Passports, quarantine and cabin rules, for wherever your pet is headed.
Taking a pet abroad runs on its own paperwork, separate from anything in your own suitcase: a microchip and rabies vaccination timed in the right order, an import permit or advance notification for the destination, a USDA-endorsed health certificate timed to that destination's own window, and a confirmed cabin slot with the airline before you book the flight. This page covers the EU/UK/EEA pet travel document system, quarantine and permit rules for six destinations that catch travelers out most often, cabin weight limits by airline, USDA health certificate timing, and the mistakes that cost travelers the most time. It doesn't cover airline weight and size limits for your own luggage — see Baggage — or general pre-trip logistics — see Before You Go.
The ISO 11784/11785-compliant 15-digit microchip has to go in before the rabies shot. A rabies vaccination given to a pet that isn't chipped yet is void for EU/UK entry — the vet starts the vaccination over after chipping.
21-day wait
The rabies vaccination has to be at least 21 days old on the day of travel, whether it's a pet's first-ever dose or a booster given after the previous one lapsed. There's no way to shorten this.
UK residents: an AHC, not an EU passport
Since April 22, 2026, EU pet passports are issued only to EU residents. A UK-based owner traveling to the EU needs an Animal Health Certificate instead — one per trip, valid for entry plus roughly 4 months of onward EU travel.
Dogs entering Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway or Northern Ireland need a tapeworm treatment recorded by a vet 24–120 hours before arrival — these five track rabies-adjacent parasites separately from the rest of the EU/EEA and it's checked at the border, not assumed from the passport alone.
Quarantine and Import Permits by Destination
Six destinations that catch travelers out most often — not a complete global list. Every country sets its own rules and they change without much notice, so confirm the current requirement with the destination's own agency (linked below) before you book.
Destination
Status
Quarantine
Permit / notice
Typical cost
Australia
Quarantine mandatory
10 days minimum for Group 2 countries*. A Group 3 pet (including mainland US) can also reach the 10-day minimum, but only if its identity is verified before the blood draw and at least 180 days before export — otherwise it's a 30-day minimum.
Import permit required
From ~AU$1,900 (10-day stay, government fees only)
New Zealand
Quarantine mandatory
10 days minimum, at an approved facility near Auckland or Christchurch only. No quarantine for pets arriving from Australia or Norfolk Island.
Import permit required
~NZ$2,000–3,500
Iceland
Quarantine mandatory
14 days for dogs, 28 days for cats, at one of only two approved stations. Both book out months ahead and only accept arrivals on set intake days.
Import permit required
~220,000 ISK stay + ~40,600 ISK import fee (dogs)
Japan
Avoidable with prep
0 days on arrival if a rabies titer test, the 180-day post-titer wait, and a 40-day advance notice are all completed before departure. Miss any of it and the pet goes into AQS detention quarantine for up to 180 days.
Advance notification (not a permit)
Free if fully compliant; detention adds cost
Hawaii
Avoidable with prep
5 days or less under the qualifying program — needs 2 lifetime rabies vaccines, a passing OIE-FAVN blood test, and a 90-day wait after the most recent vaccination. Without it, quarantine runs up to 120 days.
Program enrollment, not a separate permit
$224 for the 5-Day-or-Less program
Taiwan
Avoidable with prep
7 days standard. Waived if the rabies titer was drawn 180 days to 1 year before arrival and the application reaches Taiwan's animal health authority at least 20 days ahead through an approved channel.
Import application required
Varies by facility
*Group 2 covers the UK, most EU member states, Japan, Singapore and Hawaii; Group 3 covers the US mainland and most other countries. Confirm your pet's group with Australia's own import tool before assuming the 10-day path applies.
Cabin-Eligible Airlines and Weight Limits
An in-cabin pet is treated as a second piece of carry-on, not a passenger — a confirmed seat for you doesn't include a confirmed slot for the pet. Every airline below caps how many pet carriers it allows per flight, often in the single digits, so the pet reservation is its own booking step.
Southwest
No published pet weight limit — the carrier just has to fit fully under the seat and the pet has to stand and turn around inside it. Domestic itineraries only, capped at 6 pet carriers per flight. Roughly $75–95 each way; the pet reservation is made by phone, not online.
Delta
Small dogs, cats and household birds, on domestic itineraries within the contiguous US plus Canada — Delta doesn't carry pets in the cabin on other international routes at all. Guidance keeps pet + carrier at roughly 20 lb (9 kg) combined. Around $150 each way.
United
Dogs and cats in an approved soft- or hard-sided carrier that fits under the seat, on select routes only — not every aircraft type carries pets, so confirm at booking. Roughly $125–150 each way.
Air France
Pet + soft-sided carrier together must weigh 8 kg (17.6 lb) or less, carrier no larger than 46×28×24 cm. A heavier pet, or anything in a hard-sided carrier, travels in the hold instead — up to 75 kg combined weight there.
USDA Health Certificate
1
Exam
APHIS Form 7001, from an accredited vet
A USDA-accredited veterinarian examines the pet and issues the International Health Certificate (APHIS Form 7001) — the only form USDA endorses for export.
2
Endorse
USDA APHIS, same state as the vet
Submitted through VEHCS for electronic turnaround, or mailed to the APHIS Veterinary Services office in the vet's state. Endorsement fees start around $38 and cost more if the destination requires federal review of test results.
3
Time it
To the destination's window, not a fixed rule
Some destinations accept a certificate endorsed up to 30 days before arrival; others require the exam and endorsement within 10 days of arrival. USDA doesn't set this window — the destination country does. Confirm it before scheduling the vet appointment, not after.
Common Mistakes
Starting the paperwork on a US timeline, not the destination's
Blood-titer-based waivers for Japan, Australia and Taiwan run on months, not weeks — a titer test alone can take up to 180 days to clear before travel is even possible. Eight weeks out is enough for an EU trip; it isn't close for these three.
Missing the health-certificate window
Getting the vet exam done too early causes as much trouble as too late — a certificate endorsed outside the destination's specific window, commonly 10 or 30 days before arrival, is refused at check-in, not at customs.
Vaccinating before microchipping
A rabies vaccine given before the microchip is implanted doesn't count for EU/UK entry. The 21-day clock restarts from a fresh vaccination after the chip goes in.
Booking the flight before confirming a cabin slot
Airlines cap in-cabin pets per flight, often in the single digits, and that reservation is separate from the passenger seat. A booked flight with no pet slot left means a different flight, or checking the pet as cargo instead.
Assuming the fastest quarantine path applies automatically
Australia's reduced 10-day quarantine for a US-origin pet depends on the pet's identity being verified before the blood draw, not after. Miss that order and the same trip reverts to a 30-day stay.
Fees, quarantine lengths and document rules above change with little notice and vary by pet species, breed and origin country — confirm current requirements with the destination's own agency and your airline before booking, not after.