Bringing a Dog to Taiwan: Import Rules, Flights and What It Costs
A dog enters Taiwan under the same APHIA rulebook as a cat: microchip, rabies vaccination, a rabies titer from most countries, an import permit and a 7-day quarantine that can be waived. What changes for a dog is everything around that rulebook: a breed ban, the cabin-or-hold decision, crate size, heat embargoes, and a bill that scales with weight.
You keep one timeline. We check the breed, build the titer calendar, file the permit, book the crate and the flight, and clear your dog at Taoyuan.
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Can your dog come to Taiwan? The four questions we ask first
Before any vet visit is booked, four answers decide whether the move is routine, slow, or not possible at all. Every other step on this page follows from them.
| Question | Why it matters | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Is the dog a Pit Bull Terrier type? | Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture banned the import of Pit Bull Terrier type dogs (American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier) from 1 March 2022. | If yes, the dog cannot be imported. There is no permit route around it. |
| Where is the dog coming from? | APHIA treats a short list of origins as rabies-free (Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, Norway excluding Svalbard, Iceland, Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Hawaii and Guam in the USA). Everywhere else is a rabies-infected origin. | Rabies-free: no titer, no quarantine, a few weeks of lead time. Rabies-infected: titer, permit, and 7 days of quarantine unless waived, which means months. |
| How big is the dog, and is it flat-faced? | Airlines, not APHIA, decide cabin versus hold versus manifest cargo, and most carriers into Taipei embargo snub-nosed breeds in hot months. | Weight and crate size set the transport mode and most of the price; a Bulldog, Pug or Boxer may have to wait for October to April. |
| When do you need to arrive? | The titer draw date fixes everything: at least 90 days before arrival for entry, 180 days for the quarantine waiver. | Less than three months of notice from a rabies-infected origin usually means the dog travels later than you do. |
The full inbound rulebook, with the permit, titer and quarantine windows in detail, lives on the Importing a Pet To Taiwan guide. Moving a cat instead, or as well? See Bringing a Cat To Taiwan.
Prefer one team to run the whole dog move?
886JetPet checks eligibility, builds the titer calendar backwards from your arrival date, files the APHIA permit, sizes the crate, books the flight and clears your dog at Taoyuan. You get a dedicated coordinator and a live dashboard.
- Free initial review
- No commitment
- Takes only a few minutes
The dog import sequence, in order
Each step's validity depends on the one before it. The order is not negotiable, which is why a late fix costs months rather than days.
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Confirm breed and transport mode First week
- Rule out the Pit Bull Terrier type ban and check whether the dog is brachycephalic (see our guide to restricted dog breeds in Taiwan).
- Weigh and measure the dog standing: crate size follows the IATA formula, and crate size decides whether excess baggage is even an option.
- Shortlist carriers. Snub-nosed dogs need an airline with an active brachycephalic policy on your routing and a cool-season date (flying snub-nosed breeds to Taiwan).
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Microchip, then rabies vaccination T−8 to T−7 months
- A 15-digit ISO microchip must be recorded before the rabies vaccination that everything else relies on. A chip implanted afterwards voids the vaccine for Taiwan's purposes.
- Inactivated (or approved recombinant) rabies vaccine only; modified live vaccines are rejected.
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Rabies titer blood draw T−7 to T−3 months
- Rabies-infected origins only. Blood drawn after the vaccination, tested at a WOAH reference or APHIA-designated laboratory, result at least 0.5 IU/mL.
- Drawn 90 days to 1 year before arrival: the dog can enter and serves 7 days of quarantine. Drawn 180 days to 1 year before arrival: the quarantine can be waived if the permit timing below also fits.
- Read our explainer on the FAVN rabies titer test for laboratories and validity.
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APHIA import permit and quarantine reservation T−120 to T−20 days
- Filed on APHIA's e-permit portal at least 20 days before arrival. For the quarantine waiver, either file at least 120 days before, or file at the normal 20 days and have the laboratory or the exporting authority send the titer report to APHIA directly. The application is free; a NT$100 processing fee is paid in cash on arrival.
- A quarantine slot is reserved even when a waiver is expected: the waiver is APHIA's decision, not the applicant's.
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Flight, crate and routing T−6 to T−3 weeks
- Live-animal space is confirmed with the airline, the crate is built to the IATA fit rule (one size larger for flat-faced dogs), and the dog starts crate conditioning (our 4-week plan).
- Direct flights where they exist; where a transit is unavoidable, a routing with animal-handling facilities and no embargo on the layover.
