Page 1 of 8 Rules for Importation of Dogs or Cats into Taiwan  
（amendment version）  
(In case of any discrepancy between the English version and the Chinese text of these Requirements, the Chinese text shall go vern.)  
 
1. The rules are established pursuant to Article 34- 1 paragraph 1 of the “Statute for 
Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Disease”.  
 
2. Terms used in this rules are defined as follows:  
(1) Rabies -free countries/zones and rabies-infected countries/zones: these are 
referred to the "List of Infectious Animal Diseases-free and Disease Infected 
Countries (Zones)" promulgated by competent authority of this country pursuant to Article 33 of the “Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious 
Animal Disease”.  
(2) The inactivated vaccines against rabies: these mean va ccines were made from 
killed virus or bacteria, subunit vaccine, recombinant protein or un- replicable 
gene vector, etc. which were derived from biotechnology.  
(3) The disaster: it is referred to the Article 2 of "Disaster Prevention and 
Protection Act".  
(4) The au thority of disaster prevention and protection: it is referred to the Article 
3 and 4 of "Disaster Prevention and Protection Act".  
(5) The searching dog: the dog is trained to help searching, rescue work, etc. in disaster area.  
(6) The people with disabilities or m alfunction of eyes: the people whom is 
pursuant to Article 5 item 2 of “People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act” and has a relevant certificate issued by competent authority.  
(7) The guide dog: the dog is trained by professional training institutions approved by Ministry of the Interior of this country, International Guide Dog 
Federation or Assistance Dogs International and has guide dog certificate.  
(8) The professional guide dog training institutions: the institutions, organizations or agencies which are pursuant to the regulations on the qualification, management of guide dogs and young guide dogs in training, permit and other related issues, and approved by Ministry of the Interior of this country.  
 
3. The dog or cat shall have been vaccinated with inactivat ed vaccines against 
rabies prior to shipment.  
 
The vaccination mentioned above shall be implemented when dog or cat was 
at least 90 days old.  The date of arrival shall be no less than 30 days after vaccination, but not more than 1 year.  
 Page 2 of 8 When the dog or cat imported from rabies -infected countries/zones, it shall be 
vaccinated as mentioned above, and subjected to straw blood sample 180 days 
prior to shipment for rabies neutralization antibody titration test.  The report of 
test which shall be at least 0.5I U/ml and tested by rabies reference laboratories of 
the World Organization for Animal Health or laboratories designated by the 
Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine.  The date of blood sampling shall be no less than 180 days and no more than 1 year prior to shipment.  
 
However it is not applicable, if date of blood sampling is before the 
expiration date of previous test report or sampling has been done before dog or cat exported from this country.  
 4. The importer shall apply for an import permit for the dog or cat from animal 
quarantine authority at the port of entry at least 20 days prior to shipment.  
However, it is not applicable if the import permit is received prior to the exportation from Taiwan.  
  
The dog or cat from rabies- infected countries/zones will be allowed entry 
only upon completing the application of arrangement and reservation of the post-entry quarantine space in the quarantine facility by animal quarantine 
authority at the port of entry prior to import.  
  
Importing the rescue dog by the competent authority of disaster prevention 
and protection or importing the guide dog by people whom have disabilities or malfunction of eyes, these dogs could be detained at designated quarantine premise which is approved by animal quarantine authority.  
 
5. The importer, when applies for an import permit, shall submit an application and copies of following documents:  
(1) Rabies vaccination certificate issued by a veterinarian of exporting country and certifying vaccination by inactivated vaccines.  
(2) The passport or Taiwan’s civil identification card of the importer.  
(3) The certificate for disabilities or malfunction of eyes, when importing the 
guide dog.  
 
When importing dogs or cats from rabies- infected country/zones, importer 
shall provide not only the document mentioned above but also the report of neutralization antibody titration test for rabies antibody which is in compliance with paragraph 3 of Article 3.  Page 3 of 8  
The rabies vaccination certificate shall be in Chinese, English or bilingual 
language and state the breed, sex, age, microchip number and date of rabies 
vaccination.  
 
