Moving your dog or cat from Australia to Japan: the 40-day deadline and the trip home

Getting your pet into Japan is mostly paperwork. Getting it back into Australia later is the hard bit, so plan both legs now.

The short version

• Australia is one of Japan's designated rabies-free regions, along with New Zealand, Iceland, Fiji, Hawaii and Guam. Meet the rules and quarantine at the airport is usually under an hour [1][2].
• Your pet needs an ISO microchip and must have lived in Australia for at least 180 days before export, or since birth [1].
• You must notify Japan's Animal Quarantine Service at least 40 days before arrival. Late notices are generally refused [1].
• A vet must examine your pet within 10 days before the flight, and an Australian government authority must issue the health certificate [1].
• After you land, register a dog with your ward within 30 days and vaccinate it against rabies every year [1][3].

Why it's easier than you'd think

Most countries' pet rules are built around rabies. Because Australia doesn't have it, Japan treats your pet as low risk. Animals from designated regions don't need rabies vaccinations or a blood test before export. If everything is in order, the quarantine period is within 12 hours and the inspection itself usually takes less than an hour [2].

Get it wrong and the picture changes fast. Animals that don't meet the conditions are detained at an Animal Quarantine Service (AQS) facility. An animal without a proper microchip, for example, may be held for up to 180 days [2]. The inspection is free, but you pay for transport to the facility, food, care and vet visits during detention [2].

The rules from a designated region

These are the AQS requirements for dogs and cats coming from designated regions such as Australia [1].

The microchip trap

Many Australian pets already have a microchip for council registration. Check the number before you do anything else. If it begins with 900, ask your vet to confirm it isn't on Japan's list of unaccepted or possibly duplicated ranges [1]. If it is, a second compliant chip may be the fix; ask AQS before you rely on that.

Step by step: the timeline

Start at least three months before your move. Here's a practical order based on the AQS steps [1].

1. Three months out: check the microchip and the 180 days. Confirm the chip is ISO compliant and readable. If your pet came to Australia from overseas less than 180 days before your flight, wait or plan for detention in Japan.
2. Book the flight with your pet. Direct flights run from several Australian cities to Narita and Haneda. Ask the airline early how pets travel (cabin, checked baggage or manifested cargo) and its rules on crates, temperatures and snub-nosed breeds. Japan's quarantine process is the same however your pet flies [2].
3. At least 40 days before arrival: notify AQS. Send the advance notification to the AQS branch at your arrival airport through NACCS, or by the email forms if you have trouble [1]. Keep the approval they send back.
4. Talk to the Australian export side. The health certificate has to be issued by Australia's government authority, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry [1]. Many owners use a pet transport agent to handle bookings and the export paperwork, which adds cost but takes the deadlines off your plate.
5. Within 10 days of the flight: vet exam. Your vet checks for clinical signs of rabies (and leptospirosis in dogs) and scans the chip. The results go on the health certificate [1].
6. Fly direct if you can. A transit through a non-designated country means an official crate seal or an extra certificate [1].
7. On arrival: the AQS counter. With your pet in the cabin or as checked baggage, you take the crate to the AQS counter in baggage claim before customs. Cargo pets go to the cargo area's bonded warehouse [2].
8. Keep the import quarantine certificate. It can't be reissued, and you'll need it to leave Japan or register the microchip [1].

Dogs can only come in through specific ports. Narita and Haneda are on the list of 11 airports, along with Kansai, Chubu and others [1]. Cats arriving through other ports should contact AQS in advance [1].

Settling in: ward registration and rabies shots

Japan has rabies controls that Australians have never dealt with at home.

• Register your dog with your ward within 30 days of import, bringing the import quarantine certificate [1]. In Tokyo, dogs aged 91 days or more must be registered. A dog tag is a one-off ¥3,000 in Chuo and Toshima, according to their foreign resident pages (Toshima's was updated in November 2025) [3][4].
• Rabies vaccination every year. Japan's Rabies Prevention Act requires an annual shot for dogs [1]. Tokyo wards ask for it between April and June, then you take the vet's certificate to the public health centre for a vaccination tag, ¥550 in Chuo and Toshima [3][4].
• Microchip registration: you can register an ISO chip in Japan's system using the import certificate [1]. Toshima City points dog owners to the Ministry of the Environment's microchip registration website [4].
• Cats don't need ward registration or a rabies shot, but a carrier and a microchip record make life easier, especially after an earthquake.

Finding a pet-friendly flat in Tokyo

This can take longer than the quarantine paperwork. Most Tokyo rental listings ban pets. Search for listings marked petto kanō (pets allowed) or petto sōdan (pets negotiable), and tell the agent the species, breed and size up front.

What to expect:

• Fewer options and higher costs. Pet-friendly flats are a small slice of the market. Expect an extra deposit or higher restoration charges at move-out, and read the contract for cleaning fees. Our guide to renting in Tokyo covers deposits and key money.
• Size limits. Many "pets negotiable" buildings mean one small dog or cat. A kelpie or a labrador will narrow your options a lot.
• Plan for disasters. Evacuation centres in Japan have their own pet rules, so keep a carrier, food and records ready. Our earthquake preparedness guide has the kit list.

Short on time? A serviced apartment that accepts pets can be a bridge while you search.

Planning the trip back to Australia

Here's the part people put off. Getting a pet into Australia is far harder than getting it into Japan.

Australia sorts countries into groups by rabies status. Japan is in Group 2, the approved rabies-free countries [5]. That spares you the rabies blood test and 180-day wait that Group 3 countries like the UK face, but you still need an import permit, vet preparation and a stay at the government's post-entry quarantine facility in Mickleham, Victoria [5]. Your pet must also fly into Melbourne, even if you're heading home to Perth or Brisbane.

Two tips. Keep your Japanese import quarantine certificate and every vet record. And check Australia's current conditions at least six months before your move home, because the rules can change without notice [5]. Our guide to bringing your pet home to Australia walks through permits, Mickleham and fees.

Want to know which agents, airlines and buildings other Australians used? Ask in Cooee Japan, our Facebook group for Australians in Japan. Someone has done the Sydney to Haneda run with a nervous cat before you.

Sources

1. Dogs and cats from designated regions – Animal Quarantine Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
2. Q&A: bringing dogs and cats into Japan from abroad – Animal Quarantine Service
3. Dogs – Chuo City
4. Keeping a dog – Toshima City
5. Step-by-step guides to bring your cat or dog to Australia – Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Keep reading

• Moving to Tokyo from Australia: the complete guide
• Renting in Tokyo as an Australian
• Earthquakes in Tokyo: the disaster kit and alerts Australians never needed
• Bringing your pet home to Australia