaccine and blood test.
Vaccinate
Give the rabies vaccine (inactivated or recombinant) at 90 days of age or older, 30 days to 1 year before export. Give core vaccines 14 days to 1 year before export.
Rabies titer test
Draw blood 90 days to 1 year before export and test it (FAVN/RFFIT) at an AFCD-approved lab. The result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml.
Permit and quarantine booking
Get the Special Permit (or form AF301 for the Mainland) and book a quarantine space. The licensed centres have very few spaces.
Health certificate within 7 days
A government vet issues or endorses the certificate within 7 days of export.
Arrive and quarantine 30 days
Notify AFCD 24 hours ahead. AFCD escorts the pet to quarantine for at least 30 days.
At least 30 days at an AFCD Animal Management Centre or a licensed quarantine centre. Pets without proper documents face at least 4 months.
Vaccinate and microchip
Fully vaccinate the pet according to AFCD guideline G122. Vaccination certificates must show the date of birth, breed, sex and microchip number.
Permit and quarantine reservation
Get an AFCD Special Permit and book a space at a government quarantine kennel/cattery.
Serve 120 days' quarantine
The pet arrives as manifested cargo and is held for at least 120 days at the owner's expense.
At least 120 days at a government Animal Management Centre
Good to know
- Cats
- Same groups and steps as dogs. Cats need panleukopenia and cat-flu vaccines instead of the dog core vaccines. The rule that dogs 5 months or older must be rabies-vaccinated and licensed on arrival applies only to dogs. Bengal cats must be documented as 5th generation or later.
- Banned breeds
- Pit Bull Terrier (American Staffordshire Terrier), Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Crosses of the above, Staffordshire Bull Terrier needs a statutory declaration (not banned), Bengal cats earlier than 5th generation
- How many pets
- Not specified (one permit can cover several animals in one shipment)
- Parasite treatment
- Not specified on the pages checked
- Arrival
- Hong Kong International Airport, as manifested cargo only (no cabin or excess baggage, except approved assistance dogs). AFCD airport offices at the cargo terminals operate 24 hours.
- Animals under 5 months old or more than 4 weeks pregnant cannot be imported (Group II permit terms).
- Disability assistance dogs are exempt from quarantine and the 6-month residency rule with one rabies titer test at least 6 months before entry. This does not apply to emotional support animals.
- Pets leaving Hong Kong need a new permit to return.
What we could not confirm
- The Group I permit terms (DC-01) could not be fetched. Group I residency, age and certificate timing are assumed to match the Group II terms, minus the rabies vaccine.
- The Group II terms read were version v04 (Dec 2020); AFCD now links v05. Details may have changed.
- The Group IIIB vaccine rule (G122) was not read in detail, so vaccineDosesRequired = 1 is an assumption.
- AFCD lists just 'Virgin Islands' in Group II, so it's unclear whether that means the British or US Virgin Islands; both are included.
- The pages checked give no parasite treatment requirement.
- AFCD lists 'Virgin Islands' in Group II without saying whether it means the British or US Virgin Islands, so neither is matched automatically.
Sources
Checked against official sources on 2026-10-28. Rules change: confirm with Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) before booking.