Relocating Pets Between Taiwan and Mainland China
Mainland China is the corridor where the national rules are only half the problem. Customs (GACC) decides whether your pet enters at all and whether it spends 30 days in a designated facility — and then the city you are moving to decides, separately, whether your dog is allowed to live there.
Updated on , verified by 886JetPet
One corridor, two rulebooks
Entry to the mainland runs through the General Administration of Customs (GACC): pets arrive at designated ports, under a one-animal-per-person rule, and either qualify for release or serve 30 days in a designated quarantine facility. Coming back, Taiwan's APHIA applies its rabies-infected-origin protocol. Because the conditions attached to origin recognition and approved laboratories are revised from time to time, this is the one corridor where we re-confirm the current GACC notice for every single booking before a flight is paid for.
| Direction | Classification | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan → China | Mainland China (GACC) admits pets at designated ports under customs quarantine control | ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination certificate issued by APHIA (vaccine valid on arrival), a rabies antibody titer of at least 0.5 IU/mL from a laboratory on GACC's recognised list, and an official health certificate with a clinical examination within 14 days of arrival. One pet per person. Pets that do not satisfy the exemption conditions serve 30 days in a designated quarantine facility. |
| China → Taiwan | Taiwan (APHIA) does not list mainland China as a designated rabies-free area | Titer of at least 0.5 IU/mL sampled 90 days to 1 year before arrival, an e-permit at least 20 days ahead, and 7 days of post-entry quarantine unless one of APHIA's waiver routes applies: the blood was sampled 180 days to one year before arrival and either the import permit was filed at least 120 days ahead or the permit was filed at least 20 days ahead with the laboratory or the exporting country's quarantine authority sending the passing report to APHIA directly; a pet tested in Taiwan before export and re-entering within one year of that sampling is also exempt. |
Quick compliance checklist: Taiwan ⇄ China
Corridor-specific requirements only — the universal basics (ISO chip before vaccine, IATA crate, live-animal flight space) are covered once on the Pet Travel Hub.
| Requirement | Who rules it | Critical window |
|---|---|---|
| TPE → mainland: port of entry | China GACC (rule for pets needing quarantine); routing is our recommendation | Pets that need quarantine must enter at a port with quarantine facilities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou Baiyun, Urumqi, Alashankou); we route every booking through one so that an on-site failure means quarantine rather than return |
| TPE → mainland: one pet per person | China GACC | A single dog or cat per traveller on the accompanied route; larger households need separate travellers or a commercial consignment |
| TPE → mainland: ISO microchip | China GACC | Implanted before vaccination and readable at the counter |
| TPE → mainland: rabies vaccination certificate | China GACC | A rabies vaccination certificate issued by APHIA, with the vaccine valid on arrival; GACC's announcement does not prescribe a number of doses |
| TPE → mainland: rabies antibody titer ≥ 0.5 IU/mL | China GACC, via a laboratory on its recognised list — we confirm whether a Taiwan laboratory is currently listed before the draw | The original laboratory report travels with the pet and may be retained by officers on arrival |
| TPE → mainland: 30 days designated quarantine | GACC designated facility | Applies unless your pet meets the current exemption conditions in full — confirm the applicable notice before booking |
| Mainland → TPE: titer, e-permit and quarantine | Taiwan APHIA | Titer sampled 90 days to 1 year before arrival, e-permit at least 20 days ahead, 7-day facility stay unless waived — sample 180 days–1 year old and either permit ≥ 120 days ahead or permit ≥ 20 days with the lab or exporting authority reporting directly to APHIA; a pet tested in Taiwan before export and back within a year is exempt |
Taiwan's APHIA runs dog and cat imports through its online e-permit portal, with document uploads validated against the microchip record. We re-verify the current protocol on both sides of this corridor for every booking.
The chronological timeline
Read this top to bottom: each step's validity depends on the one before it, which is why a late fix costs months rather than days.
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Confirm the destination city's own rules T−7 months
- Before any veterinary work, check the residency rules where you will actually live: several major cities restrict dogs by breed and by shoulder height in their central districts, and registration is a separate municipal process from customs clearance.
- A pet that clears the border but cannot be registered at your address is a genuinely painful outcome — and an avoidable one.