If any document is not in order or the rab ies vaccination is not in compliance 
with Article 3, the import permit shall not be issued.  
 
If the scheduled date of entry need to be changed after the import permit is 
issued, the importer shall submit an application with a copy of the original import 
permit and apply to the original issuance authority for the change before the 
expiry of the original import permit.  
 
6. On arrival of the dog or cat at the port of entry, the importer shall apply to the 
animal quarantine authority for quarantine inspection and submit the import 
permit, original veterinary certificate issued by the animal quarantine authority of exporting country, bill of lading or custom declaration form.  
 7. When the disaster happened in Taiwan, importing rescue dog under the 
permission of the com petent authority of disaster prevention and protection that 
importation is not required pursuant to paragraph 2 to 4 of Article 3, Article 4 and 
Article 5.  
 
Before importing the rescue dog, importer shall submit an application, a copy 
of rabies vaccination certificate and the import permission of the competent 
authority of disaster prevention and protection to animal quarantine authority at the port of entry.  The rescue dogs imported from rabies- infected 
countries/zones do not require post -entry quarantine . 
 
On arrival of the rescue dog at the port of entry, the importer shall apply to 
the animal quarantine authority for quarantine inspection and submit the original veterinary certificate issued by the animal quarantine authority of exporting country.  If t he rescue dog is found healthy and the certificate is in compliance 
with the requirements, the animal quarantine authority at the port of entry will issue import veterinary certificate.  The veterinary certificate shall be attested 
information as follows:  
(1) Breed, sex, age of the rescue dog.  
(2) Date of vaccination against rabies with inactivated vaccine.  
(3) No clinical sign of rabies shown upon inspection of the rescue dog.  
 Page 4 of 8 After the rescue dog is imported, the animal inspection authority of the 
prefecture and the  animal quarantine authority will assign officers to inspect the 
rescue dog, when it is necessary.  
 
8. For importation of dog or cat from rabies-infected countries/zones, the veterinary 
certificate issued by the animal quarantine authority of exporting countr y shall be 
in Chinese, English or bilingual language and includes the following information:  
(1) The series number of import permit.  
(2) Breed, sex, age, and microchip number of the dog or cat.  
(3) Date of vaccination against rabies, which is pursuant to Article 3.  
(4) No clinical sign of rabies shown upon inspection of the dog or cat.  
(5) The result of the neutralization antibody titration test which shall be at least 0.5 IU/ml, date of sampling and name of laboratory.  
 
When the importer provides a copy of the import permit,  the requirement of 
paragraph1 item 1 could be exempted  from attesting.  
 
When the importer  provides the original report of rabies neutralization 
antibody titration test, the requirement of paragraph 1 item 5 could be exempted 
from attesting.  
 
9. For importati on of the dog or cat from rabies -free countries/zones, the veterinary 
certificate issued by the animal quarantine authority of exporting country shall be in Chinese, English or bilingual language and includes the following information:  
(1) The series number of  import permit.  
(2) Breed, sex, age, and microchip number of the dog or cat.  
(3) Date of vaccination against rabies, which is pursuant to Article 3.  
(4) No clinical sign of rabies shown upon inspection of the dog or cat.  
(5) No case of rabies reported in the exporting cou ntry for the past 2 years.  
(6) The dog or cat has been raised in the exporting country continuously for at 
least 6 months prior to shipment or since birth.  
 
When the importer provides a copy of the import permit, the requirement of 
paragraph 1 item 1 could be exempted from attesting.  
 
