According to the regulations of Customs and Animal/Plant Quarantine Administration of the People's Republic of China, travelers (working in China for more than 6 months) wishing to bring pets to China should follow the steps below:

1. Obtain a pet vaccination certificate which is valid for one year, as well as a pet health certificate, which should be issued by the Animal Quarantine Agency in your country. The above certificates should be notarized by the local notary agency and legalized by your Foreign Ministry before they are legalized by the Chinese Embassy in your country.

2. The pet will be separated from the owner and put under quarantine of a professional agency designated by the Border Animal Quarantine Administration (referred BAQA hereafter) for about 30 days. The BAQA has all the rights to issue the certificate if the pet is healthy or discard it in its own way if the pet is not physically qualified.

3. The pet owner shall pay all the necessary expenses on the pet for its food, attendance, management, etc. during the quarantine.

For more information, please check with the relevant Chinese Customs or Exit-Entry Inspection and Quarantine Bureaus.

Going back home

Please be aware that when you repatriate you have to follow a similar set of procedures! The cost of brining out a cat or dog could easily set you back USD 10.000,- or more according to expatriates going back in 2010. Be aware that China is in the Rabies Zone, which is why export is far more difficult.

Links

Should you bring your pet to China?

New pet rules in Shanghai

Import procedures (SCAA)

Export procedures (SCAA)