China is one of the more demanding destinations for pet relocation, and the rules reward precision. Meet every requirement, and your dog or cat can enter through any port with no quarantine. Miss even one and the pet must enter through a designated port and complete a 30-day quarantine at your expense. This guide walks through the current requirements for moving a pet from the United States to mainland China, in the order they must be completed, drawn from the official USDA APHIS China page.
Two important rules for a move to China: First, China allows only one pet per traveler. Second, the difference between “any port, no quarantine” and “designated port, 30-day quarantine” comes down entirely to whether your paperwork is complete and correct. Everything below is about staying on the no-quarantine path.
Can I Bring My Dog or Cat to China Without Quarantine?
Yes, if you meet every condition. Effective May 1, 2019, China allows U.S. pets to enter through any port of arrival without quarantine only if the pet has a microchip, two lifetime rabies vaccinations, and a valid rabies antibody titer test, along with a properly endorsed health certificate. According to USDA APHIS, a pet that does not meet all of these requirements must enter through a designated port and complete a 30-day quarantine, or it will be euthanized or returned to the United States. That is the actual language on the federal page, and it is why this destination leaves no room for error.
What Are the Requirements to Move a Pet to China?
Here is the full sequence for the no-quarantine path, in order.
1. Microchip
Your pet must be identified by microchip, and APHIS specifies an ISO-compliant (11784 and 11785) chip, which is 15 digits long. If your pet has a non-ISO chip, you must travel with a microchip reader that can read it. As with every destination, the microchip has to be in place before the rabies vaccinations that follow, or those vaccinations will not count.
2. Two lifetime rabies vaccinations
Your pet must have been vaccinated against rabies at least twice in its lifetime and be current at the time of arrival in China. An original copy of the current rabies vaccine certificate must accompany the endorsed health certificate and be presented to quarantine officials on arrival, so travel with photocopies as well.
3. Rabies antibody titer test
This is the requirement that sets the timeline. Your pet needs a rabies titer test showing an antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/mL. The blood sample must be tested at one of five USDA-approved laboratories, and the test must be performed on the same day as, or any day after, the second rabies vaccination. The result is valid for up to one year from the sampling date.
| Approved laboratory | Location |
| DoD Food Analysis & Diagnostic Laboratory | Fort Sam Houston, TX |
| Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory | Manhattan, KS |
| Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Virology Laboratory | Auburn, AL |
| CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases | Atlanta, GA |
| University of Missouri Veterinary Medicine Diagnostic Laboratory | Columbia, MO |
Note: pets originating from Hawaii or Guam are exempt from the titer testing requirement.
4. USDA-endorsed health certificate
The health certificate must be issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian within 14 days of arrival in China, and electronically endorsed by USDA-APHIS through the VEHCS system. Only one pet is allowed per traveler, and the traveler’s name on the certificate must match the name on the passport. The certificate must record the microchip number and implantation details, date of birth, full rabies vaccine information (including a validity expiration that must be valid on arrival), and the titer test details. A printed, endorsed copy must travel with the pet, alongside the original rabies certificate and the original titer report.
5. Documentation on arrival
At the port, you present the pet, the fees, and the full document set to the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC). APHIS also specifies a photocopy of the traveler’s passport for each pet and a printed digital photo of the pet (with something in the frame to indicate size, for large dogs). Chinese Customs must be notified of your pet’s arrival in advance of travel.
6. Register your dog with local police
After arrival, dogs must be registered with the local police at your place of residence within one month. Contact the local police office at your destination for the specific process.
Your To-do List Summary
Here’s the order of operations, plainly stated: microchip, then two rabies vaccinations, then the titer test on or after the second vaccination, then the health certificate within 14 days of arrival. Because the titer result is only valid for a year and the certificate window is only 14 days, these steps have to be timed against your actual travel date rather than completed whenever convenient. Our what to know about microchips guide covers why chip-before-vaccine is non-negotiable.
What Happens If My Pet Does Not Meet the Requirements?
The pet must enter through one of China’s designated ports and complete a mandatory 30-day quarantine in a GACC-designated facility, at your expense. During quarantine, any clinical symptoms trigger examination and laboratory testing, and the pet is released only once determined healthy. The designated ports named by APHIS include:
- Beijing Capital Airport and Beijing West Railway Station
- Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong International Airports, Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai International Passenger Transport Center, and Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal
- Guangzhou Baiyun Airport
- Urumqi Diwopu International Airport and Alashankou
In other words, the quarantine path also restricts where your pet can arrive. This is why the no-quarantine requirements are worth meeting in full: they are not just about avoiding 30 days of confinement, they also keep your routing options open.
How Long Does It Take to Move a Pet to China?
The timeline is driven by the vaccination and titer sequence. Because your pet needs two lifetime rabies vaccinations with the titer drawn on or after the second, and because the titer report has to be in hand before the health certificate, most families need to begin months ahead rather than weeks. The health certificate itself is issued only within 14 days of arrival, at the end of the process.
For how these waiting periods stack up across an international move, see our International Pet Relocation Timeline. For what the whole move is likely to cost, see our International Pet Relocation Cost guide.
Will My Dog’s Breed Be a Problem in China?
Possibly, depending on the city. Beyond the national import rules covered here, several Chinese cities apply their own breed and size restrictions at the residence level, and these are set locally rather than by GACC. Confirm the rules for your specific destination city before you commit to a move, because a pet that clears customs can still face restrictions where you intend to live. Snub-nosed breeds face a separate set of airline concerns on the flight itself; see our guide on flying with snub-nosed breeds.
Should I Use a Pet Relocation Service for China?
China is exactly the kind of move where professional coordination earns its cost. The penalty for a paperwork error is not a delay, it is a 30-day quarantine or, in the worst case, a pet that is refused entry. The one-pet-per-traveler rule complicates multi-pet families, the titer test has a hard validity window, the health certificate has a tight 14-day window, and Chinese Customs must be notified in advance. Coordinating those moving parts against a single flight date is the work.
For why a service is worth it on complex destinations, see why use a pet moving service.
Planning a move to China? Request a price quote and our relocation specialists will map the exact sequence, timing and documentation for your pet, and keep the move on the no-quarantine path from the first vaccination onward.
Sources and Further Reading
China’s import requirements are set by the General Administration of Customs (GACC) and can change without notice, and some cities apply additional local breed rules. The requirements described here were verified against the USDA APHIS China page (last modified February 2026) in July 2026 and are provided for general information only. Always confirm current requirements with USDA APHIS and Chinese authorities before making travel plans.
