Importing a Pet into China via Hong Kong

Importing your dog into China

Moving can be stressful at times especially when you decide to move to a new country. You have placed things in storage and — OOPS! what about the family pet?!? Can’t live without Fido or Fluffy! The process of getting your pet to a new country is very tedious and can be quite costly.

There are many steps in getting a four-legged friend to a new country (your new home). Be prepared to allocate time and money in both the origin and destination countries. It is smart to have a person on both sides (current pets home and new pets home) to work through the process, making it all happen.

Selecting Your Airline Carrier

One of the main obstacles is to locate airlines that service your destination country. Many countries restrict pet cargo to only airlines with headquarters in their country. For this reason, Cathay-Pacific airlines is one of the few passenger carriers that can bring in pets. Within the last 45 days, Delta was unable to service a flight from Atlanta to Hong Kong. Delta’s suggestion was to call their sister airline, Korean Air (who were also unable to service HK). While some countries will allow you to bring the pet with you in the cabin, Hong Kong flights require pets to be booked only as air cargo. It is important to note that not all airlines have a cargo terminal in every city (even though there is a passenger terminal). If there is not a cargo terminal in your city, you will have to fly the pet to a different city and send them out from there.

Here is a short-list of airlines that service pets to Hong Kong (I used China Airlines)

Cathay-Pacific Air Cargo, 800-628-6960 or 404-761-9393 x232
China Airlines (CA)
Continental Airlines
Eva Air, Jimmy 404-209-7688 [Air-Cargo carrier] – Utilizing a sole air-cargo business company will require you to work with an import/export forwarding company. If you are in the southeastern US, you can work with Southern Export Services, Inc. Richard Tang 770-907-0021.

Check with one of the above carriers for pricing and scheduling. As of 45 days ago, Cathay was shipping pet cargo at $19.36 per kilo. Continental is a little pricier. Make sure that they can move your pet when you need. There are restrictions on times of the year because pets cannot fly when the temperature will be too hot (above 85 degrees F) in the cargo hold. Beware that they charge by kilogram (there is some kind of formula: dog+crate weight X volume?), but do not starve your pet before the flight (there are other ways to save money on shipping fluffy).

Here are some good Pet-for-Thoughts:

If your pet’s final destination is Shenzhen, arriving via air to HK, Cathay can bring the pet by truck direct (very expensive).
If you wish to fly on the same plane as your pet, Cathay Pacific can accommodate this by calling the above 800 number.

Ok – so you have selected your airline - this can be an enormous task and you have now completed 10% of the process that will bring your pet to China.

Origin City Side

To complete all the tasks required to export your pet, you will need at least 2 weeks lead time (do not schedule your pet’s flight any earlier). Once you found a reputable cargo company, next you need to get your paperwork in order. You need a valid health certificate from your vet. I would suggest calling your vet before you show up for your appointment and verify that they have this certificate on hand. Also check with the USDA pet department and make sure you have all the necessary shots given before you go.

Our pet had these shots

Once the vet has filled out the necessary certificate make sure you do not mess it up in any way shape or form or you will have some problems down the road with customs. Next you are going to have to go to have the USDA veterinarian approve it. You will need to make an appointment and have them review the health certificate and they will provide their embossed stamp of approval.

It is important to note that on each side of the equation (city the pet is in and the pets new home) there are companies that can facilitate all the processes for you. These companies can be worth their weight in gold. Due to the mounting costs associated with bringing the dog to China, we handled the Atlanta side ourselves.

On the US side, here are some companies local to the Atlanta area:
Animal Land, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia (GA), United States
Office Phone :+1 404-812-1555
Fax :+1 404-812-1588
Toll Free :+1 877-379-8625
http://www.petmovers.com

Lucky Dog! LLC
Atlanta, Georgia (GA), United States
Office Phone :+1 404-551-5028
Fax :+1 866-373-4819
Toll Free :1 888-575-5025
http://www.luckydogtravels.com

Now you have your documents for your animal. Make sure you have filled out all the necessary paper work for the cargo company you have chosen and make sure they understand that it is a live animal you are sending. When you fax your copy of the health certificate make sure you use the carbon copy underneath and rub in on the embossed stamp or it will not show up. You also need to fax a copy of your animal’s current vaccinations and dates and you need to give an original copy to the cargo company as well.

Airline Liability Letter

Shipper’s Letter of Instructions

Shipper’s Certificate for Live Animals

Once the cargo company has received the documents they can then begin to process their paper work as well. In the meantime make sure you have an animal crate that is airplane approved. Usually it will be indicated on the crate if it is or not. Look first and make sure your pet can fit comfortably inside and can turn around inside with the door shut. There are some great pads you can place inside of it that provide comfort as well as absorption in case the pet has an accident (you know what I mean, the dog can’t leave the crate for 20 hours). Beware your pet will need a bath when you finally get it to its new home. About 30 minutes before boarding the plane, my vet suggested giving my dog 2 Benedryl tablets. It is not advisable to sedate your animal unless your vet says otherwise. It can be quite traumatic for your animal to be sedated. Bendryl is best. Even through an 18 hour flight its OK.

Hong Kong Side

This is where it gets a little hazy – there is so much that goes into allowing the dog into the airport, out of the airport and into China. If you make any mistakes at this stage it will cost a lot of money to fix them (export the dog, reimport the dog, etc). I solely recommend using a Pet Import company like:

Pet Movers Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 3404 0061 / (852) 9198 4543
Fax: (852) 3404 0062
www.petmovershk.com

From the HK side, you must obtain a transit permit for the dog to legally be in Hong Kong. The transmit permit must then be sent to the cargo airline carrier back in the US before the dog can leave. Also ensure that ALL THE DOCUMENTATION that you have been working with are available in Hong Kong. If the documents were processed in the US, attach them to the doggy crate. All original documents are required for customs at the border to mainland China.

Import Special Permit

Entry Into China - Why it’s best to hire an agent!

Go to airline air cargo terminal (get there before noon, everyone goes to lunch and you will have to wait until after 2:00PM to pick up your pet).
See your best friend in the crate and have the Hong Kong customs agent examine the dog for contraband hidden inside the dog. Do not touch the dog or get near the crate – looks suspicious!
Pack the dog into the van that will take you to the Hong Kong border.
Switch vans as the old van does not have double license plates to enter into China.
Meet up with the Agriculture and Fisheries agent that will escort the dog into China.
Take the dog through customs (bring 20 RMB for processing fees) and hope that everything is in order. If there is a problem at this stage, a dog can only legally stay in Hong Kong for 24 hours before it goes into mandatory quarantine or deportation.