Importing My Dog to Taiwan!

 

Well, my little buddy finally made it to Taiwan.  My dog Charlie was finally able to immigrate with us.  He’s a poodle breed (Taiwanese Red Poodle).  His name in Chinese is Cha Li Wang (茶裏王).  My Taiwanese friends will know that this is a type of tea sold in Taiwan, but it is sometimes translated as Charlie Wang.  My dog is named after this tea, because he is the color of oolong tea.

There is a process for importing a pet from the US to Taiwan.  Taiwan is a rabies-free country, so they are very strict about letting pets from countries with rabies into Taiwan. There are a number of hoops that must be jumped through in order to make it happen. 

First, you must go on the website of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA).  Here is where you will find updated requirements for importing an animal from your country. 

Second, your pet requires a FAVR (called the titration test).  This will determine exposure to rabies.  This test must be done 90 days to one year prior to import.  This is a recent change as of 2025.  90 days is a minimum they are not flexible about the timeline. 

Third, the pet must have a certificate from a veterinarian (In English or Mandarin) stating the breed, age, sex, microchip number and date of last rabies vaccination.

Fourth, the importer must have a current passport or Taiwan ID or APRC/ARC (Alien Permanent Registration Card).

Fifth, an import permit must be filed within 20 days with APHIA.  This permit can be filed on-line. (LINK)

The most difficult aspect is finding a veterinarian that is knowledgeable about this and is willing to do it.  You must explore and be familiar with the requirements, it varies for every country and the vets can’t keep up with all of it 

Finally, all of the paperwork, with the import permit must pass through the US Department of Agriculture.  This can be pretty stressful, because the import permit must be processed and sent to USDA.  We got the USDA paperwork the day before leaving for Taiwan.

The airlines must be notified ahead of the trip.  Someone must travel with the pet. The total cost to get the dog to Taiwan, veterinarian cost and airline costs was about $2,500 USD. That does not include the person travelling with the pet.    

All in all, it was simpler to get visas for me and my family than one for the dog.  He’s worth it.

嗯，我的小夥伴終於來到台灣了！

我的狗狗 Charlie 終於能和我們一起移民來台灣了。他是一隻貴賓犬（台灣紅貴賓）。他的中文名字是「茶裏王」。台灣的朋友們應該知道，這也是台灣市面上販售的一種茶，有時會被翻譯為「Charlie Wang」。我的狗就是以這款茶命名的，因為他的毛色和烏龍茶很像。

從美國將寵物帶入台灣是有一定程序的。台灣是一個無狂犬病的國家，因此對於來自有狂犬病國家的寵物入境管控非常嚴格，必須經過層層審查才能辦理成功。

帶寵物入境台灣的流程

1. 查詢動植物檢疫檢驗局（APHIA）網站
   你需要先前往「動植物檢疫檢驗局（APHIA）」的官方網站，這裡會提供最新的寵物入境規範，並根據你的國家列出具體要求。

2. 進行 FAVR 檢測（抗體效價檢測）
   你的寵物必須接受 FAVR 檢測（也稱為抗體效價檢測），以確認其是否具有足夠的狂犬病抗體。此檢測必須 在入境前 90 天至 1 年內完成。這是 2025 年起的新規定，90 天是最低標準，官方對此時間點沒有彈性。

3. 獸醫健康證明
   寵物必須持有獸醫開立的健康證明（可為英文或中文），證明須包含寵物的品種、年齡、性別、晶片號碼及最近一次的狂犬病疫苗接種日期。

4. 進口人必須持有有效證件
   進口人必須擁有有效的護照、台灣身分證，或 APRC/ARC（外僑永久居留證/居留證）。

5. 申請進口許可證
   進口許可證必須 在入境前 20 天內申請，並向「動植物檢疫檢驗局（APHIA）」提交申請。此申請可在線上完成。（[連結]）

最困難的部分

最困難的其實是 找到一位熟悉這項程序的獸醫，或是願意協助辦理的獸醫。由於每個國家的規定不同，獸醫不一定能掌握所有細節，因此飼主需要自己研究並熟悉相關規範。

最後，所有文件（包含進口許可證）都必須通過 美國農業部（USDA） 的審核。這個過程相當緊張，因為進口許可證必須送交 USDA 審批，而我們是在 出發前一天 才拿到 USDA 文件！

此外，航空公司必須提前通知，且寵物必須有隨行旅伴。帶 Charlie 來台灣的總費用，包括獸醫費用與機票費用，大約是 2,500 美元（不包括陪同旅客的費用）。

總結

幫我和家人辦簽證都比幫狗辦簽證還要簡單！但他值得！

 

Charlie about 15 years ago

He was a cute little guy!

Charlie was born in Taiwan, moved with us to Tucson...now he's home again

In Arizona with my son-in-law's dog Reggie

Charlie's Namesake