Moving Dogs to Japan

Transporting Dogs to Japan

While all of the information is fresh in my head, I want to pass on the process for getting your animal to Japan if you are a civilian coming to Okinawa, Japan. When I started the process of moving my 3 dogs, there were no postings dedicated to those of us who are civilians moving to Okinawa. There are several sites out there that have great information, but most experiences are relative to the US Military rather than civilians.

What I have written below is what worked for me. I can't guarantee everyone will have the same experience, but hopefully it is similar. This will also be helpful to those of you who are military but flying commercial as the procedure is similar except that you are fortunate enough to be able to use a military vet and skip the USDA requirement. Please also check out the MAFF website for the most current information for Pet Import. http://www.maff.go.jp/aqs/english/animal/dog/index.html.

In my opinion, the best reference out there is the document you can download here: http://www.usarj.army.mil/organization/vet/import.aspx.

If you click on DOCUMENTS, it will link to all of the forms I used and how I filled them out. I hope that helps. If that doesn't work, paste the link below.

https://www.sites.google.com/site/movingdogstojapan/documents

Some background information: We moved here from Jacksonville, FL with 3 dogs including a Rottweiler (110 Lbs, Age 9), fox hound (55 pounds, age 10), and Chow mix (65 pounds, age 11). We had our flights go through Tokyo Narita. All three made it and are living in Yomitan out of quarantine. Overall cost (detailed below) for all three dogs was $2500.

 

1.  Microchip and First Rabies Shot

Once you have decided to move to Japan or are pretty sure you are going to go, take your dogs to the vet right away. Get the microchip and the first rabies shot and bring your vet a copy of the procedure you are going to be following to be sure they understand. We got the AVID microchip. Our vet was not familiar with the process for Japan so we all learned together. It is important to take them in right away if there is a chance you are going so the clock starts ticking on their quarantine. If you don’t end up moving to Japan, you end up with a microchip, which is good to have anyway.

2. 2nd Rabies Vaccination

At least 32 days after the initial rabies, get the 2nd Rabies Vaccination. Make sure you get original signed vaccination certificates. I actually filled out a DD 2208 and had the vet sign it so that it was consistent with all of the other paperwork Animal Quarantine Services sees.

3. FAVN Test Blood Drawn

At this point you should know you are going to Japan because the next step is costly. At least 2 days after your dogs have had their 2nd rabies vaccine, get the FAVN test blood drawn. Our vet recommended waiting 7 days so that the vaccination had time to get through the system and the dog has built up antibodies. We waited 7 days and all 3 tests were well above the .50 requirement.


4.  Order TSA Approved Crates

We also ordered our transportation crates at this time. Our Rottweiler had a Sky Kennel D500 and the 2 smaller guys used Sky Kennel D400. We started early on getting them used to their kennels.

5. Travel Arrangements

At this point we were waiting for our flights to be reserved and for the results of the FAVN tests. Make sure if you are flying through Tokyo you tell your booking agent that you want to fly into and OUT of Narita because you have dogs. There are 2 airports in Tokyo, but International flights fly into Narita. For some reason, the government likes to book you on flights that fly into Narita and then transfer to the Domestic airport for the flight to Okinawa. This is a 1.5 hour drive between airports. At this time (6/1/10), there is 1 ANA flight out of Narita and we got them to put us on that flight. I’ve also heard that Osaka is easier to fly through but I have not tried it. Once your flights are booked, call both airlines (ours were United and ANA) to tell them the size and weights of your kennels and confirm there is room for them on each segment of your flight. ANA will probably have to call you back because they will call the Narita terminal to confirm.

6. Send in Advance Notification

Our FAVN results took 3 weeks. When the results come back make sure they give you the original result with the sticker on it (not just a copy). Also, as soon as you know your flights, have confirmed your pets on the flights, and have received your FAVN results, fill out the advance notification form and send it in. They like it at least 40 days in advance. Include copies of your Rabies Certs, PCS Orders, FAVN results, and the Notification From. Also, be sure to write “This pet belongs to a US SOFA sponsored family and will be stationed at MCB Butler” in the remarks section. You will have all the information you need so send it in as early as possible. They have a fax number but I usually contacted them through email because its easier. The email address for the Tokyo Narita Terminal 1 office is na-k1@aqs.maff.go.jp. Another email is nishiokata@maff-aqs.go.jp. You will receive your approvals within a few days if you have provided them with all the paperwork they need.

Any changes or modifications to your plans, send them the modification form and they will send you a revised approval. I made 2 or 3 modifications to our dates and times and they were quick to respond. I received the modification form with my approval email, but if you can’t find it, use the one posted here: Documents.