10. When the rescue dog or guide dog is scheduled for re -import in 3 months after 
exported from Taiwan, the importer shall submit an application and a copy of the 
export quarantine certificate of Taiwan to animal quarantine authority at the port 
of entry for applying import permit.  The application is not required pursuant to Article 3 and paragraph 1 of Article 4.  Page 5 of 8   
On arrival of those rescue dog or guide dog at the port of entry, the importer 
shall apply to the animal quarantine auth ority for quarantine inspection and 
submit a copy of the export quarantine certificate of Taiwan and original 
veterinary certificate issued by animal quarantine authority of exporting country.  
 
The original veterinary certificate mentioned above shall be a ttested 
information in Chinese, English or bilingual as follows.  
(1) Breed, sex, age, and microchip number of the dog.  
(2) No clinical sign of rabies shown upon inspection of the dog.  
 
That rescue dog or guide dog imported from rabies -infected countries/zones 
is required post-entry quarantine for 21 days.  However it is not applicable, if 
their rabies vaccination certificate and report of rabies neutralization antibody 
titration test are in compliance with Article 3.  
 
11. For the dog or cat that has been exported from  Taiwan to rabies-free 
countries/zones for less than 6 months to be re -imported, the importer shall apply 
for an import permit and submit an application with the following copies of documents to the animal quarantine authority at the port of entry:  
(1) An export veterinary certificate issued by Taiwan’s animal quarantine 
authority demonstrating the exportation from Taiwan.  
(2) The passport or Taiwan civil identification card of the importer.  
 
The importer shall apply for quarantine inspection on arrival of the dog or cat 
in accordance with Article 6.  
 
The veterinary certificate accompanied with the re -imported dog or cat shall 
be in compliance with Article 9 paragraph 1 items 1 to 5, and shall further attest that "The dog (cat) has not been to the third country sinc e it arrived in this 
country".  
 
12. When conducting quarantine inspection of the dog or cat imported from rabies -infected countries/zones, animal quarantine authority at the port of entry 
shall check the veterinary certificate and detain the dog or cat at the designated 
post-entry quarantine premise for 21 days.  If the dog or cat is confirmed free 
from clinical evidence of any communicable animal disease after quarantine, the 
animal quarantine authority will issue import veterinary certificate and release the dog or cat.  
 Page 6 of 8 13. When the dog or cat imported from rabies- infected countries/zones, any violation 
should be treated as follows:  
(1) If the dog or cat dose not accompanied with an original veterinary certificate 
issued by the animal quarantine authority of exporting country shall be 
detained at the port of entry until the correct certificate been provided before due date, otherwise the dog or cat shall be re -exported, destroyed.  
(2) If the information attested in the veterinary certificate is not in compliance with Arti cle 8 paragraph 2 to paragraph 5, the dog or cat shall be detained at 
the port of entry until the correct information been provided before due date, otherwise the dog or cat shall be re -exported, destroyed or detained at the 
designated post -entry quarantine premise for 180 days.  
(3) If the rabies vaccination is not in compliance with Article 3 on arrival, the dog or cat shall be detained at the designated post- entry quarantine premise until 
the period for vaccination is over 30 days.  
(4) If the blood sampling date for neutralization antibody titration test for rabies antibody is less than 180 days prior to shipment, the dog or cat shall be re-exported, destroyed or detained at the designated post-entry quarantine premise for 180 days.  
(5) If the dog or cat is not implan ted with microchip, it shall be implanted 
immediately after arriving at the designated post- entry quarantine premise and 
detained for 180 days or destroyed.  
 
