Animal Health Certificate

Adobe Acrobat e-Form iAM Smart

ISSUE OR OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT OF ANIMAL HEALTH CERTIFICATE

General Information

In order to assist local exporters in meeting veterinary health requirements of the destination countries/places, this Department provides services such as issue or official endorsement of animal health certificate to facilitate such export. Such services include:

• the issue of an Official Animal Health Certificate or Official Certification of Information on Animal Health Certificate issued by a registered veterinary surgeons
• Government Veterinary Officer's Official Endorsement on health certificates issued by the registered veterinary surgeons

How To Apply

• An application must be submitted using the form "Application for Animal Health Certificate"  (245KB)  . You can view and print the form by downloading the Adobe(R) Acrobat(R) Reader software which is available free at the Adobe Systems Incorporated website. The form can also be obtain from our office at the address below.

• Fees must be paid at the time of application. Fees are charged in accordance with the Fees Schedule.

• To apply for the Official Endorsement or Official Certification of Information on an animal health certificate, please provide a completed animal health certificate issued by a registered veterinary surgeon (normally issued within 10 days prior to departure, or as specified by the destination country/place), vaccination records, and other related original documents to our office.

• If the importing country specifically requires Official Veterinary Examination for your animal, you may apply for an Official Animal Health Certificate at our office. The Government Veterinary Officer will perform a health inspection on the animal before the issue of such certificate. You must take appointment at least 10 working days prior to the expected date of inspection. 

Processing Period

If all the veterinary health requirements stipulated by the destination country/place are met and the related documents are available, the processing period is:

• Official Animal Health Certificate : two working days;

• Government Veterinary Officer's Official Endorsement/Official Certification of Information on health certificate issued by a registered veterinary surgeons : one working day.

Reminder: Documents that are submitted in the morning session will be ready for collection in the morning of the next working day. The same principle applies to applications submitted in the afternoon session.

Where To Apply

Application must be submitted in person to:
Certification Desk (Counter No. 9), Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department,   5th Floor, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong 

Office Hours

Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 noon, 1:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
(Closed on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays.)

Australia's Import Requirements for dogs/cats being exported from Hong Kong to Australia

With effect from 1 March 2023, the Australian government authority (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) has imposed the below import requirements for dogs/cats coming from Hong Kong.

1. All dogs and cats must be implanted with an International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) compatible microchip prior to commencing pre-export preparation. AVID microchips that are 9 digits long are not acceptable.  
2. Rabies vaccination must continue to be current at the time of export to Australia.
3. An adequate rabies neutralising antibody titre test (RNATT) laboratory report will be valid for 12 months only.
4. Minimum 10 days post-entry quarantine in an Australian government facility for dogs and cats that have had an identity verification, including scanning of the microchip, by the exporting country’s competent authority as part of the import permit application process. The verification must occur before a blood sample is collected for RNAT testing, and at least 180 days before export to Australia.
   
   OR
   
   Minimum 10 days post-entry quarantine in an Australian government facility for dogs and cats returning to Australia that have an identity verification before leaving Australia, through provision of formal evidence such as an Australian export permit as part of the import permit application process.
   
   OR
   
   Minimum 30 days post-entry quarantine in an Australian government facility for dogs and cats that have not had an identity verification before a blood sample was collected for RNAT testing, and at least 180 days before export to Australia. These dogs and cats must still have a valid RNATT on a blood sample received by the testing laboratory at least 180 days before export to Australia.

Application for Official Identity Verification for your dog/cat

Before blood sampling for RNATT, if you would like to apply for the identity verification for your dog/cat from this Department, please contact our office at 2150 7062 at least 10 working days in advance for making an appointment. To confirm the appointment, you should bring along the original copies of vaccination record, dog licence (for dogs only), import permit (if any), and pay the application fee in our office in advance. (It takes 1 working day to process after the identity verification is completed.)