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Build the vaccination history T−6 months
- Microchip first, then the rabies vaccination with its APHIA-issued certificate, then the titer at a GACC-recognised laboratory; a clinical examination within 14 days of arrival closes the file.
- Keep vaccine product names, lot numbers and dates legible — they are transcribed onto the certificate and checked.
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Titer blood draw T−5 months
- Sample to a laboratory recognised for the destination; 0.5 IU/mL or higher passes, and the original report travels with your pet.
- Taipei-bound instead? Draw at least 180 days before arrival to qualify for APHIA's quarantine waiver.
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File permits and confirm the current notice T−120 days to T−20 days
- Taipei-bound: File the APHIA e-permit at least 20 days before arrival. For the quarantine waiver, either file at least 120 days ahead, or file at 20 days and have the laboratory or the exporting country's quarantine authority send the titer report to APHIA directly.
- Mainland-bound: confirm the port, the exemption conditions and the accepted laboratories as they stand for your travel month — this is the step we never take from memory.
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Book uplift to a designated port T−6 weeks
- Cross-strait capacity for live animals is thinner than the passenger schedule suggests; the port requirement narrows it further.
- Confirm the routing does not transit a third country in a way that changes your pet's paperwork status.
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Export inspection, fly and clear T−10 days to T−0
- Taiwan APHIA branch inspection and export quarantine certificate in the final week.
- On arrival: customs quarantine inspection, then release or transfer to the designated facility for the 30-day stay.
Moving between Taiwan and China with your dog or cat?
886JetPet runs both directions of this corridor: the export from Taiwan with the APHIA inspection and China's own entry rules, and the import to Taiwan with the titer calendar, the e-permit and the quarantine plan.
- Free initial review
- No commitment
- Reply usually within one business day
What 886JetPet handles on this corridor
Your Taiwan ⇄ China move, fully handled
Track your pet's entire relocation in one live dashboard, unique to 886JetPet
Taiwan ⇄ China: common questions
Can I bring more than one pet to mainland China?
On the accompanied route the rule is one dog or cat per traveller. Households with two or more animals either travel with more than one adult passenger or move the additional animals as a commercial consignment, which is a different paperwork track entirely.
Will my pet have to do 30 days of quarantine?
Not automatically. Pets that meet the exemption conditions in full — microchip, a valid rabies vaccination certificate and a passing titer from a laboratory on GACC's recognised list, and a pass at the on-site check — can be released rather than held; we still route through a port with quarantine facilities so a failure means quarantine, not return. Pets that fall short of any element serve the 30 days in a designated facility at the owner's cost.
Is a rabies titer test required?
Yes, a result of at least 0.5 IU/mL from a recognised laboratory, and the original report should travel with the pet. Officers may keep it on arrival, so make sure your own records are complete before you hand it over.
Why do you re-check the rules for every booking on this route?
Because the conditions attached to origin recognition, accepted laboratories and designated ports on this corridor are revised more often than elsewhere in the region. A guide — including this one — tells you how the framework works; only the notice current in your travel month tells you what your pet must satisfy.
What about getting my pet back to Taiwan?
Mainland China is not on Taiwan's designated rabies-free list, so APHIA requires a passing titer of at least 0.5 IU/mL sampled 90 days to one year before arrival, an import permit at least 20 days ahead, and a 7-day facility quarantine. The 7-day post-entry quarantine is waived in any of three cases: (1) the pet was blood-tested in Taiwan before export and re-enters within one year of that sampling; (2) the blood was sampled 180 days to one year before arrival and the permit was filed at least 120 days ahead; or (3) the blood was sampled 180 days to one year before arrival, the permit was filed at least 20 days ahead, and the passing report reaches APHIA directly from the laboratory or the exporting country's quarantine authority (rabiesreport@aphia.gov.tw, or retrievable on the laboratory's website). APHIA makes the final decision, so quarantine space is still reserved.
Clear the border and the neighbourhood
A mainland move only counts as successful when your pet is registered and asleep in your apartment, not merely released from a port. Tell us the city and the month, and we will check the customs conditions and the municipal rules together — before the lease, the flight or the vet calendar is committed.