14. When conducting quarantine inspection of the dog or cat imported from rabies -free countries/zones,  animal quarantine authority at the port of entry shall 
check the veterinary certificate. If it comply with Article 3 and Article 9, and the dog or cat is confirmed free from clinical evidence of any communicable animal disease, the animal quarantine authority will issue import veterinary certificate.  
 15. When the dog or cat imported from rabies-free countries/zones, any violation should be treated as follows:  
(1) If the dog or cat without an original veterinary certificate issued by the animal quarantine authorit y of exporting country shall be detained at the port of entry 
until the correct certificate been provided before due date, otherwise the dog or cat shall be re -exported, destroyed.  
(2) If the information attested in the veterinary certificate is not in complia nce 
with Article 9 paragraph 2 to paragraph 6, the dog or cat shall be detained at the port of entry until the correct information been provided before due date, otherwise the dog or cat shall be re -exported, destroyed or detained at the 
designated post -entry quarantine premise for 21 days.  
(3) If the dog or cat is transshipped through rabies- infected countries/zones, it Page 7 of 8 shall be in compliance with one of followings, otherwise the dog or cat shall 
be re-exported, destroyed or detained at the designated post- entry quarantine 
premise for 21 days.  
i. The cage shall be sealed by the authority of exporting country, the number or mark of seal shall be attested in the health certificate.  
ii. The importer shall provide relevant certificate issued by authority of animal quarant ine, custom, airline or shipping company, which certify the dog or 
cat never leave the air port or harbor, and never contact with other animals.  
(4) If the dog or cat is found with suspected communicable animal disease on arrival, it shall be detained in desig nated post-entry quarantine premise for 
observation until it is confirmed healthy.  
(5) If the rabies vaccination is not in compliance with Article 3 on arrival, the dog or cat shall be detained at the designated post- entry quarantine premise until 
the period f or vaccination is over 30 days.  
(6) If the dog or cat is not implanted with microchip, it shall be implanted immediately after arriving at the designated post- entry quarantine premise and 
detained for 180 days or destroyed.  
 
16. If the dog or cat imported from rabies -infected countries/zones is under 90 days 
of age at time of arrival, it shall be detained for quarantine until 90 days of age and then vaccinated with rabies vaccine.  After vaccination, it will be detained for another 180 days before release.  The ani mal quarantine authority will issue 
the import veterinary certificate, if the dog or cat is confirmed free from clinical evidence of any communicable animal disease.  
 
If the dog or cat imported from rabies-free countries/zones is under 90 days 
of age at time of arrival, it shall be detained for quarantine until 90 days of age and then vaccinated with rabies vaccine. After vaccination, it will be detained for another 30 days before release.  The animal quarantine authority will issue the import veterinary ce rtificate, if the dog or cat is confirmed free from clinical 
evidence of any communicable animal disease.  
 
17. The animal quarantine authority shall designate an official to escort the dog or cat to be transported from the port of entry to the designated post-entry quarantine premise. Searching dog or guide dog could be exempted from escort.  
 
The transportation mentioned above could be authorized to the relevant 
organization, agency, or corporation.  
  
The expenditure for the transportation mentioned in paragraph 1 shall be Page 8 of 8 borne by the importer.  When necessary, the importer could provide vehicle 
transportation after approved by the animal quarantine authority.  
 
 
18. When the dog or cat in the designated post-entry quarantine premise is found 
with the situation, they should be treated as follows:  
(1) The result of the neutralization antibody titration re -test is less than 0.5 IU/ml, 
the dog or cat shall be subjected to boost vaccination.  
(2) The date of rabies vac cination had more than 1 year, the dog or cat shall be 
subjected to boost vaccination.  
(3) When delivery, the maternal animal and her offspring shall be detained 
together until the vaccination of the offspring is in compliance with paragraph 2 of Article3, and the detention of maternal animal has fulfilled the 
requirements.  The offspring shall be implanted microchip before 
vaccination.  
(4) If the animal is found has clinical evidence of any communicable animal 
disease, they shall be subjected to necessary treatment.  
  
When the dog or cat is found with suspicion of communicable animal disease, 
the detention shall be postponed until it is clarified, even the required detention days of has fulfilled the requirements.  
 
19. The expenses for detention, medical treatment, sampli ng and examinations, 
microchip, vaccination and other related fees for the imported dog or cat shall be 
borne by the importer during quarantine.  
 
20. The Rules become effective on the date of promulgation.