7. Health Certificate USDA

At this point you should have your approvals for each dog, be about 30 days out, have all your original Rabies Certs and FAVN results, and are eagerly awaiting your trip overseas. Make sure your vet is aware of the USDA International Health Certificate procedures, and contact your local USDA to make sure you have everything they need. Our office was in Gainesville, Fl. They do not need or want to see the dogs, but require certain forms filled out by your vet and sent to them. Forms A and C from the Japanese MAFF and the International Health Certificate are required, but check with the local office to make sure you follow the procedure. The USDA is very familiar with the requirements and will tell you exactly what they want from you. You will send all of your paperwork and health certificate forms and they will put the USDA stamp on all of the forms. They will then send this back to you. At this point you bring your dogs to your vet for their final checkup and the vet signs off that they are fit to fly. The vet also signs Form C. Our dogs were flying as checked baggage so this certificate was now good for 30 days. If they are unaccompanied cargo, its only 10. You now have everything you need for your trip. The airline will ask for the health certificate when you check in, and the Japan AQS will ask to see your original FAVN results, Rabies Certificates, Approval Notification, Military/DOD ID, and Japan Forms A and C all with USDA stamp. You will also need to fill out an MDJ 270.

8. Day of Flight

a. On the day of flying, stick a frozen water bottle with holes in it in your dogs water bowl and have water with you for them when you get to Japan. Check them in at the counter where you may run into more headaches. Our United rep looked up ANA’s rules and said she could not check the dogs in because they were larger than ANA’s acceptable size. We had to get supervisors and tell them to book them anyway because we already have confirmation with ANA. The airlines don’t talk to each other and ANA’s policy does say a limit of 70 pounds, however, Okinawa is an exception because they do it all the time. They just make you confirm the sizes of them (which we did earlier) prior to showing up at the airport. Anyway, long story short United booked them with the caveat that it is our problem if we get to Tokyo and are stuck. The prices varied a lot as I do not think United has specific prices they charge and if they do, the people at the counter do not know them. For example, our Rottweiler was $250 all the way to Okinawa, while the other 2 dogs were $300 each. Meanwhile, on there website it says it should cost $400 each .

b. The nice thing about United and Delta is when you get on the plane, they will hand you a ticket confirming that your animal has made it on the plane as well. The people that board your dog rip the ticket off your dog’s crate and then hand it to the flight attendants. Now you just relax while you travel to Tokyo.

c. Once in Tokyo, we got off the plane and headed towards customs. They check your passport here, you walk through and head down an escalator into the Baggage Claim Area. It is very helpful to have a CAC ID or dependent ID card. The Japanese officials recognize these immediately. We were in terminal 1 and all the way at the end of the terminal you will see a sign for AQS (animal quarantine services). See the uploaded map here: Documents. I went to the backside of baggage claim where I found Japanese employees in charge of the baggage. They are easy to recognize and they carry radios. They were very helpful. Let one of them know you are waiting on dogs and then keep looking around for your crates which will be wheeled out to you on a cart. We left our baggage on the carousel and took the crates right over to animal quarantine. Here they will look through all your paperwork, sign your MDJ270, hand you a yellow or pink piece of paper for customs, and send you on your way. For all our dogs it took 10 minutes. They never looked in the crates, examined the dogs, or scanned their microchip. This is all the responsibility of the vet at Kadena. The AQS just looks for your paperwork (Import Approval, Forms A and C, PCS Orders, original FAVN results, all but PCS orders with USDA seal).

Then we wheeled our dogs back to the carousel, picked up our luggage, and went to the customs counter. Show them your id card and pcs orders along with the yellow or pink piece of paper from AQS. They sent us through in about 2 minutes. Then we made a hard right and followed the signs to the ANA counter. We filled up their water bowls with the water we were carrying so they can have a drink. If you have time, you may be able to take them out of the crates and walk them outside somewhere. We were pressed for time, so our dogs had to wait 2.5 more hours for some relief.

Smooth sailing from here. ANA is SO helpful relative to any stateside airline. They are the best airline. We showed ANA our receipts for the dogs' flights, which showed we paid United to fly them from Jacksonville to Okinawa and they didn’t charge us anything on their flight. If you don’t, they will charge you $300+ per dog so make sure you save the one from United. They will come out and take the dogs and send them on their way. ANA does not provide the ticket confirming they are on the plane with you, but they all made it.

9. Arrival in Okinawa

When you arrive in Okinawa the dogs will be set to the side of baggage claim waiting for you. There are patches of grass outside if you want to walk them. Then take them to your TLF.

You have 3 days to check them into the vet on Kadena. We called and brought them in the next day. Once at the vet they scan the microchip, ask a few health questions, look at your paperwork and 20 minutes later you are out. We had 3 dogs and 1 of them had 10 days left on quarantine. The other 2 were done because we had started early enough. For the 10 days on the Rottweiler we just had to fill out a form that said the rules of quarantine and then bring him back 10 days later. It was really easy and nothing to worry about. They did not ask where he was staying or if we lived on base, they just made it clear to us what the rules were. I have known several people that ignored the rules and just took their dogs off base, but I do not condone this nor recommend it.

If you are living off base don’t forget to register your dogs with your local government office. I hope this helps and email me any questions you have. Good Luck!

COST BREAKDOWN