Application for RNATT Declaration

Please tell your private vet who did the blood sampling to fill in his/her full name, sign and stamp on the Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre Test (RNATT) Report. After that, please bring along the original copies of rabies vaccination record, dog licence (for dogs only), Identification Declaration and the RNATT Report etc. to our office for issuing the RNATT Declaration. It takes 1 working day to process.

After you have been granted Australia's Import Permit, please ask your vet to carefully check and understand Australia’s import requirements, and conduct the required parasite treatments and blood sampling(s) within the time frame in accordance with the import requirements for your animal. Please tell your vet to sign and stamp on each Blood Test Report to acknowledge the test results.

Application for Official Animal Health Certificate for export

Please bring your dog/cat to the private animal clinic for examination and completion of the following prescribed Animal Health Certificate within 5 days prior to export.

Prescribed Animal Health Certificate for dogs being shipped to Australia (Ver. 20230524)

Prescribed Animal Health Certificate for cats being shipped to Australia (Ver. 20230524)

Please tell your vet to fill in his/her full name, sign and stamp on each Blood Test Report to acknowledge the test result. After that, please bring along the original copies of prescribed Animal Health Certificate, Blood Test Report(s), Vaccination Record(s), Dog Licence (for dogs only), Import Permit, Identification Declaration, and RNATT Declaration, etc. to our office within 5 days prior to export. We will base on your vet's attestation and supporting documents to issue an Animal Health Certificate correspondingly. (It takes 1 working day to process).

For more import information, please visit http://www.agriculture.gov.au/

EC entry for Hong Kong dogs and cats

With effect from 1 January 2012, the European Community (EC) has imposed import requirements for dogs and cats coming from Hong Kong. These requirements include:

1. The animal is identified by a microchip;

2. The animal is accompanied by a health documentation (must be in EU format) which requires official certification from AFCD;

3. The animal has a valid anti-rabies vaccination status (at least 21 days have elapsed since the completion of the primary vaccination against rabies); and/or

4. The animal has been examined by an approved veterinary surgeon before travelling and found to be in good health and able to withstand travel to the planned destination.

The certification which certifies the animals have met the above requirements is valid for 10 days in the EC. Some countries/places, including Finland, Malta, Ireland and the United Kingdom, have additional requirement.

• The dogs have been treated against tapeworm within a period of not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours before arrival.

If the animals transit through a country / place which has not been approved by the EC, a rabies antibody test is required, or the import will be subject to the decision of EC. Different conditions will apply for other pets. Owners are advised to check the import requirements through the website of the animal health authorities of the destination countries / places for the latest information before planning their trip.

For detail information, you can visit the following website:

European Community Official Website:
https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/movement-pets/eu-legislation/non-commercial-movement-non-eu-countries_en

British Official Website :
http://www.defra.gov.uk/

The Republic of Korea’s Import Requirements for dogs/cats being shipped from Hong Kong to the Republic of Korea

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency of the Republic of Korea has imposed new requirements for dogs/cats from Hong Kong to the Republic of Korea. With effect from 30 September 2018, dogs/cats to the Republic of Korea must accompanied with an Official Animal Health Certificate issued by this Department.

For more import information, please visit http://www.qia.go.kr/livestock/qua/listSxzgWebAction.do?clear=1

Reminders

• Since different countries impose different restrictions on the importation of animals, applicants are strongly advised to first obtain details of the requirements from both the government authority of the destination country/place and from the airline or shipping company that carries the animals. Please note that this Department may not always be able to certify all of the required details.
• The period of validity of the animal health certificate will depend on the regulations of the destination country/place. In general, it is valid for 10 days from the date of issue.
• Before submitting the documents, please ensure that all the information about your dog/cat is accurate and consistently recorded on each document. If any amendments need to be made to the animal health certificates or vaccination records, it must be amended and confirmed by the organisation or vet clinic which issued the relevant documents. Using correction fluid or tape is not accepted for making amendments.
• Updates on Procedure for Official Endorsement / Certification of Export Documents
  for Dogs and Cats without Proof of Residency