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Health certificate and endorsement T−10 days to departure
- The origin government veterinary certificate, issued in the final days before the flight and carrying the microchip number, vaccination and titer details. Taiwan wants the original at the counter, not a scan.
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Arrival at Taoyuan T−0
- APHIA scans the chip and reconciles permit, certificate and titer report against the live dog, then releases it or transfers it to the reserved quarantine facility.
- Once resident, Taiwan requires an annual rabies booster for dogs and registration with the local animal protection authority. We point you to the right office and vet.
What drives the cost of moving a dog to Taiwan
Dogs are more expensive to move than cats for one reason: the flight is priced on crate volume and weight, and dogs come in every size. The lines below are the same for every dog; the amounts are not.
Flight and crate
The largest line, from a few hundred dollars for a small dog as excess baggage to several thousand for a giant breed as manifest cargo. See what a large dog costs to move.
Veterinary work and the titer
Microchip, vaccination, the laboratory fee for the titer, and the final health certificate with government endorsement.
Quarantine, when it applies
Seven days at an APHIA facility, billed per day, plus transfer. Avoidable with the 180-day titer and 120-day permit combination.
Ground handling and the agent
Pickup, vet taxi, airport handling at both ends, delivery to your door, and the coordination fee. Our full cost breakdown lists typical ranges line by line.
Tell us the breed, weight, departure country and target arrival month. We will tell you the transport mode, the week the blood draw has to happen, and an itemised price.
What 886JetPet handles on a dog import
Your dog import to Taiwan move, fully handled
Track your pet's entire relocation in one live dashboard, unique to 886JetPet
Coming from a specific country?
Each corridor guide adds the origin's own export rules to the Taiwan inbound steps above.
Select your departure country 33 route guides
Veterinary professional? See how clinics use us as a documentation back-office: Partnering with 886JetPet for compliant live-animal documentation.
Bringing a dog to Taiwan: common questions
Can I bring my dog to Taiwan?
Yes, from almost every country, provided the dog has an ISO microchip, a valid rabies vaccination given after the chip, and, unless the origin is on Taiwan's rabies-free list, a passing rabies titer drawn 90 days to one year before arrival plus an APHIA import permit. Pit Bull Terrier type dogs (American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier) cannot be imported.
Does my dog have to quarantine in Taiwan?
From a rabies-infected origin, the default is 7 days at an APHIA designated facility after arrival. It can be waived when the titer blood was drawn 180 days to one year before arrival and either the import permit was filed at least 120 days ahead, or the laboratory or exporting authority sent the titer report to APHIA directly. From a rabies-free origin such as Japan, the UK, Australia or Hawaii there is no quarantine.
Can my dog fly in the cabin to Taiwan?
Rarely. EVA Air and China Airlines carry no pets in the cabin at all, and most carriers flying into Taipei move dogs in the hold as excess baggage or as manifest cargo; in-cabin is limited to very small dogs (under about 8 kg including the carrier) on a few European carriers serving Taipei. For most dogs the realistic question is excess baggage versus manifest cargo, which we decide by weight, crate size, routing and season.
Which dog breeds are banned or restricted in Taiwan?
Taiwan has banned the import of Pit Bull Terrier type dogs (American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier) since 1 March 2022. Other breeds can enter. Separately, airlines restrict snub-nosed breeds such as Bulldogs, Pugs and Boxers, often with seasonal heat embargoes, so a flat-faced dog may have to wait for the cooler months or use a specific carrier.
How old does a puppy have to be to enter Taiwan?
The rabies vaccination must come after the microchip, and from a rabies-infected origin the titer sample must be drawn after vaccination and at least 90 days before arrival. In practice a puppy from such a country is usually around seven months old at the earliest on arrival; from a rabies-free origin the vaccine must be given at 90 days of age or older and at least 30 days before entry, so about four months old, with the residency rule also met.
How much does it cost to bring a dog to Taiwan?
The flight is the largest line and it scales with crate size and weight, so a large dog travelling as manifest cargo costs several times what a small dog costs. Veterinary work, the titer laboratory fee, the crate, quarantine where it applies and the agent fee come on top. Our cost guide lists the typical ranges; a quote prices your dog, route and dates.
Your dog's move, decided on day one rather than at the check-in desk
Breed, size, season and origin decide the shape of a dog move before a single form is filed. Tell us those four things and we will come back with the transport mode, the titer week and an itemised price, so the only surprise on arrival day is how quickly your dog finds the sofa.